1,063 Miles

The campaign trail is a long and winding road! My last trip logged in at 1,063 miles and made a large loop through Oregon, from Baker City to Klamath Falls , to Roseburg and home to Baker City.
The April showers this time were snow showers! It snowed hard on U.S. 97 between Bend and Klamath Falls on Sunday and the flurries continued Tuesday over the pass into Ashland but the worst was yet to come! It was snowing and blowing at midnight as we drove over the Blue Mountains from Pendleton to LaGrande. Naturally, there were four snow plows on the road; all were traveling from east to west instead of west to east!

The good news was that I was able to visit with OEA members from the Lake-Klamath UniServ and Douglas County. I heard from a retired archaeologist turned alternative education instructor who lamented the lack of funding, consistency and solidarity in alt ed programs. He noted that many staff in alt ed programs are not Association members when they are at high risk for incidents by virtue of the students whom they serve. I heard from a cook concerned that elementary students and high school students are eating the same portion sizes with only 2 oz. of protein per lunch while older students pay more for their meals than elementary students. Cooks are stuck with menus that fail to allow for differences in school culture or allow them to prepare favorite meals from the past. And I heard from a first-year teacher who is a former construction contractor now working in a sixth grade classroom in Camas Valley where contract mediation will start soon and school board members are saying "My way or the highway." Each of these members are facing different challenges but turn to OEA for help and support. We offer strength for all members.

I am grateful for the opportunity to listen to members from across Region III and to speak with them about education issues. I hope to serve them as Region III Vice President.