Candidates running for the Position 4 seat on the Astoria School Board in Oregon’s May 20 regular district election emphasized a student-first approach at a forum this week. But they also said the district also faces some very big challenges.
Near the top of the list: the budget.
The candidates forum, hosted by the Astoria branch of the American Association of University Women, featured candidates in contested races for seats on the school district board, the Clatsop Community College Board of Education, the Port of Astoria Commission and the Sunset Empire Transportation District.
The school board candidates noted growing budgetary challenges as costs outpace revenue— and ongoing uncertainty about the future of state and federal funding sources and resources.
When asked what potential board members should do in the face of these issues, Tyler Lyngstad the recreation manager for Astoria’s Parks and Recreation Department said one priority is to increase enrollment. He also pointed to possible cost-saving measures including consolidating operations across the district’s various buildings and optimizing student transportation.
“I believe that we can save money by prioritizing our stops, minimizing the amount of stops were making and the retention rate of our bus drivers,” he said.
Lyngstad is a graduate of Astoria High School and has a stepchild enrolled in the school district. He said his experience managing large budgets would be an asset to the school district.
Holly Marsh is a small business owner. She has two children who attend school in the district. She and her kids are neurodivergent and Marsh said this makes her think about who is missing from the table when decisions and discussions about the school district occur. One of her budget priorities is teacher salaries.
“We want our teachers to feel supported and that they’re paid well because then they stay in our district and they feel good about doing their jobs,” she said, “which, again, makes our students have a really great experience while they’re in school.”
Like Lyngstad, she feels the district should take a closer look at how it is using its buildings, though she emphasized exploring ways to generate revenue through the use of the buildings.
She also said there may be grants the district has yet to explore and that the board needs to be looking at every “nook and cranny” of its expenses.
Susan Prettyman Hartill, who serves on the district’s budget committee, said her priority is making sure the district does not cut personnel, particularly teachers. But, she noted that the bulk of the district’s budget goes towards paying salaries.
Prettyman Hartill, who also has children enrolled in the Astoria School District, is the deputy director of the Harbor with a background in social services. She previously worked for Clatsop Community Action. She said her background makes her a strong advocate for vulnerable families.
“I agree that we need to provide the resources and supports the educators need in order to provide more trauma-informed education,” she said, adding, “and I think that we need to prioritize diversity, equity and inclusion and justice work as well. I think that that is something that is under attack and we need to make that a priority in our schools.”
Several audience questions and questions from the Astoria branch of the American Association of University Women probed at the candidates’ stances on diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI and whether civics should be taught.
All of the candidates said they believed it was important for students to understand civics and that they supported diversity, equity and inclusion broadly particularly when it came to equal access to education.
The fourth candidate, Karl Hellberg, was an investigator with the fisheries arm of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and served with the U.S. Coast Guard. Like Prettyman Hartill, he serves on the school district’s budget committee.
He said the uncertainty at the state and federal level when it comes to funding for schools this year mean Astoria’s final budget is also uncertain.
“But the priority has to be education,” he said. “Education, education. … We talk about this concept called ‘the equity lens.’ There’s not bigger equity lens you can get any child than a solid education.”
On that note, he said he wants to see student proficiency in key areas improve for the district, adding, “Regardless of what the budget is, we have to prioritize education for these children.”
Hellberg pointed the work he has done over his various careers that have given him experience in leading people and developing and executing plans. He has two children in the school district.
All four candidates were aligned on the need to increase attendance and support students as well as their families.
Position 4 is the only contested seat. Incumbents Grace Lamar and Jenna Rickenbach are running unopposed for their seats on the board.
Editor’s note: This story is a snapshot of answers and discussions that occurred at a recent candidates forum in Astoria. To listen to the entire forum and hear everything candidates for various contested races in Oregon’s upcoming May election had to say, check out KMUN’s Special Programs.