Jim Horner for Medford School Board

As I begin my 2019 campaign for the Medford School Board position #6 it's tempting to look back over the last two years. I was able to attend all but one of the board meetings (snowed out just last month - couldn't get back from the coast) and countless work sessions, coffee sessions, agenda planning sessions, policy meetings, budget meetings, Budget Committee Meetings, bond meetings, finance and audit meetings, bargaining meetings, Oregon School Board Association Training, Conferences, etc. I was able to personally visit every school at least once (including all the Charter schools) and many more than once. The net result is I have a much deeper understanding of the workings of the District and its strengths and weaknesses.
As we move forward with our search for a new superintendent I feel a great responsibility to, if re-elected and with the help of the rest of the board, assist the new superintendent. We want him/her to maintain the momentum of progress in the district and not "drop the ball" on programs which are successful. At the same time we want the new person to feel he/she is able to add fresh ideas which can propel the district to even greater success.
I intend to write posts every few days to outline some of the critical issues the district has where I believe assistance to the new superintendent would be useful..
From a big picture viewpoint I believe the district is in good shape and has made excellent progress. Our graduation rate is now over 80% and our reading and math scores are above state averages. We also are significantly above the state averages in our ELL (English Language Learner) scores. Our financial situation is OK at the moment. Yet the math and reading scores are certainly below a number which we would like to attain. We have instituted realistic improvement goals but we must keep "the pedal to the metal" to reach these goals. Additionally although our graduation rate is significantly above state average we still lag behind the national average.
Many educators have described Medford School District as a district "on the move." If elected I will do all I can to continue that momentum.
Those of you who enjoyed my efforts in the last election to get our dog, Pepperjack to endorse me will probably be subjected to further exposure as I think he has a number of questions.
Thanks for reading through this initial post.
Jim

Although I'm finding that everything I was told about being on the board entailing lots of work is true, participating in the summertime graduation ceremony last night was fine compensation. We only had eight folks complete their studies and receive their high school degrees, but the looks on their faces and the faces of their folks, relatives, and supporters made it all worthwhile and then some!
Again, congratulations to these new high school graduates!!

Jim

I have not posted much since the election. Folks ask me when I become officially a board director. Apparently we all get sworn in at the July 6 board meeting. We also select various committees in which we will participate. I think I will be a member of the policy review committee and a few others. I'm pretty excited to get started.
Toward the end of July I will attend the OSBA (Oregon School Boards Association) workshop. They give you insights on a number of practical subjects. I also look forward to that.
I think my high tech business experience is going to come in handy, but, of course, dealing with kids is not the same as high tech. So I'm going to need to deal with each issue carefully and try to muster as much wisdom as possible.
But my enthusiasm for this challenge keeps getting higher.
Jim

This summer I will be attending a "summer camp for board members" put on by the Oregon School Boards Association. The keynote address is : "Disrupting Poverty, Turning High Poverty Schools into High Performing Schools." This theme certainly has importance to parts of the Medford School District. The degree to which we ask our schools to be a safety net for kids cannot be over emphasized. We expect our schools to do much more than simply educate our kids. I suspect much of the concern over school expenses might be explained by understanding the expanded role the schools actually play. Whether our schools are the proper organizations to do this might be a subject of discussion, but realizing they are doing it is a good first step.

Today I had the pleasure of visiting Logos, a charter school of the Medford School District. They have a education model quite different from the main district's. It's kind of an augmented home schooling arrangement. It's highlight seems to be the individualization of each child's study. I was quite impressed, although it apparently is dependent on a adult being home all the time to supervise the student. I liked the aggressive use of technology and the very strong tendency for instructional productivity.
I don't yet have a clear picture how our charter schools fit in, but the tour given to me by principal Sheryl Zimmerer and her colleagues was impressive. Logos is a going concern.

Although still unofficial, it appears I have been elected! I am so grateful to everyone who helped me. And, of course, grateful to all those who voted for me. I feel particularly fortunate to have prevailed over two honorable and worthy opponents.
As a first time candidate the wonderful advice given to me by so many was absolutely critical. Additionally the physical help in promoting my candidacy through events, signage, word of mouth, e-mail lists, mass media, etc. was invaluable. Thank you.
Now I need to get to work and earn the trust you placed in me. There has been significant change to the board, but we must continue and hopefully accelerate the positive momentum which has been achieved.
Again, thank you!
Jim

I'm so pleased to announce that at long last my dog, Pepperjack, has endorsed me!!! I think it was a combination of my experience with the Medford School District, my knowledge of education from my superintendent, dad, and education professor, brother, and my ability to understand the financial complexities of the district from five years on the budget committee and 20 years running divisions for HP. Also, the three doggie treats did not hurt.

Here I am trying to teach Pepperjack the value of school athletics. He said he would endorse me if I promised to make "Ball throwing and retrieving" a varsity sport. Sigh.

I hope you check out my latest attempt to earn the "endorsement" of my dog, Pepperjack. It is fun but also highlights something I think is important, a rounded education. The three "R"s are the foundation, but other subjects such as music or the arts are important adjuncts.
On a different and serious note, I have become aware how important multiple degrees from Stanford are for qualifying me for the Board. We have around 700 teachers in the district all of whom have earned bachelors degrees and certification. Many have earned masters degrees or even further. I believe having earned a college degree from an important university will assist in the formulation and acceptance of district policy.

I continue to try to get my dog, Pepperjack, to endorse me. Today I am explaining how a rounded education is so important, particularly with music or the arts. He said he didn't quite get the value of Bach, but he liked howling at the moon.
Sigh.

Continuing with my "special endorsement" efforts with my dog, Pepperjack. Here I am explaining to him that I was a vice president/general manager at Hewlett Packard and Agilent Technologies and that experience would help me make sense of the $140M, 1100 person Medford School District. He said, "That's nice, but what about Return on Invested Capital, the Laser Interferometer, or the fact that my printer runs out of ink?" Sigh, I'll keep working on him.

Last night my wife, Kathy, and I were invited by Lyn Hennion and the Garrisons to special fund raiser for the Casa program. It was billed as a "Kentucky Derby," so everyone was to wear a special hat. I pulled out a leather top hat which I bought 30 years ago in Ashland. Amazingly I was the male winner, and, as you can see, continued shamelessly campaigning. I guess for such a worthwhile program as Casa, looking goofy for a while is worth it.