A voters’ pamphlet for the May 2023 election has been posted online, and will be headed to Oregon mailboxes soon. As you read through the stated goals for current Newberg School Board directors up for re-election, you will note they claim to support “fiscal responsibility.”
But what does fiscal responsibility actually look like?
These board members will tell you that they righted a sinking ship–that it was only when they took over the board and fired Dr. Joe Morelock that Newberg found stable financial footing. We suspect they will use this year’s audit to support claims that the previous board and Dr. Morelock impoverished the district.
Be wary of this smoke-and-mirrors attempt to position the current board as fiscally responsible, because the truth is a lot more complicated. Indeed, far from being responsible, the current board has cost the district plenty, and its decisions will continue to crater Newberg’s schools, leading to fewer programs, fewer talented teachers in the classroom, and fewer opportunities for Newberg’s children.
Gregg Koskela, who recently won a state-wide award as communications director for the Cascade School District, knows well the costs of the school board’s decisions, and understands clearly how a disastrous audit can be recast to hide the district’s financial precarity. Koskela was a longtime communications director for Newberg, as well as serving as point person for the bond, until he resigned last summer.
In a well-researched and thoughtful blog post this weekend, Koskela clearly outlines the audit process, and explains why the board directors’ claims of “fiscal responsibility” is not reflected in the district’s real financial state. Koskela’s post offers just one more reason that the May 16 election matters to the flourishing of our school district and our school children, and to the future of Newberg itself.
You can read Koskela’s excellent blog post here.
Newberg Neighbors for a Better Community 