An Open Letter to Trevor DeHart

Dear Trevor,

Your letter to your “Friends and Family,” published on multiple community social media sites, was the impetus for me to write this open letter to you. *By resigning suddenly, just four months shy of the end of your term, you were not good to your word and never responded to my request to meet with you despite multiple reasons for meeting.

You have been an enigma to me. Your words frequently sounded good, but your actions seldom matched your words. Despite writing to you numerous times while you were on the board, you never acknowledged that you had received or even read any of the emails I sent you. The last time I wrote to you, I requested a meeting, for you to listen to me, for me to listen to you. My letter mentioned several topics I wanted to discuss:

Finances. Specifically, your thoughts about who you believe is responsible for them and your understanding of what happened with Dr. Phillips.

The Superintendent. How you understood the role of Dr. Steven Phillips, his contract, and the role and contract of the deputy superintendent. Also, I wanted to know why the board approved a deputy superintendent contract, something that is not normally their job.

Your intent in the August 13, 2024 board meeting: A lot of what was said and asked about at that board meeting is deeply troubling to me. The disclosure that you reached out and spoke to two people on protected leave is the most serious from a legal perspective. I have agonized over whether to file a formal complaint about this incident. I have decided to hear you out and ask my questions before making that decision.

Your response to my request to meet and talk was curt, but I was pleased you responded! Here is what you said: “This response is to let you know that I have received your email. You have included many things for me to think about. Once I have had time to consider your request I will respond.”

Since you never did respond, instead quitting and posting a public letter, I have to assume this public letter is your response, so I shall respond in kind.

In 2008, I went back to work after mainly raising children for 15 years. I worked part-time for NOCAP (Newberg Off-Campus Alternative Program). Over a period of years, my eyes were opened to a part of Newberg I didn’t know existed.

God was working in my life. As the reality grew that here in Newberg there were many children growing up in poverty, or broken homes, or homes rocked by drug addiction, abandonment, mental health issues and death, many of my biases were exposed and challenged. God, like he always is, was good. Co-workers were patient with me. Students were patient with me. God was patient with me.

My path with the Newberg School District was long and windy, but when I landed back at Catalyst (NOCAP renamed and in a beautiful new building-thank you Newberg!) in a job that used my Bachelor degree in sociology/social work, I had found both my passion and my calling. To quote Frederick Buechner about vocation, “The kind of work God usually calls you to is the kind of work (a) that you need most to do and (b) that the world most needs to have done.” I was doing meaningful work in my hometown with a diverse group of dedicated staff and students.

Those who followed developments in the district noticed that when you won the board election in 2021 (against a life-long conservative Christian, who also felt called to serve on the school board) you told people that big changes were coming. (The plan to fire Joe was already in place) For those of you who were paying close attention to the developments of the school board, you heard that Dave Brown, as the new chair said, “**Discovery has got to go.” We also heard Renee Powell regularly denigrate staff and spout that we were “indoctrinating” students. For those folks, it may not have been a surprise that I took a leave of absence, then resigned, so I could continue to speak truth and advocate for the students of the school district, specifically Catalyst.

I was very prayerful, and honestly believe the Lord called me to Catalyst, and then called me to leave Catalyst to continue being a voice for the marginalized students in Newberg. I was to continue partnering with God’s love and God’s work in the world.

Because of you firing, without cause, a skilled superintendent and your efforts to create school policies that would transform the environment into one that normalized and centered white nationalism and Christian nationalism, and making sure loyalists were in all positions, I was persecuted and my husband reassigned (sound familiar?).

District office staff received personal death threats and other personal threats on an almost daily basis; threats that often stated support for Dave Brown and the board. ***Carey Martell, who Dave Brown described as “doing more for the school district than anyone,” mailed an entire glossy flyer (funded by ?) full of smears and lies about my husband to the entire school district population.

Four community members, two of them teachers, were sued by four board members, including you. No, not one of them shared personal addresses or phone numbers of the four of you, or suggested that anyone harass you. They were desperately trying to figure out who you all would actually listen to. Your employers? Your pastors? In one case, a person was trying to get important information from a former team member to the appropriate person. Your suing actually seemed to be retaliation against the group of parents who sued the board for acting illegally.

