The most important leadership lesson I learned on the school board
Oregon State Legislature sent this bulletin at 06/07/2023 10:57 AM PDT
Hello Friends,
Thank you for subscribing to my newsletter. Here is my weekly update from Salem:
Happy Pride Month!
June is a month to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community, the challenges we have overcome, and the freedom that we have in this country to be who we are. The Legislative LGBTQ+ Caucus issued a press release discussing some of the bills that are at risk because of the Senate walk-outs. One of the bills, Senate Joint Resolution 33, would remove discriminatory language from our constitution that prohibits same-sex marriage.
When I was growing up, gay people were not allowed to be married. That fundamental freedom was only extended to our community nine years ago in this state, thanks to a decision from a federal judge named Michael McShane (“Let us look less to the sky to see what might fall,” he wrote. “Rather, let us look to each other...and rise.”). I remember crying tears of joy when I read his opinion. The next year, in 2015, the Supreme Court of the United States decided that the right to marry is protected by the United States Constitution.
But last year, a sitting Supreme Court justice argued that the Court should revisit Obergefell v. Hodges, the case that affirmed the right to marry. If that happens, the federal ruling protecting same-sex marriage could be wiped away and Oregon’s constitutional ban would be restored (the discriminatory language has never been removed from Oregon’s constitution). Senate Joint Resolution 33 would fix this problem. I am still hopeful we can pass this legislation so voters have the choice in 2024.
An Update on the Senate Shutdown
The shutdown of the Senate has made a lot of news, across the state and nationally. Here are a few stories:
The Rolling Stone: “Oregon Republicans Are Literally Sacrificing Their Jobs to Block a Modest Abortion Bill”
The Associated Press: “Drug treatment, wildfire response and new jobs: Oregon Democrats cite bills at risk amid GOP walkout”
KGW: “Nearly 300 bills at stake due to Republican-led walkout in the Oregon Senate”
Oregon Capital Chronicle: “Democrats warn of lost opportunities as GOP-led Senate walkout persists”
I am incredibly frustrated, and I know many of you are, too. I know there are still ongoing conversations among senators, and I am hopeful that the Senate Republicans will come back soon (though my hope fades a bit more every day).
Oregon School Board Association
The OSBA wrote a piece about me wrapping up my time on the school board: “From School Board Outsider to Change Maker.” It tells the story of my four-year arch of board service and shares some of the lessons of leadership that I learned during my term. The main one was realizing that it is a heck of a lot easier to be effective and get things done when you build relationships and work collaboratively, rather than trying to go it alone. I have had the good fortune of serving with talented, selfless leaders in TTSD, including former Board Chair and current Tigard City Councilor Maureen Wolf, superintendent, Dr. Sue Rieke-Smith, and former students Abdirahim Mohamoud and Emily Phuong Tran–all of whom are quoted in the article.
Rural Economic Development
Last Friday, Legislative Leadership announced a $67 million Bipartisan Rural Infrastructure and Economic Development Budget. This budget package would bolster rural economic opportunities, expand rural workforce housing, and support critical agriculture, natural resource, maritime, industrial, and recreation ventures across the state. Rural communities are some of the hardest hit by economic downturns–and many have struggled with the decline of the timber economy in Oregon. This package is the product of Democratic and Republican legislators representing rural areas coming together to advocate for transformative investments. Collaborative efforts like this go a long way toward bridging the urban-rural divide, and I am proud to support this package.
Congratulations to Art Rutkin Elementary!
The new Art Rutkin Elementary School has been built! I was able to go to the initial groundbreaking many months ago, and I wish I could have made it to the ribbon-cutting ceremony. Unfortunately, we had an evening floor session scheduled that night, so I was stuck at the Capitol.
Congratulations and thank you to everyone who was able to make this beautiful new school building possible. I look forward to seeing the generations of students who will benefit from the strong educational foundation our community provides. Here is an excerpt from my remarks that were read by TTSD Board Chair Tristan Irvin at the ceremony:
Is there anything more hopeful and optimistic than a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a brand-new elementary school? Think about it for a moment. The vast majority of the children who will benefit from this school have not been born yet. Many of their families have not yet moved into this community. And we created a school for them. Investing millions of dollars to construct a school that looks like this is nothing if not an act of hope. It is a gift we collectively give to the next generation of children.
Myself and other members of the Tigard-Tualatin school board at the time breaking ground on the Art Rutkin Elementary construction project
The ribbon cutting ceremony at the opening of Art Rutkin Elementary
Hillsboro Hops’ New Stadium
Here’s some fun local news: the construction of the new Hillsboro Hops stadium is projected to have $190M in economic output according to a study done by ECONorthwest. The stadium construction project is planned to begin later this year and be completed by 2025. The new venue will host Hops games as well as provide enough space to host concerts, festivals, other sporting events, and more. My dad, uncle, and I have quarter-season tickets to the Hops, so if you find yourself at a game, say hi!
A computer-generated image of the new Hillsboro Hops Stadium
Thanks for reading,
Ben Bowman
Oregon State Representative
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