Sharmen Tipton, executive assistant and board secretary for the Reedsport School District, has immersed herself in education issues to better understand the board’s and superintendent’s needs. (Photo by Jake Arnold, OSBA)
As the school board members trickled into the Reedsport School District offices for a recent meeting, Sharmen Tipton hustled about setting up. The executive assistant/board secretary, who had been there since school started that morning, brought paperwork and coffee and whatever else board members needed.
“You walk in the door, and you instantly feel like she is there to help us,” said board Chair Carey Jones.
Tipton has a simple view of how she relates to the volunteer members of her board.
“My job is to take away all the barriers they have to doing their job,” Tipton said.
Tipton was new to education when she took the job. She had to recognize the barriers before she could remove them. She credits Superintendent Jon Zwemke and former board Chair Eric Brandon for showing her the ropes.
The administrative assistant position for superintendents and school boards carries a wide range of often complex duties. An occasional OREdNews series, “Essential Experts,” examines the evolving role of administrative professionals in school board administration and how they can be more effective.
Tipton started at Reedsport in September 2021, coming from a city office job. Zwemke said he was confident Tipton could handle the role’s clerical aspects but she had to learn how to “do school.”
Schools deal with an avalanche of social, legal and community issues blandly categorized by an acronym-heavy vernacular: ADMW, ESL, NSLP and dozens more. Tipton kept a running list of questions for her daily meeting with Zwemke, which proved vital in her training.
Tipton also connected with the district’s experienced school secretaries to learn the office ways.
Meanwhile, former Board Chair Eric Brandon was teaching her about the new role. He advised her on how and what to communicate with the board. He also provided insight into their personalities so she could work with them as individuals.
High on current board members’ list of compliments for Tipton is her ability to keep them informed in meaningful ways.
Tipton also credits OSBA conferences. She attended her first OSBA Summer Board in 2022 and met other assistants she could lean on.
“That was a huge help,” she said. “I felt like I won’t fail because I have this support.”
Tipton returned for the 2022 OSBA Annual Convention and both 2023 events. She attended sessions with an eye to understanding issues so she could better support her board, as well as becoming more knowledgeable about parliamentary procedures.
“The information is fabulous,” she said. “The conferences are so big, you feel like somebody has the answers.”
Jenn Nelson, a former board secretary and now OSBA Board Development’s senior administrative assistant, tells new administrative professionals to seek professional development and connect “as fast as possible” with others doing the same job. She said OSBA can help.
Tipton has received a crash course in school policies over the past year. Since late 2022, the district has been going through a policy rewrite and update with OSBA’s help.
Tipton prepared detailed and meticulously organized folders so the board could review dozens of policies per meeting and easily identify necessary actions.
Board member Bonnie Booher said Tipton keeps her informed, making her a better board member.
Board member Carrie Oldright says Tipton’s “mentoring in the background” has made her the “backbone of the administration.”
Zwemke said Tipton’s real “superpower,” though, is her open and empathetic presence.
“She keeps her heart for people out front,” he said.
Tipton was born in Africa to missionary parents and didn’t move to the United States until she was 5. She remembers being scared of rejection because of her accent.
She said she was raised in a family that believed everyone should have opportunities. She said one of her father’s favorite sayings was, “It’s not wrong. It’s just different.”
For Tipton, that truly hits home. She and her husband adopted their child, who is now 22, as an infant. Around age 17, their child started identifying as nonbinary and using they/them pronouns.
School board discussions about LGBTQ+ policies in schools sometimes became painful for Tipton. She immediately reached out to OSBA for help navigating potentially difficult conversations.
Nelson said board secretaries must be able to talk calmly about emotionally charged issues. They are often the first contact for community members angry about a school board’s actions. She said administrative professionals need to be able to see all sides of an issue and potentially find common ground.
Nelson praised Tipton for the courage to ask for help instead of reacting in the moment.
Tipton said she doesn’t try to persuade school board members about policies. But in individual discussions with board members she does try to personalize the policies and their repercussions for children of friends and neighbors. Tipton makes herself available for searching questions as well.
“If people have a person to view the issue through, then it’s not so blind,” she said.
Jones, a longtime board member, said Tipton has opened board members’ eyes on some issues.
“Her information is heartfelt,” he said. “She helps us understand.”
Tipton keeps jars of candy on her desk and office shelves. She buys in bulk and tries to have everyone’s favorite. Her office has a lot of traffic because it’s where Zwemke holds his smaller meetings.
Tipton attends all Zwemke’s meetings, including with individual board members. She has gotten to know the members better individually, including their needs and motivations.
Tipton said she has learned to “do school” just as her mother taught her how to eat an elephant: One bite at a time.
– Jake Arnold, OSBA
jarnold@osba.org
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