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Jonathan Light
Position 3
Age: 69
Brief biography: I was born and raised in Springfield, graduating from Thurston High School in 1973. I received my bachelors in music education degree from the University of Northern Colorado in 1982 and received my MBA from the University of New Hampshire, with an emphasis in organizational development. Returning to Oregon in 1989 I was involved with the family business for 15 years and then, after closing the business, entered the teaching profession.
Current employment: Retired. Former business owner and teacher.
Connection with Springfield School District: I have been involved with the Springfield School District for many years: as a student, graduate, community volunteer, employee, and board member.
Why are you running? There’s still much work needed to improve education for all students, I am committed to this work.
Priorities: From what I am hearing I think student behavior is a major issue. I agree that student behavior is a major issue. Other top issues for me would be to better manage student cellphone usage, address mental health concerns, listen to our constituents, and design a better, less intrusive, assessment system.
Budget cutbacks: If we face budget cuts in Springfield I believe it’s important to keep those cuts away from the classroom. The emphasis needs to be on retaining staff at the building level.
Local control: Federal and state agencies play an important role in assuring equity in education by providing both guidelines and funding. Too often, however, these mandates come without funding which puts an unfair burden on districts. I would also like to see less involvement by these agencies in the areas of standards and assessment. Their efforts have thus far shown little success in improving student outcomes.
