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Ericka Thessen
Position 2
Age: 51
Brief biography: I am a frontline health care worker and single working mom of three young people. I have formerly served on various boards over the past years: Lane County Parks Funding Task Force, Whole Earth Nature School Board, Wiggly Tails Dog Rescue Board and board president of The 86 Hunger Foundation.
Current employment: Acute care physical therapist, hospital and emergency department.
Connection to Eugene School District: I am the mom of two former and one current student in the district. I have volunteered in their classrooms and have served on the site councils for McCornack Elementary, Kennedy Middle School and Churchill High School. I served on the Eugene 4J Budget Committee 2021-2023. And I was appointed to serve on the Eugene 4J School District Board Position 2 in October 2023.
Why are you running? I am running because I am a dedicated public servant who passionately believes in and fights for public education, a cornerstone of democracy. I am running to serve, protect and nurture our most vulnerable and at-risk students. I am running to make sure our employees are respected, valued and empowered. I am running to invest in the future of our children and communities.
Priorities: As a board member, I have some areas that I want to focus on and fight for, especially as we look at potential federal funding cuts. I want to improve third-grade literacy, ninth-grade on-track and high school graduation rates, especially for our most vulnerable students such as disabled and SPED, neurodiverse, students of color, immigrant and English language learners, LGBTQ2SIA+, low-income and unhoused student groups.
Chronic absenteeism, especially amongst our most vulnerable students, is another focus area. I would like to use more proactive, holistic, supportive and positive ways to improve communication, trust and collaboration between students, families and school staff to get our students in the classroom and meaningfully engaged in their education.
Another focus for me is that the board and district protect both the students we are trusted to educate as well as the adults and staff that deliver their deserved top-notch education. This means ensuring that all students and staff, especially from marginalized and vulnerable groups, all experience equity, inclusion, safety and belonging.
Last but not least, a focus area for me is to improve our recruitment and retention of diverse staff but especially staff of color and staff with disabilities. Because it is vitally important for students to see their identities reflected in the staff in their schools.
Budget cutbacks: This is a very difficult question because we are looking at needing to cut between $15 million and $30 million for next year’s budget. These cuts are going to be very difficult, especially because we are not sure about federal funding cuts. But I want to make cuts as far away from the classroom as possible. I want to preserve as many services as possible that help meet students’ unmet physical, health and emotional needs so they can thrive in the school setting to learn with joy and rigor. Basically I want to preserve staffing and funding for front-line education and student services as possible.
Local control: As a school district we have to follow federal and state mandates as much as possible. Currently we face instances where there is discrepancy or opposing guidance between state and federal mandates. Given the fact that our funding comes from federal and state sources, we have to follow guidelines as best as possible. Especially important to follow are state mandates regarding instructional hours, graduation requirements, curriculum mandates, audits/finance. But it is important that some control be decided at a local level outside those mandates because communities know what works and is needed in their own district. And that is why local school board races are so critical; we are elected to represent the needs of our students, families, staff and community members.
Endorsements: Oregon Working Families Party; Democratic Party of Lane County; Eugene Education Association; Lisa Jenkins-Easton, Oregon School Employees Association, Eugene Chapter 1; Democratic Party of Oregon Stonewall Caucus; Democratic Party of Oregon Young Democrats of Oregon Caucus; Eugene Area Chamber of Commerce; Stand for Children Oregon; Eugene School Board members Maya Rabasa, Jenny Jonak, Tom Di Liberto; Eugene Mayor Kaarin Knudson; Lane County Commissioner Laurie Trieger; State Rep. Lisa Fragala; Eugene city councilors Matt Keating and Eliza Kashinsky; Rose Wilde, Lane Education Service District member; Springfield School Board member Jonathan Light; Tim Morris, Eugene Water and Electric Board.
