Oregon School Board Members of Color Caucus

About the Caucus

Leadership

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Caucus officers
- President – Luhui Whitebear, Corvallis 509J
- Past President – Neelam Gupta, Lake Oswego 7J
- Vice President – David Jaimes, Tigard-Tualatin 23J
- Secretary – Maribel Ramirez, Nyssa 26
- Treasurer – Jose Gamero-Georgeson, David Douglas 40
Directors
- District 1 – Justice Rajee, Beaverton 48J
- District 2 – Annie Valtierra-Sanchez, Southern Oregon ESD
- District 3 – Kris Howatt, Gresham-Barlow 10
- District 4 – Janece Payne, Brookings Harbor 17
- District 5 – Charlie Chu, Gladstone 115
- District 6 –
At-large representatives
- At-large 1 – Kim Brick, Coos Bay 9
- At-large 2 – Nancy Castillo-McKinnis, Phoenix-Talent 4
Membership

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The Caucus members include any elected or appointed member of any public board of education in Oregon who are active members in good standing with the Oregon School Boards Association and identifies as a person of color. To join the Caucus, contact Maribel Ramirez.
Mission

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To promote quality education for all students with an emphasis on the unique needs of students of color.
Goals

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- To promote positive and effective relationships among school board members of color, their communities, political leaders, and OSBA.
- To build and increase the capacity of school board members of color and support a pipeline for people of color to run for school board seats.
- To serve as a resource.
- To develop, promote, and advance legislation to improve educational opportunities and outcomes for students of color.
- To equip and advance board members of color to serve in the general OSBA leadership.
- To build the capacity of the general board membership to understanding the issues of people of color.

Caucus Governance Documents

OSBMCC Bylaws

OSBMCC bylaws, approved by the caucus membership, November 11, 2023.

Bylaws

Resolution 2

Resolution 2 was adopted by the OSBA membership during electronic voting, Nov. 12 – Dec. 14, 2018.

Resolution 2

Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions regarding the changes made to the OSBA Bylaws.

FAQ

Resources

Upcoming Caucus Events

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Meetings of the Caucus are posted on OSBA’s Public Meetings page. Meeting agendas and Zoom meeting information will be distributed upon request. For more information, please contact Maribel Ramirez.

Oregon School Board Members of Color Caucus Officer Meetings:

OSBMCC Officer Meetings – Jan. 19, 2025, 5-6 pm
OSBMCC Officer Meetings – Feb. 23, 2025, 5-6 pm
OSBMCC Officer Meetings – Mar. 20, 2025, 6-7 pm
OSBMCC Officer Meetings – May 30, 2025, 6-7 pm
OSBMCC Officer Meetings – June 22, 2025, 6-7 pm
OSBMCC Officer Meetings – Sept. 9, 2025, 6-7 pm
OSBMCC Officer Meetings – Oct. 24, 2025, 6-7 pm
OSBMCC Officer Meetings – Dec. 8, 2025, 6-7 pm

Oregon School Board Members of Color Caucus Leadership Council Meetings:

OSBMCC Leadership Council Meetings – Mar. 15, 2025, 10-11 am
OSBMCC Leadership Council Meetings – June 7, 2025, 10:30-11:30 am
OSBMCC Leadership Council Meetings – Aug. 13, 2025, 1-2 pm
OSBMCC Leadership Council Meetings – Sept. 21, 2025, 4-5 pm

Oregon School Board Members of Color Caucus General Membership Meetings:

Winter OSMBCC General Membership Meetings – Mar. 2, 2025, 4-6 pm
Spring OSMBCC General Membership Meetings – May 2, 2025, 10 am – 12 pm
Summer OSMBCC General Membership Meetings – at the OSBA Summer Conference
Fall OSMBCC General Membership Meetings – at the OSBA Annual Convention
Meeting Minutes

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Minutes of the meetings of the Oregon School Board Members of Color Caucus are available through the following link.

Meeting Minutes
Emails & Statements

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Jan. 24, 2025 – Statement in response to recent federal actions related to immigration and documentation

Aug. 10, 2021 – Letter to Newberg School Board

April 29, 2021 – Letter to Oregon school board candidates

March 19, 2021 – Statement in support of the Asian/Asian American community

March 10, 2021 – Statement regarding Parkrose High School student volleyball incident

Jan. 22, 2021 – Statement calling for the resignation of Clackamas County Commissioner Mark Shull

June 24, 2020 – Setting an example for our students

June 6, 2020 – Black Lives Matter solidarity statement

June 5, 2020 – Standing together against racism and bias
Reports

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The report by the Educator Advancement Council aims to provide a statewide evaluation of efforts to support racially affirming and culturally sustaining environments for every educator and student.

2020 Educator Equity Report

Interested in Becoming a Board Member?

Run for a seat on the local board of your school district, education service district, or community college! Whether you are considering running for the very first time or are a current board member thinking about running for another term, we will prepare you to help make the decisions that will shape our children’s future.

Get on Board

Oregon School Board Members of Color Caucus

About the Caucus

Caucus Governance Documents

Resources

Meeting Minutes

Interested in Becoming a Board Member?

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