For anyone believing school board seats aren’t partisan, Benton County Democrats have a message; yes, they are. An informal group of parents is seeking to recall the current Corvallis School Board. Party leaders decided at a specially called Wednesday meeting to endorse against their campaign.
Chair Gabe Shepherd kicked off the meeting saying Save Corvallis Schools, the parents group seeking the recall, had been invited to send a representative but opted to submit written testimony instead. You’ll find it below
Speaking on behalf of the School Board members targeted by the recall were Board Chair Luhui Whitebear, and Co-Vice Chairs Shauna Tominey and Terese Jones. Also speaking on behalf of the Board; leadership from the district’s labor unions.
What happened next was, all those folks spoke, and the party’s precinct committee people asked them questions. After that, the committee members deliberated and voted.
We’ll get to the state of all that discussion in a minute, but first, a mercifully quick petition mechanics 101 primer…
The petitions
On January 2, Save Corvallis Schools filed petitions with County election officials to recall the Corvallis School Board’s seven members, and if enough signatures are gathered, voters could be making a choice sometime before midyear.
According to Darla Rush, the acting director of Records and Elections for Benton County, the petitioners have until April 6 to submit at least 4,577 voter signatures. That minimum is derived from a formula set by state law. If the petitioners are successful, the County would then have 10 days to validate those signatures.
If that happens, they will then notify each of the elected officials affected, who can decide within five days to resign or rebut the petition. If they do the latter, the County is obligated to conduct an election within 35 days.
Save Corvallis Schools is seeking to recall the whole Board. To do that, each Board Member must be recalled separately.
So, each of the recall petitions makes separate arguments, and they are not all the same for each Board member.
State of discussion
Wednesday’s discussion among local Democratic leaders was not so much point-by-point. They did not look at each petition individually. It was more general, and partisan concerns were expressed. After all, this was a Party meeting.
It was pointed out that the current School Board consists of members endorsed by the Party. For some, this raised the question of an obligation to be supportive now. Others expressed the view that the recall campaign could be a Republican or right-wing effort. Many expressed the view that a recall would materially disrupt the School District.
It should be said that so far, we cannot corroborate claims that Save Corvallis Schools is partisan; they have members from both major parties, and their arguments do not appear to be ideologically driven in any political sense.
As to the potential for disruption. State law says that even if the whole Board were recalled, the Education Service Board for Linn, Benton and Lincoln counties could appoint a new board. If they declined, the Benton County Board of Commissioners would do that. In the interim before new Board members are seated, state law also says the Superintendent would continue to operate the district. While all that’s happening, a special election to vote in new Board members would be set.
By state law, school board seats are nonpartisan in Oregon. Candidates do not run as affiliated or not affiliated, and there are no primaries. However, parties are free to issue endorsements, or not.
Testimony from Save Corvallis Schools
Here is the testimony from Save Corvallis Schools:
Dear Chair Shepherd and Members of the Benton County Democrats,
Thank you for your engagement in local civic issues and for the work you do to support our community. We recently received a copy of the agenda for your upcoming special meeting regarding the school board recall petitions. Although Save Corvallis Schools was not formally invited, several of our members shared the agenda with us, and we appreciate being made aware of the discussion.
Save Corvallis Schools is an intentionally non-partisan coalition. This is reflected in our membership, which includes individuals with a wide range of political affiliations, including some who belong to the Benton County Democrats, as well as members from across the political spectrum. Our coalition includes individuals of mixed faiths, backgrounds, socio-economic status, and political views. What unites us is the belief that academic excellence, transparency, and accountability matter, and that the long-term health of our school district must remain above partisan considerations.
For that reason, we reject the influence of all political parties on this non-partisan issue. The future of Corvallis students, staff, and families is larger than our politics, and it requires broad community participation and trust. In that spirit, we are also sharing this message with the Benton County Republican Party so that both major parties understand our stance and our commitment to remaining non-partisan.
Our approach is grounded in a long tradition of community-based civic engagement. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. often reminded the nation that meaningful change requires moral courage rather than partisan allegiance. Our coalition’s work is rooted in conscience, community responsibility, and a belief that public education thrives when people come together across differences to do what is right for children.
Because of this commitment, we are careful to avoid participating in settings where our presence could be interpreted as aligning with a political party or endorsing a partisan position. After reviewing the proposed agenda, including motions to formally support or oppose some or all of the recall effort, it appears that the purpose of the meeting is to determine the party’s official stance on these efforts. This is particularly sensitive
because the recall is still in the signature-collection stage, a phase intended simply to determine whether voters should have the opportunity to weigh in at all. When institutional actors take positions at this early point, it can shift a citizen-driven process into a partisan one before an actual election even exists.
More broadly, we are concerned that placing motions of this nature on a party agenda, whether to support or oppose recall efforts, in whole or in part, risks undermining democratic process and chilling civic participation. Signature collection is not a vote on the merits of the recall; it is the preliminary step that allows an election to occur if enough valid signatures are verified. Once an election is formally triggered, individuals are free to make their own decisions. But party involvement during the petition stage can exert institutional pressure at a moment when the public is merely being asked whether voters should have the opportunity to decide. This early intervention risks discouraging educators, staff, parents, and volunteers who may fear political or professional repercussions for engaging in a lawful civic process.
School board positions in Oregon are intentionally non-partisan, designed to represent the full community rather than any political party. Party involvement at the petition stage reframes a community-based accountability mechanism as a partisan contest, which can polarize families, educators, and students, discourage participation, and erode public trust.
We believe that the most principled, democratic-values-aligned course of action is for the party to take no position on school board recall efforts at this stage. Doing so affirms a shared commitment to voter empowerment, non-partisan governance, protection of civic participation, and respect for democratic processes that are meant to be resolved by the electorate, not by political organizations. Rather than adopting a formal stance, we would encourage each political organization to support its members in making their own decisions based on their understanding of the district’s current challenges and their convictions about what is needed to improve conditions for students, staff, and the broader community.
Our coalition’s focus remains on restoring trust, improving communication, and ensuring that decisions affecting students and families are made openly, transparently, and collaboratively. In that spirit, we invite you, as community members, to attend our upcoming Town Hall on January 29 at 6 p.m. at the Benton County Library. This event is not a debate, but an opportunity for anyone who wishes to learn more about our concerns, our mission, and the recall process. We will also provide space for community members to share their priorities and perspectives in a non-partisan environment.
We would welcome opportunities to share information or answer questions in a neutral, balanced, and non-partisan setting. If your members would find it helpful, we are happy
to provide a written statement outlining our concerns about governance and process, or to participate in a future conversation that is not structured around partisan motions.
Thank you again for your attention to this issue and for your commitment to civic engagement. We hope this clarification is helpful, and we remain dedicated to supporting a strong, transparent, and student-centered school district for all families in Corvallis.
By Mike Suarez. Hallie Greenberg and Steven J. Schultz contributed to this story.
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