School board candidates find they've got company.

Byline: Karen McCowan The Register-Guard

A number of rural school district boards will see contested races in May's election, with as many as three candidates vying for some seats.

In the North Douglas School District, longtime board member Pat Johnsrud was surprised to find himself in a three-way race for his Position 5.

"Everybody must have signed up at the last minute," he said of opponents Deanna Derrick and Stan Resch. Johnsrud said he ran again because no one else had yet filed. "You need a full board," he said. "When I first ran, I thought I could really make some changes, but with all the laws, the unions, the policies and the limited funds, you just have to try to make things work."

Derrick said she wants to "give back to the school district that has given so much to my own children. I think our district does a great job educating our children with the limited resources we have."

Resch, who is raising a grandson, wants to try to change No Child Left Behind rules that tie funding to performance, effectively punishing districts with disproportionately more children with learning disabilities and other problems, he said. "That's a real bad thing."

On the Oakridge School Board, incumbent Don Crist's decision to step aside has created a three-way race for his Position 4 seat.

Paul Forcum, a motor coach company employee, has twice been an unsuccessful city council candidate since moving to Oakridge seven years ago. While pleased with the quality of Oakridge schools as a parent of two sons, he said he is running because he "wants to see some improvements' in board decision-making. He pointed to the district's decision to close its middle school only a few years after spending millions to refurbish it.

School volunteer and tire company partner Carol Miller says having a young child in the district provides "a vested interest in how well the schools do," but adds that good schools "hopefully draw more people to town, which is good for the business community. If schools succeed, everything in town does better."

Credit union manager Donna Tipton said she is only now pursuing a longtime interest in serving on the school board. She said she waited for a race with no incumbent because "they've all been really good board members." She said she hopes to continue that tradition.

Elsewhere, a current South Lane School Board member will not have the advantage of formal incumbency in his race. Fire captain Joe Raade, previously elected to represent Zone 6, has filed instead for the board's at-large seat because he plans to move to his family's farm outside of Cottage Grove and his current zone. He faces Demian Schwartz, a former teacher and administrator who is now an at-home parent.

Raade, who has children attending district schools, said he "asks a lot of questions" of school administrators.

"I'm not a rubber-stamper," he said.

Schwartz, who serves on the board of a district charter school, said she has an "inclusive and accessible" style.

"I am passionate about public education and its importance to communities," she said.

In Harrisburg, local business owner Bob Strutz faces a challenge to his Position 2 seat on that city's board from PTO President Cindy Suttles.

"I feel like I have enough experience now that I understand how things work and I know what I'm doing," he said. "We're growing, so our biggest challenge is space - we'll be looking at trying to pass another bond measure for some more classrooms."

He praised the district's administration and teachers, saying the federal No Child Left Behind law creates difficult challenges, particularly regarding special education students.

Suttles, an at-home mother of three, said her involvement as a classroom volunteer and PTO leader provides valuable perspective.

"I can see firsthand what can be improved on in the schools," she said. PTO leaders have clashed with district administrators in recent years, and Suttles pledged "to be the board member you can come to with questions and concerns."

NORTH DOUGLAS POSITION 5

Name: Deanna Derrick

Age: 41

Occupation: Sheet metal company secretary

Civic experience: Summer Recreation Board

Name: Pat Johnsrud

Age: 60

Occupation: Log loader operator

Civic experience: School Board

Name: Stan Resch

Age: 61

Occupation: Retired pipeline worker and restaurant owner 

Civic experience: former Jaycees president

OAKRIDGE POSITION 4

Name: Paul Forcum

Age: 42

Occupation: Monaco Coach Corp. employee

Name: Carol Miller

Age: 44

Occupation: At-home mother, co-owner of family tire business

Civic experience: Elementary school site committee, Chamber of Commerce board

Name: Donna Tipton

Age: 49

Occupation: Credit union branch manager

Civic experience: City Council, Chamber of Commerce board, Kiwanis board

SOUTH LANE SCHOOL BOARD AT-LARGE SEAT

Name: Joe Raade

Age: 42

Occupation: Firefighter/paramedic

Civic experience: School board, Lane Community College health careers advisory board, scout leader 

Name: Demian Schwartz

Age: 37

Occupation: At-home mother, former teacher and administrator

Civic experience: Blue Mountain Charter School board

HARRISBURG

Name: Bob Strutz

Age: 51

Occupation: Cabinet maker, business owner

Civic experience: School board since 2003, planning commission, school budget committee

Name: Cindy Suttles

Age: 40

Occupation: Homemaker

Civic experience: PTO president