Collaboration was a key focus for Warrenton-Hammond School Board candidates at a forum Thursday night.

The forum, hosted at Warrenton Middle School by the American Association of University Women’s Astoria branch, offered an opportunity for candidates to answer questions ahead of one of the most contested sets of races on the May 20 ballot in Clatsop County.

Over the last few years, the district has seen administrative turnover, including the recent resignation of Superintendent Tom Rogozinski. This year, 14 candidates are vying for four seats on the board. Eight of those candidates spoke Thursday on concerns ranging from student retention and special education support to conflict resolution and transparency. 

“I’m sure people have read in the newspaper and seen on social media, the last year and a half has been a little spicy on the school board, and we’ve had a lot going on,” said board Chair Neal Bond. “We have great administrators; we have great teachers; we have what we need in there. What they need is, they need some stability and they need some support.”

Position 4

Bond, a protection unit forester with the Oregon Department of Forestry’s Astoria District and a parent of two children in the district, is the only current board member running for reelection. His opponents for Position 4 are Dacei DeVos, Mandi Simonsen and Chelsey Frank. The latter two did not attend the forum. 

Bond has been on the board since 2019, and has served as board chair since 2023. In that time, he said he feels the board has helped accomplish important work — like passing a bond to support the construction of the new middle school — but that there’s also more to do, including providing a new superintendent with the tools to support teachers.

DeVos, who has three children in the district, routinely attends school board meetings. She is the parent of both neurodivergent and neurotypical children and said she’s running to advocate for an inclusive and safe environment for students. Her priorities include increased transparency and support for special education in the district’s budget. Currently, the state has an 11% cap on state special education funding. Special education students make up about 17% of the Warrenton-Hammond School District’s enrollment.

“There’s 6% of that budget that has to come from somewhere else,” DeVos said. “So getting extra funding from the state, going to our legislators and pushing for them to give schools more funding, it’s very important.”

Both candidates stressed the importance of supporting teachers and following district policy when addressing concerns over issues like bullying. Bond said he supports bringing advanced placement classes to the high school as the budget allows, while DeVos said she’d also be interested in taking advantage of online learning opportunities.

When it comes to managing conflict on the board, DeVos said she sees a need for clear boundaries around how board members interact with each other.

“The school board needs to act as a collective,” she said. “There should not be any fighting, arguing or whatnot, especially where the public can see them.”

Bond said he sees room for diverse opinions and a healthy level of disagreement on the board, but at the end of the day, members should come together to support the board’s decisions. 

“When it’s all said and done, it does come down to a vote,” Bond said. “That’s why there’s an odd number of people on the board there. And when that occurs, once that’s done, then the board as a whole needs to support that decision, even if it’s something that you may or may not have agreed with or voted for.”

Positions 3 and 7

Two candidates — Bree Libertad and Krystal Pike — are running for Position 3. Gabrielle Pargett has withdrawn from the race.

Libertad, a lifelong Clatsop County resident with three children, including a 4-year-old starting kindergarten in the district next year, is a family support specialist with Healthy Families and brings a background as an educator and substitute teacher. Her priorities include helping increase language arts proficiency and support for special education services — especially in light of the state’s special education funding cap.

Libertad said part of her motivation comes from concerns regarding student retention.

“I am aware that there are a lot of families who have opted not to send their children to Warrenton schools, although they live in the district, and that’s concerning to me, because I believe in public school,” Libertad said. “I believe in public education, and I think that it requires a lot of investment on the part of families and community members to be successful, so I want to be part of that change.”

Pike, a licensed stylist and nail technician and a mother of two children in the district, said her priorities include bridging the gap between the board and district staff to ensure consistent communication and increasing specialty staff like reading specialists and counselors. 

“We need those extra resources so that we can take the time to send the kiddos that are struggling to get that extra help,” Pike said. 

Adam Murray, a service technician with P&L Johnson Mechanical Inc. running for Position 7, also shared the panel with Pike and Libertad. Murray is a parent of three who currently serves on the Warrenton Kids board and has previously served as vice president of the Lower Columbia Youth Soccer Association. The other candidates running for Position 7 — Mindy Little, Sara Robinson and Jared Warner — did not attend. 

Among other things, Murray emphasized the importance of transparency and bridging a gap amid divisions in the district and community. 

When asked about strategies for supporting increased attendance, both Murray and Pike stressed the importance of building relationships with staff. Libertad added that she feels family liaison staff are critically important in improving attendance, especially for students with lower attendance rates than the district average, such as those experiencing homelessness and poverty. She said she sees supporting the basic needs of students as an important priority, especially amid uncertainty over federal funding for programs like Head Start and free meals.

“I do think we’re on a precipice of having to be really creative with funding in our schools,” Libertad said, adding that she supports Oregon’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion measures that have been threatened by the Trump administration. In the face of potential federal cuts, Libertad, Pike and Murray all said they would support community partnerships to help fill in the gaps. 

Position 6

Three of the four candidates running for Position 6 — Lindsay Ceaser, Matt Ahearn and Crystal Green — spoke at Thursday’s event. John Duncan, the facilities manager for the McMenamins Gearhart Hotel and Sandtrap Pub, was not present.

Ceaser, a barber at Kut and Shave Barbers in Astoria, said her experience as a parent in the district is her main motivator. After watching her son experience bullying, Ceaser said she made the difficult decision to temporarily withdraw both of her children from the district until they could see a change. 

“I didn’t want to walk away. I didn’t want to give up. I wanted to help. I even offered to help. So I’m choosing to get involved now,” she said. “I am not running for a school board position to push a personal agenda. I am running to bring a parent’s perspective, to be a part of the solution, to help create transparency, accountability, consistency and trust within our schools.”

Ahearn, a produce clerk and volunteer coach with the Lower Columbia Youth Soccer Association who has a third-grader in the district, said he hopes to work collaboratively with the board, superintendent and district staff to cast a mission and vision for student success. 

Green, the owner of Arnie’s Cafe in Warrenton, said she hopes to rebuild trust between the school board, community and district staff through communication. As a Warrenton High School alumna with a grandchild, niece and nephews in the district, she said the success of the district is personal to her. 

Candidates all agreed that supporting teachers was a top priority when working through a district budget. Ahearn added addressing absenteeism as a priority. 

“Statistics show that when we get (students) in the building with our amazing teachers, they learn,” he said.

Green said she hopes to see continued community engagement, even after the election is over.

“This engagement that the election has initiated is exciting, and I hope that after this election it will continue, and that every one of these worthy candidates, even if not elected, will continue to pour their support and efforts in your district, and I hope that every one of you will too,” she told audience members Thursday. “I know I will.”