Two candidates seeking elected office for the first time are running to represent the Long Beach and Seaview areas on the Ocean Beach School District Board of Directors. Samantha Hernandez Ortega and Erik Svendsen are vying for the open position representing District No. 3 on the school board, with the winner being tapped to serve a full four-year term.
Hernandez Ortega, 31, owns and operates Wild Roots Salon in Seaview. A 2012 Ilwaco High School graduate, she received her associates degree from Clatsop Community College and is professionally licensed as a cosmetologist and nail technician/manicurist.
Svendsen, 50, owns and operates North Jetty Brewing in Seaview with his wife, Michelle, which they opened in 2014. He also previously worked as a certified public accountant for nearly two decades in Vancouver and Astoria.
Both candidates agreed to participate in a questionnaire with the Observer. Their full written responses, which have only been edited for grammar and clarity, can be seen below.
Chinook Observer: Why are you running to serve on the school board, and what makes you qualified?
Samantha Hernandez Ortega: As a graduate of IHS, a parent of an OBSD student and a local business owner on the peninsula, I am uniquely qualified to represent many people in this community. I have seen firsthand the impact great teachers and educational programs can make in our students’ lives. Education is fundamental to the success of our students and our community. I am dedicated to making OBSD a district where all students and teachers feel welcome and supported for a dynamic educational experience that this peninsula can be proud of.
Erik Svendsen: I am running for the position to represent District No. 3 for a variety of reasons. First and foremost is that I truly believe that a quality public education is one of the most valuable tools that we can give young people in our community. The world and our nation increasingly grow more complex and our students need to have the skills necessary to compete and thrive. Additionally, my granddaughter started kindergarten this year and her younger brother will follow in a couple of years. While I do not feel that one needs to have family members in the schools to be a quality board member, for me it made me want to get involved a bit more.
I feel that the skills and knowledge I have gained over 30 years in financial management as a certified public accountant (retired license), chief financial officer and as a business owner (North Jetty Brewing), will be valuable to the school district as we continue to navigate changing funding policies at the state and federal level and declining enrollment.
Observer: What do you believe is a critical issue facing the Ocean Beach School District, and how would you try to go about addressing it if elected?
Hernandez Ortega: In my experiences observing the community and discussing the school district, I have found there is a massive disconnect between the OBSD school board and the general public. People are feeling left out and uninformed on decisions being made. This is ultimately leading to a lack of trust in the school board.
To remedy this, I believe providing reliable and easy to digest information regarding the happenings within the board to the public via a newsletter or social media are valid ways to begin to rebuild trust. Promoting open communication between board members and the community would go a long way.
Svendsen: One critical issue that I see, which was mentioned above, is that enrollment in our schools has declined over the last several years. This impacts funding for schools and the number of teachers, administrators and paraeducators that we can bring into the schools. As our local demographics change, we need to ensure that our students continue to receive the highest quality education that can be provided.
For me, one way to get a better handle on this issue would be to network with board members and leaders of other smaller, rural districts around the state. I am curious to see how they have addressed some of these same issues we face in our own district — declining enrollment, poverty, construction, etc. I feel that there must be lessons, both positive and negative, to be learned if we can have some of those conversations.
Observer: Are you supportive of the district’s ongoing effort to secure state funding for the construction of a new 6-12 campus in Ilwaco? Why or why not?
Hernandez Ortega: I am very supportive of this effort for a new campus. Our school buildings in our district are old and our students and staff are due for an upgrade. The district’s efforts to secure state funding will not only provide a tsunami safe school for our children, but will give them a school that they are proud to call their own.
I was among the classes that got to experience the remodeled Hilltop school when it housed high school and middle school. While it was crowded, there was a sense of excitement to be in a beautiful facility, and a sense of pride when welcoming other schools or guests into the building.
A new facility will not only provide safety for children and staff, but it will create opportunities for growth in our current amazing programs, such as the music department, shop and trades programs and athletics, to name a few. It also opens the door to bring about new programs to help our students to grow and reach their full potential.
Svendsen: The proposed construction of a new 6-12 school in Ilwaco is an exciting idea. So far, the funding is in place to continue some of the design elements and feasibility studies. It was very educational to attend the meetings put on by the architect and the specialist working with the state to see what some of the vision for the new school would be.
While it is a very attractive concept, we need to make sure that we are approaching the project with our eyes wide open and understand the risks, as well as the opportunities, associated with this potential new building. I strongly support continuing to investigate this project and walk it forward. At the same time, we need to maintain perspective on the project and continually evaluate whether it makes sense for our community as new information becomes available.
Observer: How do you believe the board should try to address financial and other challenges posed by the district’s declining student enrollment?
Hernandez Ortega: Providing a school environment that parents and students have pride in is a huge step in keeping kids in school. Parents need to feel like they are connected to the schools, students and teachers and feel that they are being heard and included in their child’s education. Every parent wants what is best for their children, and I think showing the district’s wins in academics and extracurricular activities is a great way to boost the confidence in our schools.
These wins include promoting the growth of existing programs, such as the progress made within our soccer teams, or the consistent increases in our students’ test scores over the last several years. We should talk about the number of our students that are receiving college credits at Ilwaco High School or the alumni that have gone off to receive a higher education or joined a trade due to their strong start within our district. It’s easy to get wrapped up with the negatives, but our district has a whole lot of amazing things happening for our students that we should be focusing on as well.
It’s also important to recognize the growth in home school as an option for many families and it would be vital for the OBSD school board to navigate how there can be a bridge between the two options.
Svendsen: As I mentioned above, it seems to me that networking with leadership at other similarly situated, smaller, rural districts such as our own could be a great benefit. To be able to discuss what they have done to address their own enrollment issues, and the resulting financial instability, could be a great benefit. To hear from others what has worked and what has not worked quite so well in their own districts would hopefully be instructive.
Based on my career in accounting, and owning a manufacturing and retail business of my own, I believe that I am somewhat uniquely situated to really dig into the budget of the school district and see if there are not efficiencies to be had. I have no doubt that the budget is put together with care and thought, but sometimes it is also good to get fresh eyes on the numbers and see if anything pops out that others might have missed.
Observer: What role do you believe the board should play in trying to improve academic outcomes at OBSD’s schools?
Hernandez Ortega: I firmly believe it should be the goal of every member of the school board to work on improving academic outcomes for all students within our district. This is vital for the quality of experience and education — and ultimately for the future — of our students. The board should work to meet the needs of all students to help them achieve their academic goals. Not all students learn the same, and it is of the utmost importance that children have the resources to gain the knowledge in a way that is digestible to them.
Our schools are currently showing an upward trend in our academic test scores and it is so important to keep that trend going. The board and the schools should continue to grow and strive to be even better.
Svendsen: I believe that the best way to continue to improve academics is to offer broad-based support to the employees of the school district. We need to ensure that our teachers, administrators and staff feel that they are supported professionally, financially and personally.
As we support our teams, they support and encourage the students towards excellence. As they are the education professionals, and the people who are in the buildings with the students every day, we need to listen to what they have to say about what works and what does not work. And yes, as need arises, we need to hold our employees accountable. Hopefully we can always do that in a positive, cooperative manner, which promotes trust and the free exchange of ideas, rather than hindering them.