Jennifer Parker wins Salem-Keizer School Board Seat

This year, the Salem-Keizer School District had two incumbents running and two open seats. The two progressive incumbents won, but barely. The teacher union lost one of the open seats thanks to the hard work of Jennifer Parker, who won by just under 100 votes according to the unofficial results of Marion County.

Oregon Right to Life also deserves a lot of credit for this win. They were heavily involved in campaigning.

Though it’s common to see a teacher union sweep of local school board elections, the most important observation of this election for the Salem-Keizer school board is how close it was for all four winners. These are races where campaigning matters.

While the governance of a local school district is important for a variety of reasons, from taxes to the productivity of the area’s workforce, this isn’t the only way to vote on education outcomes. While Jennifer Parker had my vote, the Salem-Keizer School District did not. My kids go to Salem Academy.

Eric Shierman lives in Salem and is the author of We were winning when I was there.