The special district election is May 20, and four Redmond School Board candidates met for a forum Monday night at the Redmond Public Library. They shared views on diversity, equity and inclusion; how to improve learning gaps and the Redmond High School remodel, among other topics.

Incumbent Eric Lea and Ashley Proctor are running for Position 1, while incumbent Amanda Page and Joelle Beget are running for Position 3. Michael Summers is running unopposed for another seat.

Redmond High’s remodel and college goals

One question submitted by Redmond students asked about the most essential aspect of the upcoming Redmond High School remodel, a construction project funded by a bond measure passed by voters in 2024. Every candidate mentioned the work that needs to be done to fix the school’s heating, ventilation and air conditioning system.

“The day before school’s starting, and there’s areas that are cordoned off because there’s damage to the floor and the roof,” said Beget, who has a son who attends Redmond High. The work needs to be done “the best way we can,” she said.

Page emphasized safety, and said students need a building where they are safe and warm. The district looked for incentives from organizations such as Energy Trust of Oregon during the previous bond measure so it could do more with the available funding.

“We don’t necessarily have an option about what we’re doing with this bond money, these bond monies have been allocated,” she said.

Proctor said she was grateful the bond measure passed, but since it only passed by a narrow margin, she wondered if voters didn’t receive enough information about it.

Lea pointed out that the most financially sound decision would have been to close Redmond High, but the community argued against it. He’s looking forward to seeing the bond measure bring new opportunities for Redmond High, many of which the newer Ridgeview High already has.

The candidates also discussed how the district can help low-income students with their college goals.

“I’m really glad to hear that (question) coming from a student, ‘cause we’re planting the right ideas in our students,” said Lea. “We need to work a little bit harder on providing the foundational education that the kids need to be the masters of their own futures … I don’t think it’s a lack of money for those low-income students, I think it’s a lack of knowledge of the opportunity that they have.”

Proctor, who is a first-generation high school graduate, said school was a challenge for her and she was successful because of the people and support services around her. She suggested creating a community mentor program.

“I also want to make students aware that you don’t have to go to college right out of the gate. I’m really grateful I joined the military when I did. I was 17, and I was enlisted for seven years until I realized I wanted to go to college, I was ready for it,” said Proctor.

Beget said she believes low-income students mainly lack confidence and educators have the opportunity to build students up to show them they can do anything.

Page pushed back on this and said, “I was with plenty of kids who were encouraged and they tried really really hard, and they didn’t have access to the resources they needed to be successful. It’s one thing to tell a student, yes, you’re smart and you can go to college, it’s quite another to show them the way.”

Equity and learning improvements

When asked about education gaps in the district, Proctor said students need to improve so they are reading at grade level, and that the science of reading curriculum seems to be on the right track.

Lea said, “Where do we start? What isn’t wrong with the state of education in Oregon? There isn’t really a metric by which we’re excelling.”

He mentioned that reading and math skills are both poor, and that students lack foundational skills. He wants to ensure students have strong foundations so they can do well in more complex subjects as they get older.

“As I’m going through the community, hearing from people, it’s very obvious that there’s a concern for the distractions in the classroom,” Beget said. “What parents are feeling is that this is taking away from the education of my kid because there’s too much going on that is taking up teaching time. I think it’s a really big thing, we need to make sure teachers are equipped with classroom management.”

Page pointed out what’s working: teachers are passionate, students are trying their best after getting through the COVID-19 pandemic and the career/technical education program is going well. The district is working on improving reading skills and attendance and is seeing improvement in both areas.

Candidates also discussed the differences between equity and equality, as well as how the district should be filling in the gaps.

“I think the way this translates into our school district and in our schools is that we don’t do a one-size fits-all approach, we know that does not work,” said Page. “We know some students come to school and they didn’t have the same resources or opportunities that other kids did, so we need to close that gap.”

Beget said there’s never going to be an even playing field, because everyone has different socio-economic backgrounds and experiences. The community needs to equip kids and make sure they know they can succeed. The community overall needs to be involved, not just the school district, she said.

Lea said, “What is success? Who gets to define what success looks like? Equity takes that away from the individual. I want to give the kids equality, I want to give them access to the tools that they need to be successful according to their own rules.”

Proctor discussed the difference between equity and equality. The community has a responsibility to take care of every child, regardless of where they start, she said.