Note: You lost your lawsuits, they won theirs.

Back to me and other staff members–losing our main income and the constant physical and financial threats created a tremendous amount of stress for me, my family, and a large number of school district staff. The staff members you sued left the district. The community members you sued left our community.

I am a strong woman who has no illusions that following God will be easy. Yet still, it was disheartening that my husband and I had to be subjected to such hatred. When you first started working with the new board, I was alarmed at how Renee Powell still spoke words of absolute certainty and shame to her fellow board members. You didn’t speak much, but sometimes when you spoke, it sounded good.

Your actions seldom matched your words however. Your votes were always in support of Renee and Dr. Phillips, even when things like that sweetheart deal contract that NEVER should have happened in the first place were on the table. During that process, you used a manipulative form of dehumanization as an analogy, saying the board was “holding a gun” to Phillips’ head. I think this was pure projection as Dave Brown and the rest of his board, including you, held the school district hostage with a completely hidden, sweetheart of a contract for Phillips. There was a stunning amount of lies and manipulation when that contract was brought to the light.

Still, after Renee moved, I was hopeful your sense of calling to the district and desire for good for the district, combined with the obvious effort every board member made to include you and treat you respectfully, would result in good for the district. We all watched as the district’s severe budget problems came to light. I hoped you would finally lay blame in the right place. After all, it is critical for school districts that the superintendent oversee the budget correctly.

Instead, I witnessed you blame anyone but Phillips and subsequently witnessed a lot of manipulation from you. To say your words and your body language/tone/voting did not match is an understatement. You spoke what I sincerely believe to be lies about the former chair of the school board, even though you should have known by then that Phillips would do anything, including lying, to save his own skin. You claim that you have witnessed “a high degree of dishonesty and manipulation, resulting in good people’s lives being turned upside down and their careers and reputations being destroyed”.

Hear me—-Dr. Phillips brought that on himself. He was largely without honor in the budget crisis. There was plenty of evidence present prior to you hiring him to know that Dr. Phillips, despite fitting the political profile you were looking for, was not a skilled superintendent. You brought him to our district anyway. You brought a high degree of dishonesty and manipulation. It resulted in good people’s lives being turned upside down and their careers and reputations being destroyed long before Dr. Phillips failed to oversee the budget.

When you resigned suddenly from the board, with no warning and no explanation, I figured the results of the investigation into Dr. Phillips were too painful. I was hopeful that the Lord, or one of his gifts, cognitive dissonance, had finally been acknowledged in your life. But no. Instead I read a letter full of enough grievances and blame to mask any Spirit of God speaking or cognitive dissonance that might have been showing up. It makes no sense that you resigned four months before your term was over because of “negativity, false accusations and miscarriages of justices.” By your telling, those have been present since the beginning of your term. I’m sticking with this being the way to avoid the cognitive dissonance created by Dr. Phillips’ actions and the independent investigation.

I feel incredibly fortunate that I was hired by Forest Grove to work at their alternative program and my husband was hired by a small district in the opposite direction, where he is their amazing communications director and now oversees bond work as well. Like many other former district employees who were forced out of jobs or experienced RIFs because of budget cuts, we have found meaningful work far from our homes. I look forward to becoming a new grandmother this year and many other things. I will be continuing to practice hope, to seek truth and justice, and to lean into joyful community. As my pastor said today when we gathered to worship, “We get to experience WITHNESS”— both with others and God. I have made long lasting and meaningful relationships because of these rocky years our school district has endured. ****I will never regret that.

God is great and His plans are perfect.

Elaine Koskela

Former employee of the Newberg School District

* “How many good people will be dissuaded from running if this garbage keeps up?” This statement, made by the person who posted your letter publicly, is another reason I was moved to write this open letter. I take heart in the fact that so many people in Newberg and Dundee are paying attention and have shown a willingness to hold our public officials accountable, even at great personal cost. It’s another thing I will never regret; a whole lot of people were very interested in what was happening in our public schools and many, many people have stepped up. By all means, if you are a person who believes that public education is the best way of making sure we educate all our children, if you believe that all our children are worth educating, if you are passionate about working together with other passionate people, if you are willing to listen and learn, and speak your knowledge, and follow the rules, please get involved! You will find amazing people to work alongside.

