Both of my parents suffered abuse from their own parents as children. My parents didn’t go to elite universities because they didn’t go to college. One dropped out of high school all together. When they became parents themselves, they struggled to stop the cycle of trauma that plagues so many families. I was never beaten, as my father had been, but mine was not a happy childhood. I didn’t experience what I now know to be psychological safety until I was an adult and had long left that home. Statistically, I should not have been expected to attend college, let alone go on to earn a master’s degree from a prestigious university. The fact that I did — and that I’ve succeeded in breaking the trauma cycle for my own children — is because of teachers.

 

I grew up in a small town in Fallbrook, Calif., near Camp Pendleton, where I attended public schools. When I was in the third grade, I was identified as “intellectually gifted,” and I clearly remember my second grade teacher asking where I wanted to go to college. I had no idea, given this was a new concept to me, but from that moment on I knew it was something I could do, and that I would do it  because there was a caring adult who expected me to rise to her expectations. Every year thereafter, I was blessed by teachers who pushed me to excel, and it is because of them that today I serve on the Bend-La Pine Schools board of directors. I want every child to have access to the quality of education that I had.

 

On the school board, I’m fortunate to serve alongside six other public servants who are equally committed to excellence in education. Five of them are former teachers. While I bring valuable experience as a former pupil, a parent of two children in Bend-La Pine Schools, and as a primary care provider at a community health center, I have deep respect for the unique role teachers inhabit as mentors, advisors, and inspirers. Every one of us currently serving on the school board knows that in order for our teachers to succeed in these roles, we must support them. This requires ongoing work, as every year the demands placed upon our teachers grow. 

 

We also understand that teachers are not our only stakeholders. All of us at Bend-La Pine Schools — board members, administrators, teachers, and support staff — know that our core mission is to provide an excellent education to every student in our district. Every one of us on the school board is deeply committed to the idea that all our students, no matter their religion or gender identity, deserve to feel safe, loved and nurtured in our schools. Sadly, this idea — that excellence should be equitable — has become controversial.

 

How can we continue to support our teachers to deliver an excellent and equitable education to all students given our limited budget, rising inflation, and increasing stress among students and staff struggling to afford their basic needs? Whatever political party you belong to, you surely feel this tension in your household.

 

This is why school board elections are among the most important elections we vote in. It is crucial that we elect experienced leaders focused on supporting our teachers and support staff so they can meet the rising expectations of our community. Those of us elected to do this work have volunteered to do it because we believe deeply in the potential for public education to lift students out of poverty, as it did for me. 

 

When you sit down to complete your ballot for the May 20 election, please vote for Marcus LeGrand, Shirley Olson, Ross Tomlin, Kina Chadwick, and Jenn Lynch. They are the leaders our district needs to deliver an excellent education for all our kids.

 

Amy Tatom represents Zone 5 on the Bend-La Pine School Board. She lives in rural Deschutes County near Bend.