Enterprise School Board race features one contested contest

Published 7:00 am Wednesday, May 3, 2023

ENTERPRISE — Two candidates, Zak Bradshaw and Chelsea Dawson, are seeking election to Position 3 on the Enterprise School Board. The incumbent in Position 3, Adrian Harguess, is not seeking reelection.

So that voters could get a better sense of the candidates and their positions before the May 16 election, the Chieftain sent questionnaires to each candidate. We’re printing their responses below, only lightly edited for style and grammar. (We also sent questionnaires to two unopposed candidates, Mike Wiedeman and Mackenzie Rodgers, and will run their responses on our website, wallowa.com.)

Here are the questions the Chieftain asked each candidate:

• Why do you want to serve on the school board?

• What would be your top two priorities as a school board member? In the event of budget cuts, what areas would you want to be sure to preserve?

• How would you increase community input into school board actions?

• As a school board member, where would you draw the boundary between parents’ rights and the responsibilities of school administrators?

• What’s the proper role of the state in working with local school districts?

Here are the answers the Chieftain received from the candidates running for Position 3 on the Enterprise school board.

Zak Bradshaw

Age: 38

Occupation: Hiring and talent manager, Viridian Management

Relevant experience: I grew up in rural/suburban communities and attended public school K-12. I am a Marine Corps combat veteran with more than 15 years working with or in direct support of several federal agencies. I chose to live in Wallowa County as it is the ideal setting for my wife and I to raise our four daughters. I am currently the hiring and talent manager at Viridian Management. I hold a bachelor’s degree in intelligence studies from the University of Arizona, and an associate degree in intelligence operations from Cochise College, and have nearly completed my MBA in leadership development and organizational health from the University of St Mary. I have experience with analysis, budgets, policy, and organizational leadership. I wish to leverage my knowledge and experience to build a healthy culture within the board and the district to serve the children well.

Why run for the board? I am deeply vested in the Enterprise School District. I have four daughters and will have students in the district for the next 13 years. I am also a husband to a staff member. I want to serve to make a difference and give back to the community who not only welcomed me but supported me and my family in difficult times. I care deeply for this community and the students at Enterprise schools. I want to serve this community by protecting its most vulnerable. It is paramount we protect the values, traditions, and culture of Wallowa County and Enterprise schools.

Top priorities: Our teachers are our most valuable asset. It is critical we retain and attract high-quality teachers. Without the right people in the right roles, we will be unable to fulfill our mission and provide our students with the education they deserve. Another priority is to ensure we allocate our funds wisely. It is critical we budget wisely for today while preparing for tomorrow.

In the event of budget cuts, it is paramount we retain our staff, especially our specials.

Supplementing core education with the arts is foundational to overall education. It is important to work with the other board members and the administration to identify and differentiate a “must have” from a “nice to have.”

Community input: Parents and other community members are integral to the success of our schools, and it is critical we solicit their input. People have an inherent need to feel valued and that starts with feeling heard. While board meetings provide direct public opportunities for community input, it is also important for board members to be approachable. I value transparency and overcommunicating to create clarity. It is important the board represents the community and carries out the will of those who entrusted us with their children.

Parental rights: The school exists to serve the families in this community. As parents, we are entrusting teachers to provide our children with a rigorous yet appropriate education. It is of the utmost importance to value parents and ensure their voices are heard. Parents have the right to know what their children are learning, who is in their classrooms and what they are being exposed to. School staff are entrusted to provide a safe learning environment. School administrators must partner with and build strong relationships with parents to identify the best way to serve the students.

State role: The short answer is for the state to stay out of the way and allow for local control. The long answer is, the state sets policies, establishes standards, and funds local school districts. However, its role and influence should stop there. Oregon is wonderfully filled with unique communities from the coast to Hells Canyon. Our community and our district is just one of the many communities and districts with its own identity. Wallowa County and the Enterprise School District do not always align with those who set policy on the west side, and that is a great thing. What isn’t great is when the state Department of Education overreaches and attempts to force compliance. Our district has an identity that differs from the policymakers. My desire is for our district to not compromise the values and beliefs of our community.

Chelsea Dawson

Age: 35

Occupation: Chief financial officer

Relevant experience: I have a strong background in business administration, accounting/finance and project management. I have an in-depth understanding of budgeting and financial management and have worked with many different agencies and entity types.