**Discovery is an amazing six-week program that is successfully used in many types of alternative schools to teach study skills, to allow new students to get to know each other and the school, and to learn the culture and structures of the school, including the main tenant that everyone is treated with dignity and respect. I don’t think Dave had a clue what Discovery was when he declared, waaaay out of his lane as board chair, that “Discovery has to go”.

***I cannot make myself look up the exact quote, but the italics are quite close.

****Using your format and occasionally your actual language to speak my truth is intentional.

February 19, 2025

In The Midst of Silence, We Need Your Voice: SIGN THE PETITION!

In January 2023, the Newberg-Dundee School Board couldn’t believe their good fortune–and they let their constituents know. According to comments made at that meeting, their specially-picked superintendent, Stephen Phillips, had hired all the best people, who were saving the district scads of money, communicating with astounding transparency, and transforming the way finances operated in the district, since–according to members of the board–the previous administration wasn’t up to the job.

At least that’s what they said. Here’s a sampling of their comments from the January 2023 board meeting:

I really appreciate the communication that you’re doing with all the staff and everybody. I think that’s just great, having that open communication. So, thank you for all your work. (Director Renee Powell, expressing her gratitude to Heather Bixby)

And, you know, that’s always hard when you haven’t been held accountable, or haven’t been held to a high— higher standard and processes — those best-known methods. And she’s doing that and it’s being received well. And it’s going to make — well, I mean, we’re going to have an excess, it sounds like, going into next year. And I — and I just applaud you, Heather, for the great work that you’re doing. And–and, keep up the good work. Yeah. (Director Trevor DeHard, expressing his gratitude to Heather Bixby)

Well, Dr. Phillips just hired a lot of good people. But he probably didn’t do any better than he did with Heather. So we just — we’ll leave it at that. So, thank you very much for the great work. (Board Chair Dave Brown, expressing his gratitude to Heather Bixby)

By now, we all know that these accolades were premature. Not even sixteen months later, we’ve learned that our district is facing a catastrophic budget crisis, including a $14 million deficit heading into next year, on top of a $1.5 million deficit this year, one that needs to be covered before June ends.

Rather than being transparent about the budget, communicating with stakeholders, or using best practices, Phillips and his crew are walking into the district’s darkness without a plan, continuing to use the same tactics that got us here in the first place: seemingly putting his own interests ahead of the community and its children.

(And that great hire, Heather Bixby? She’s not been to any of the budget meetings since May 21, and no one in administration has said what happened to her. It’s like Bixby has vanished, but not without a trace: after all, it’s her problematic accounting, her inability to track hiring, and her unwillingness to use proven software that helped carry Newberg-Dundee schools into its current mess.)

Although Phillips has (somewhat) owned his role in this colossal failure, he continues to operate as he had before the discovery of the budget shortfall, making it even more difficult to trust that he can lead us back to financial solvency. Specifically, Phillips lacks

Transparency: At recent budget meetings, Phillips has not clearly articulated his plan for leading the school through this difficult time. For example, he mentioned an idea about consolidating elementary schools, but he hasn’t explained his justification for doing so. Meanwhile, rumors are circulating that Phillips is providing tours of Joan Austen Elementary to representatives from several local entities interested in using the building for childcare. Is this true? How will this help with the budget shortfall? How will this impact teachers, students, other stakeholders? A leader would explain his actions, talk with his board about his thinking, and be transparent about his decision-making. Phillips is not being transparent.

Communication: Similarly, Phillips is not communicating clearly with teachers, parents, or community members about why the district got into this mess, what specifically happened to the millions now missing, or what he will specifically do going forward. In fact, rather than communicating clearly, the communications position at the district has been slashed to .5 FTE. Statements put out by Phillips and his district office reflect a lack of attention to this crucial element of leadership: they are unclear, poorly written, and without the specificity needed at this moment. Phillips is not communicating clearly.

