For the past two years, I have had the pleasure of serving as a School Board Director for Tillamook School District #9. These past couple of years have been rewarding, while stressful and difficult at the same time yet, I am incredibly optimistic about the school districts future. I am happy/pleased to be running for re-election of Tillamook School Board, Position 1. Born and raised in Tillamook o
n a small dairy farm, I learned where hard work and integrity comes from. I am a Tillamook High School alum graduating in 1998 after a great experience with education, athletics and the wonderful program of FFA. However, my future was not in furthering my education, it was to hit the ground running in the work force, much like many of the students TSD9 represents. I have spent the last 23 years excelling my career in the manufacturing world, where I work as a Human Resource Leader. My lovely wife Kelsey, who teaches special education, and I have two wonderful boys. Clayton is finishing up his 8th grade year as Cody is doing the same in 5th grade. We also have several nieces and nephews spread throughout almost every school in the district. As a parent, husband, uncle and board member you can tell that I have a vested interest in this school district. I am excited about the work our district has done in the last 6 months in effort to elevate our high-quality education and continued work on closing the achievement gap. There are a lot of things that our community can be proud of, and there are some inspiring and demanding things ahead of us as well. Some of those are:
New District Leadership – I would like to capitalize on the exceptional work our interim superintendent has done, and help the new superintendent continue to cultivate and develop our strong administrative leadership team. When our district leaders are supported in their roles, they are better able to help our certified and classified staff flourish in the buildings, which equals a better educational experience for our students. Budget – The district has been blessed to have had Shannon as Finance Director for as long as we have. As she deservedly moves on to retirement, we are preparing to welcome her replacement, along with an impending budget shortfall from the state and federal funds. We will need to work hard to retain our highly qualified staff, and make sure our classified staff receive a livable wage. I have years of experience managing multi-million dollar budgets and negotiating contracts. Security, Safety, and Wellbeing – Keeping our students and staff safe are of the upmost priority. What has happened around our nation is appalling and we need to be prepared. We need to review and implement Chief Rau’s recommendations to keep our building secure. We are still seeing the effects of the pandemic and trauma in our students, and I believe we need to work on providing more social and emotional services. It has been through my work history, and board service that has given me the experience, knowledge, business, and financial awareness needed to be a productive school board member. I’m passionate about public education, our children’s future, and equality for all of TSD9’s students. As a Human Resource Leader, I also care about supporting the hard-working employees. I would greatly appreciate your continued support and vote on May 16th. – Matthew Petty
