Candidates for the Bend-La Pine school board race on the May 20 ballot met for a forum Wednesday night, put on by the Deschutes County League of Women Voters. Theo Wilhelm and incumbent Ross Tomlin are running for the Zone 6 seat. Justin Van Patten and incumbent Kina Chadwick are running for the Zone 7 seat. Van Patten was unable to attend Wednesday’s event.

Marcus LeGrand, Jennifer Lynch and Shirley Olson are running unopposed for other seats.

Candidates discussed diversity, equity and inclusion, challenges in the district and attendance, among other topics. Some questions were submitted by Bend-La Pine Schools students.

Attendance and DEI

When asked for ideas on how to raise attendance in the district, Wilhelm, a classroom teacher, said the district needs to make sure students want to be there, and educators need to build communities in their classrooms. He wants to bring joy back to education, he said.

Tomlin, a retired college president, said, “We’ve gotta engage students more. One of the things that the district is doing very well right now is getting curriculum passed that is going to be very engaging, having students work and develop their learning without having the teacher guide everything.”

Chadwick, who has been on the board since 2023, said having engaging and relevant curriculum is key.

All three candidates said they believe the district’s plan to defend diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives is a step in the right direction.

“I want to make sure it is crystal clear that public education is for every student,” said Chadwick. “The goal is for students to show up completely, fully who they are.”

One of Tomlin’s priorities is to focus on underserved students.

“I fully support our DEI program at the district, and the right of these students to be learning in the classrooms,” said Tomlin.

Wilhelm feels similarly.

“I certainly feel that every student has a right to see themselves in their education,” said Wilhelm. “We’re empowered by diversity, we’re stronger by being equitable and including all, and every child needs to come to school and feel as though they’re valued.”

Service levels and cell phone policies

The candidates discussed how to maintain current service levels in the face of reductions in funding.

Chadwick said the district’s financial officer and his team have various contingency budgets depending on how funding shakes out from the Oregon Legislature and other sources. The district needs to think creatively about how to move ahead.

“We really need to have a human capital strategy, making the most of what we have in the room already,” said Wilhelm. “We need to be supporting students on all levels.”

Tomlin mentioned that 6% of the Bend-La Pine Schools budget comes from federal funds, and that because the district likely won’t know what funding it is receiving from the Oregon Legislature until June, there are a lot of unknowns. He’s looking forward to improving achievement gaps and working with underserved students.

All candidates were concerned about the use of iPads in the younger grades, and said that the iPad and cell phone policies weren’t working.

“I have a kindergartner who uses iPads in class, and do I agree with that? No. Are there other parents who agree with that? Probably. I will say, personally, my daughter, who is in middle school, she does not have an iPad,” said Chadwick. “My personal opinion is that we need to slow down for a minute. There’s a reason why we’re seeing so many behavioral issues in classes.”

Tomlin said that this is a complex problem that many school districts are going through. There is a role for technology in the classroom, he said, but it needs to be used so that it enhances learning instead of detracting from it.

“There’s a remarkable correlation between the introduction and abundance of cell phones in our society and social media, and the rising rates of anxiety and depression amongst our students,” said Wilhelm. “I do believe that iPads are a wonderful tool for education, I use them quite a bit in my class, but they are a tool.”