Empathy: People in our community are fearful of what the future holds for their children. Teachers are fearful about their jobs. Employees of the district are fearful about whether they will get paid this year, and whether they should be looking for a job next. The school board is facing a daunting task. At this moment, we need an empathetic leader, one who can face constituents with honesty about what has happened; an acknowledgement of how his actions have damaged the district; and the compassion to express that people are afraid. Phillips’ astounding lack of empathy was on clear display at the last budget meeting (May 30), when his snarky response to Directors Jeremy Hayden and Sol Allen served to diminish them and their concerns, attempting to make them look stupid (even though their questions reflected Phillip’s lack of communication and transparency). Phillips lacks the empathy needed at this moment.

Accountability: One of our main concerns over the last two years is that the previous school board, and Superintendent Phillips, were not being held accountable for any decisions they have made: There were no formal leadership evaluations. No audits of the budget. And a sweetheart contract that had no mechanism for holding Phillips accountable: indeed, the old board awarded him (and his deputy superintendent) contracts that included lucrative payouts if he was fired, making that even losing his job would mean that Phillips won. Although the May 2023 election was one way the community held directors accountable, Phillips has continued to make decisions about the budget without consulting the board, as if he alone can fix a district he has dismantled. Phillips operates without fear of accountability.

QUESTIONS WE ALL SHOULD BE ASKING:

Do we really want Phillips to be creating a plan for the district?
Do we really feel like he is capable of formulating a systematic plan by creating a lens for decision making, reaching out to stakeholders and then implementing the plan?
Don’t we really need an experienced interim to come in and do a thorough analysis before any cuts like an elementary school are put on the table?

Phillips’ actions, his inaction, his hubris, his unwillingness to listen to constituents will continue to mire our district in a financial collapse he enabled, along with the “best people” he hired. (And maybe fired? We don’t know, as he won’t say.) The pressure on him should be mounting, especially given recent press coverage like this story on KGW.

Help us continue to push Phillips toward resigning without a payout he is rumored to be seeking. You can sign a petition demanding he resign. You can show up to the board meeting tonight (June 3) that will start after the 5:00 pm executive session. You can insist that Phillips start working on behalf of the community and its children, rather than his own professional livelihood.

Together, we can start rebuilding Newberg-Dundee schools with the kind of leadership our children deserve, and that we all need.

June 3, 2024

Bringing a Contract Into the Light

“We need leaders not in love with money but in love with justice.”
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Next Tuesday Newberg Public Schools will turn the page on its history. Five recently-elected directors will be sworn in, joining Renee Powell and Trevor DeHart on a newly constituted school board. As we noted after the May 16 election, a different narrative can now be written about the Newberg School District, one that will hopefully keep Newberg schools out of the national news for all the wrong reasons, and will make safe spaces for children and families, especially those who haven’t had their needs met the last few years.

Still, the out-going board made sure to add one final chapter to their work, using a June meeting consent agenda to pass a sweetheart of a contract for Superintendent Steve Phillips. The contract was not made available until the board approved it, and there was no time for public comment about the substantial raise and increase in benefits Phillips will receive. Having it be public only after it was approved is hypocritical and very concerning.

It could be that Phillips has saved our district from ruin, and deserves a raise. It could be, as multiple people said at the June 13 meeting, that Phillips is a God-ordained addition to Newberg, like the prophet Esther, raised up “for such a time as this.” (Never mind the problem of using Christian language in a secular school board meeting, nor its misapplication of the prophet’s story in this instance.)

It could be, but thanks to a lack of accountability and transparency, we don’t know the entire story. The public doesn’t know how the board assessed Phillips’ work, nor do we know the metrics by which his work was judged.

His evaluation was also done under cover of executive session, with Chair Dave Brown emerging from that short meeting to proclaim that Phillips was doing a tremendous job.

We just needed to believe Brown about that, because we have no other basis for understanding how Phillips landed such a lucrative contract. (If only performance reviews for teachers and paraeducators could be so quick, so painless, and result in so much money and so many benefits.)