Why run for the board? I have three main reasons for wanting to serve on the school board. First, serving on the school board is a way to give back to the community and contribute to the betterment of future generations. Second, to be involved in decisions that impact student and teacher success and well-being. Third, I feel that serving on the school board would be another way for me to utilize my professional skills outside of my career.

Top priorities: I’m not going into this with any particular agenda or call to action. If elected, my first priority would be to learn from current school board members and staff. It appears that we have a good school board and I’m going to have to observe to determine where my skill set is needed. Certainly another priority will be to continue to maintain a healthy learning environment for the staff and students. Regarding budget cuts, the most important thing is to continue to deliver a quality education to the students. Ideally, I’d like to preserve a well-rounded education including math, science and languge with exposure to the arts.

Community input: I’d encourage parents and the community to attend monthly school board meetings and to participate in providing input/feedback when given the opportunity.

Parental rights: I believe that it is a fundamental right of a parent to direct their child’s upbringing, education and care. I would never be in favor of limiting a parent’s ability to make decisions for their child. Conceivably, some decisions may not be reasonably accommodated by the school and could infringe on another parent’s choice for their child. In these instances it has to be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. There is not a steadfast “boundary” from my perspective.

State role: I believe that some level of involvement by the state is necessary. The role of the state is to set standards impacting the quality of education offered, which results in consistency in the country’s education system. I do have a tendency to believe in the “less is more” concept when it comes to government regulation of anything. The local school districts should be able to maintain autonomy and free to make decisions that best fit their community.

Position 2

Business owner Mike Wiedeman, the incumbent, is the only candidate running for Position 2. Here are his answers to the questions:

Why run for the board? Education is the cornerstone for lifetime success.  A school board’s role is to ensure that resources are being spent wisely to give our students the best possible outcome and still meet the needs of the district and comply with state mandates.

Top priorities: Having been through budget shortfalls in the past, it is critical to maintain current programs. The board and administration’s job when budget cuts are looming is to tighten the purse strings and look for alternative funding.

Community input: School board meetings are open to the public; comments from patrons of the district are always encouraged.

Parental rights: Parents and students have multiple opportunities for primary and secondary education in Oregon. The role of the board and administration is spelled out very succinctly in state statutes. It is up to the board and administration to determine the course of action to meet those mandates.

State role: The state’s role is to determine specific levels of achievement for compulsory education and to provide adequate funding to meet those requirements. Local districts, board and administration, determine the best pathway to meet those specified outcomes.

Position 4

MacKenzie (Bridges) Rodgers, 41, is the owner of the Farmers Insurance agency in Enterprise. She is the incumbent in Position 4 on the Enterprise School Board and is unopposed for reelection. Here are her answers to the questions:

Why run for the board? As an alumnus of the Enterprise School District and a parent of two current students, I am passionate about ensuring that our district continues to rank high in the state in the areas of academics, graduation rates, and student and parent approval.  I was appointed to the school board in July 2021 and have served in Position 4 for the last two years.  State policy dictates that I must run in this election to finish out the remaining two years of the four-year term and I hope that the community will elect me so that I may finish out my term in Position 4.  

Top priorities: My two top priorities for the coming year as a school board member are to support the new school leadership and to continue to work on the goals that the school board has identified for the 2023-24 school year.  In the event of budget cuts, which I do not foresee in the near future, I feel that it is important to maintain the current level of academic achievement in our district by any means possible.  

Community input: The board and school leadership continue to look for ways to increase community involvement in our meetings and decisions.  I would love to see more community members in attendance at our monthly meetings!  Our new district website as well as added communication through social media and email are some of the ways that we continue to increase our community outreach. 

Parental rights: I strongly encourage parental involvement and, as a parent myself, feel strongly that parental rights are very important.  I will continue to engage with our state legislators and the state Department of Education for local control over all issues that affect our students so that we can work with parents to determine the best policies for our district. 

State role: Our district is a public state-funded school and as such, the state is the overseeing body of funding expenditures, sports, and academic measures.  

Zak Bradshaw is the son of Chieftain reporter Bill Bradshaw. Other than helping develop the questions the Chieftain would ask of all the school board candidates, Bill Bradshaw was not involved in the reporting and writing of this story.