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School Board Prepares for 2017-18 with new directors and leadership

The Corvallis School Board met Monday, June 19 for their last business meeting of the 2016-17 school year. Board Chair Alexis McQuillen announced her resignation from the board effective July 10, 2017 as her family prepares to take a sabbatical.

Director Vincent Adams was elected as the incoming board chair and Sami Al-AbdRabbuh was elected to serve as vice chair for the 2017-18 school year. The board reviewed the interim selection process that will be made available to the public on June 20.

The meeting concluded with the swearing in of three newly elected board members, Jay Conroy, Ed Junkins, and Sarah Finger McDonald. Outgoing board members were recognized and thanked for their contributions.

Bill Kemper has served as a member of the Corvallis School Board for 4 years. While not a teacher himself, Bill is the parent of three teachers and he has brought a teacher’s perspective to his work on the board. Bill has been a champion of the arts and he loves to talk about the beautiful facility we have in the CHS TheaterBill has also been a strong advocate for technology in education, serving on the Technology Advisory Committee since its inception. Bill also served as the board liaison to the Corvallis Public Schools Foundation.

Tom has served on the Corvallis School Board for 6 years and served as the board chair for one year and vice-chair for three.  Because of Tom’s tenure on the board, and the time he spent attending board meetings prior to being elected, Tom has a historical perspective to share.  As someone who spent a great deal of time reviewing contracts in his work for the federal government, including (NASA).  Tom pays close attention to detail, while bringing long-term perspective to contract negotiations. Tom has also played a vital role in the Long Range Facility Planning Process.  Tom was interested in this process event before his election to the school board.  

Scott Newsham joined the board mid-term as an interim selection and has served on the board for one and a half years.  Prior to serving on the Corvallis School Board, Scott served on the school board in Alexandria, Virginia and immediately following his move to Corvallis, he began volunteering at College Hill.  This experience allowed Scott to hit the ground running and share his ideas. This year the board implemented school liaisons, based on Scott’s recommendation.  Board/school liaisons have provided an important connection with the community and will continue to build collaboration into the future. Scott has also been instrumental in the establishment of sustainability stewards in our schools.

We are grateful for the work of our volunteer school board members and appreciate the many hours of commitment and dedication they shown to Corvallis students.