News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Andrew Gorayeb has won a seat on the Sisters School Board, earning 68 percent of the vote in the May 19 election.
Gorayeb also serves on the Sisters Park & Recreation District board of directors, is junior varsity lacrosse coach and chairman of the Outlaws Lacrosse program and is an active mentor in the ASPIRE program, a mentoring program that guides students in defining and planning to reach their post-graduation goals.
Board chair Christine Jones, who was running unopposed, was re-elected to another term. Jones said she would be willing to serve again as board chair, a position held by appointment by the board.
As the Sisters School District closes out the 2010-11 school year and looks ahead to coping with significant financial constraints due to a $1.2-million shortfall, both Jones and Gorayeb believe there is opportunity to improve local schools.
"Just because we say we have a great school system doesn't mean we have a great school system," Gorayeb said. "We have a good school system."
Gorayeb is particularly concerned that there is a gap between high school students' grades and their performance on SAT tests. He believes that can be traced to a lack of preparation for those tests.
"We have to embrace the system as it is and give those kids options," he said.
Jones, too, is concerned that only a small percentage of Sisters students demonstrate a readiness for college in the ACT achievement tests. She is also not satisfied with 53.4 percent of 10th-graders meeting state standards on math assessment tests (2009-10 data).
Gorayeb pledged to support Superintendent Jim Golden in his efforts to improve the district. Jones is on board with that, too.
"I think the biggest thing... is to focus on improving instructional quality," Jones said. "This is very much what the superintendent has expressed as his priority.
"We have great teachers," Jones said. "There's always room for improvement. Getting teachers to observe each other, critique each other, using our principals as instructional leaders, we can make further strides... Some of these improvements in instructional quality don't take money. It takes a consistent, focused approach and I think that's what Jim is bringing to the district."
Gorayeb emphasized the primary board role of hearing what taxpayers want and expect their school district to be, and acting accordingly.
Although his activism in the district is primarily associated with an effort to revamp and streamline the way athletics are funded and delivered in the district, Gorayeb told The Nugget that he has a different concern and passion.
"If I have a personal agenda, it would be to save ASPIRE," Gorayeb said. "To me, it's the point of the education system. The point of the education system is not to give these kids a diploma but to give these kids options for their future."
While ASPIRE has not been cut, the program coordinator position was eliminated in budget planning.
Each board member will serve a four-year term. Jones acknowledges that the next two years will be very tough financially. She hopes to see some stabilization after that and a continued focus on improving instruction to help students acquire the "21st century skills" of analytical thinking, effective presentation of ideas, and effective collaboration.
Gorayeb hopes to see "Class A" facilities, academics and co-curricular activities and a roster of sports and arts camps that will provide opportunities for kids to be active and engaged, and that will benefit the broader Sisters community by bringing in visitors.
"I would like to see us taking a leadership role in the economic condition of our community," he said.
Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.
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