Kris McLaughlin
At-Large Position 2 candidate for Greater Albany Public Schools Board
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• RESIDENCE: Albany.
• OCCUPATION: Retired teacher. • OCCUPATIONAL/WORK HISTORY: After college I was a substitute teacher in Beaverton and then in the Eugene area. I worked briefly in a credit recovery program at Springfield High School. Then I was hired by Greater Albany Public Schools, and I retired from there. • RELEVANT EXPERIENCE: I taught at Calapooia Middle School in Albany for 38 years. During most of that time I worked at the building and district levels on curriculum. I led my Professional Learning Community team, worked on the district and state writing assessments, and helped train teachers to score writing and reading samples. I have also served on boards of various organizations I am part of. • EDUCATION: I have a BA in English from University of Oregon and an Interdisciplinary Teaching Master’s Degree in Speech, English, and Education from the University of Oregon. I also took classes for administrative certification until I decided not to pursue that. • FAMILY: I am an Oregonian back at least three generations. My daughter and her family live in Albany, and I have two grandchildren. • HOBBIES/INTERESTS: I love to read and am a member of two book groups. I enjoy gardening at the Community Garden. Most of my hobby time goes to music; I play cello in the Willamette Valley Symphony. • WEBSITE: https://mclaughlinforgaps.com/ • WHY I'M RUNNING: The Greater Albany Public Schools are dear to me, as I have given almost my entire professional life to them. The turbulent times over the past four years have disturbed and saddened me. The strike this school year — with all the anger, bitterness, chaos, and the disruption of education — prompted me to get involved, and I decided to run for the board. I believe in public education. It is the right of every child in this country to receive an education, and it is impossible to overstate the importance of that. And of course, the constituents who elect the board have a right to be heard by the board. Also, the people who elect the district leadership should be able to expect that the business of the district will be conducted |
Kris McLaughlin outside Calapooia Middle School, where she taught for 38 years.
efficiently and smoothly. The well-being of every staff member and every student depends on that. I did not see the district operating according to those principles, and I wanted to see change for the better.
My classroom experience and my years in education give me a unique and useful perspective on district and school operation. I have seen many different boards in operation over the years, worked for many different superintendents, and served under at least half a dozen principals. I know how action at the district level impacts life in the classrooms. Also, I have developed communications skills that allow me to get along with a wide variety of people, listen carefully, seek and affirm common ground, compromise, appreciate differences, and keep a focus on priorities. I believe that I will be a good addition to the board. • ENDORSEMENTS: The Linn County Democrats; Benton County Democrats; Gabe Shepherd, Benton County Democrats Chairman. • CONTACT/DONATE BY CHECK: Kris McLaughlin for GAPS P.O. Box 1183 Albany, OR 97321 |