If we understand correctly, though, passing Phillips’ contract in the consent agenda was illegal. (Please, if we’re wrong, feel free to provide specific evidence showing that this maneuver was completely legal and above board.) In the least, this process feels immoral, another time when the board worked without transparency and accountability, and without consideration of the stakeholders: educators, parents, and most certainly, children in the district.

We are also not clear if Phillips’ contract was poorly written, and the additions to his salary are a result of this lack of clarity. This is actually a better scenario than the alternative: that the board and Phillips knowingly created a contract with enough extras added to make him one of the highest paid superintendents in the state.

The pay and the “fringe benefits” seem excessive in multiple ways.

If we are doing the math correctly, the travel expenses line could add almost $80K to Phillips’ total package, an increase of eight times. According to the contract, “The District agrees to pay the Superintendent 3% of the base yearly salary per month.” This would amount to $6,450 per month for travel: more than most starting teachers will receive as salary for their efforts.

Philips’ vacation days went from 21 to 30 days with a new payout for unused days. It looks like previously unused vacation rolled over, but were not eligible for payout. That could potentially add another month’s salary to his pay, as he can cash out on June 30 with whatever days he hasn’t used.

Phillips will receive a cell phone plan of $4300/year as part of his benefits. The most expensive cell phone plan we could find was $2,380/year. Most plans are between $780 – $1,800/year, so we question this exorbitant increase.

Phillips and the old board seem to be adding language that will protect him financially, even if he’s fired. There’s a $30,000 bonus for three years of service, with the added caveat that, “Should the Board decide to terminate the Employment contract within the first three (3) years of the contract, the lump sum of $30,000 shall be awarded to the Superintendent on said separation date.” Imagine having that kind of rider in your contract, giving you a nice bonus even if you do a deplorable job and get fired. (We’re not saying that Phillips is doing a deplorable job. We have no idea what kind of job he’s doing, because the board wasn’t transparent about how he was evaluated.)

Philips’ overall pay will be $215,000, quite an increase from former contracts, and more than superintendents are making in comparable districts. Several years ago, the board’s personnel committee did a survey of surrounding districts, and discovered that Newberg was at the bottom of the pay scale for superintendents. But even the committee’s request to raise former Superintendent Joe Morelock’s pay to $175,000 (from $170,000) was met with resistance from Director Brian Shannon, who couldn’t see spending the extra $5k. It could be his fiscal conservatism is situational, since Shannon apparently had no qualms about increasing Phillips’ pay so dramatically.

A provision in the contract reduced the amount of time Phillips has to warn the board of its departure by two months. You might remember that Phillips was not willing to release teachers’ contracts last year, making it harder for them to begin employment in another district. Yet he seems unwilling to hold himself to the same standard.

All told, these extras will give Phillips a contract that amounts to almost $300,000, a nice payout for a superintendent who was released from two previous districts: one for posting anti-immigration sentiments online, and another for reasons that remain unclear.

The former school board and its supporters have argued for the last two years that Newberg lost its direction, that we need to put children first, rather than politics (whatever that means). It’s hard to see a “children first” agenda anywhere in Phillips’ three-year contract, given how much money Phillips’ contract will be siphoning from classrooms and from children. In an era when Newberg teachers are having to buy supplies for their own classrooms, out of their own pockets, it feels especially egregious that their leader is receiving such lucrative pay.

The new board definitely has their work cut out for them. We are hoping with more transparency and more accountability, Newberg really has put its bleakest days behind it, and can emerge into the light of a new era. We remember something a former, less-paid superintendent said in this regard when he was fired without cause less than two years ago: “From the darkest dark comes the brightest light.” Though there’s work yet to be done, we are looking forward to the light.

Edited for 2024:

If you want your thoughts made public about Dr. Phillips’ contract, consider making a public comment at the next school board meeting, which is February 13. School board meetings usually start at 6:00 p.m. You can also submit a comment online at publiccomment@newberg.k12.or.us by February 12, no later than 4:00 p.m. Board members can be emailed individually or collectively. The email for the entire group is: boardmembers@newberg.k12.or.us.

July 8, 2023