A slate of three candidates who called for more parental control over education lost their races for seats on the Canby School Board on Tuesday night.
Partial results as of 8 p.m. showed incumbent Stefani Carlson trailed retired educator Kelly Oliver in the race for Position 6 with 43% to 57% of the vote, incumbent Dawn Depner trailing business owner Mark Bigej in the race for Position 5 with 36% to 64% of the vote, and retiree Lori Boatright trailing parent Katie Iverson in the race for Position 1 with 37% of the vote to Iverson’s 56%. A third candidate for that seat, JooLin Rice, had only 7% of the vote as of Tuesday night.
Politics have been fraught in the Canby School District in recent months following book bans that sparked student protests. The district pulled 36 books from school library shelves earlier this year after a complaint from parents that the books contained mature sexual content.
Carlson staked her campaign partially on “cleaning up” libraries to remove books with “sexually explicit and obscene material.” She also said she would prioritize improving students’ fundamental skills in reading, writing and math and creating greater transparency about curriculum for parents and community stakeholders. Carlson was elected to the Canby School District board in 2019 in a surprise twist, accepting the nomination after she had decided to withdraw from the race, the Canby Herald reported at the time.
Carlson’s challenger, Oliver, branded herself as a “voice of reason dedicated to advancing the goals of the district without creating chaos.” Her platform emphasized closing pandemic-widened learning gaps and working across ideological lines to develop a strategy for improving education outcomes and a safe learning environment. Voters appeared to favor Oliver’s approach.
Depner said in the Voters’ Pamphlet that she’s been a “consistent and unyielding voice for the safety and dignity of all Canby students through some of the most tumultuous and unprecedented times in memory.” She thinks parents have the right to choose what their students learn and should play a role in setting school curriculum. Depner works as a financial adviser and all six of her children have attended Canby schools. She is endorsed by Canby’s mayor and some city councilors, in addition to the Parents Rights in Education Political Action Committee.
Bigej, Depner’s challenger, has two children in the Canby School District and three more children who have graduated from the district. He is the co-owner of a home and garden store and a youth sports coach without any government experience. Bigej ran for school board, he said, to “promote academic success and student well-being.” As a business owner, Bigej said in the Voters’ Pamphlet, he understands the importance of an educated workforce and recognizes that the quality of a student’s classroom is connected to their future success. Bigej drew endorsements from a smattering of former educators and school board members, and from former governor candidate Christine Drazan.
Boatright is a retiree who worked in automatic data processing and whose children and grandchildren attended Canby schools. She said she wanted to increase transparency for parents and community members and focus the district on academic fundamentals. Boatright’s bid was supported by the Parents Rights in Education political action committee, as well as Newberg School Board Chair David Brown.
Iverson, a stay at home mom, taught middle school science before turning her attention to raising her young children. She said she would bring a “moderate perspective” to the board to advocate for families and help address learning deficits that remain from the struggle of navigating online education during COVID-19. Rice has several children in Canby schools and said she would be an “independent voice to unite educational needs and the community.” The county Voters’ Pamphlet listed her priorities as promoting social and emotional support for students, creating a supportive learning environment that fosters community involvement and keeping students and educators at the forefront of district decision making.
