Three incumbents on the Silver Falls School District Board have declined to seek re-election during the May 16 primary for reasons ranging from personal obligations to concerns over district leadership.
March 16 was the filing deadline for primary candidates. Board members Janet Allanach, Lori McLaughlin and Jonathan Edmonds, whose terms expire this year, did not submit their names.
Allanach and McLaughlin were elected in 2019 and are finishing their first terms. Edmonds was appointed to fill a board vacancy in 2018 before being elected in 2019 and is finishing his first full term.
Allanach told Our Town her work obligations have intensified since becoming executive director of Community Action Partnership of Oregon and she does not have time to devote to the board like she once did. Allanach said she is confident in the leadership of Superintendent Scott Drue and is pleased to see a “robust” slate of candidates for the school board election.
“Turnover is healthy and fresh perspectives are valuable,” said Allanach.
Edmonds similarly expressed support for administrators and was clear he is not stepping down due to concerns over district leadership. He said leadership in Salem was his primary concern, saying he was “disenchanted” by heavy-handed state mandates, particularly COVID-related policies.
“They seem primarily invested in pushing specific progressive agendas through our education system while allowing the actual learning part of education to flounder,” said Edmonds. “Our students deserve better.”
McLaughlin was pointed in her impression of district leadership, expressing strong concerns about the superintendent’s actions.
She claimed information given to decision makers is manipulated to result in the desired outcomes, and those who express alternative opinions are sidelined in the name of creating unity. She said both the school board and the district’s collective bargaining team have experienced this.
She lay the blame for a recent impasse with the teacher’s union squarely at Drue’s feet.
McLaughlin cited the superintendent’s behavior as her reason for stepping aside.
District spokesperson Derek McElfresh said the district had no comment on McLaughlin’s statements. Drue did not respond to a request for comment.
Board Chair Jennifer Traeger said, during a formal evaluation Feb. 27, the board rated Drue’s performance as exemplary, including a strong relationship with board members.
– Stephen Floyd
