Maintaining connections between Linn-Benton Community College and the high schools along, an increasing number of older students and the selection of a new president are critical issues facing incoming members of the LBCC Board of Education, said Jody Seward of Sweet Home.
Seward, 62, is one of three candidates running for zone one, which includes Sweet Home and much of East Linn County. She faces Cathrine Thomas and Jay Jackson.
“(Incumbent) Jann Horner is having to vacate her position because of having to move out of the area,” Seward said. “She approached me, and I just jumped at the opportunity. It’s so crucial right now, even more crucial than when I first started thinking about it.”
People are out of work and going back to school, she said. At Lebanon School District, where she works, the district is talking about changing the programs operated between the district and LBCC. She wants to ensure that those connections remain and expand them as the medical school goes online in Lebanon.
“Then too, there’s the whole business of where we are as a nation, globally, to have workers that are marketable and can compete in the global economy,” she said. And one of the most important tasks will be selecting the new president to succeed Rita Cavin.
To address these issues, it’s important to make decisions after hearing all sides and understanding where the students and different viewpoints are coming from, she said. “I bring a lens as an educator, leading into the collegel level.”
The past two years, she is working as a teaching coach in the Lebanon School District, she said. She also has taught every grade, kindergarten through 12th grade.
With the recession, budgeting also will be important, she said. She doesn’t know yet how she will approach it, not until she is sitting there and getting the information. The key is collaborating with those who have experience and served on the board.
“I guess the big thin is how do we balance it,” she said. “We don’t know what the priorities are until we get all sides and listen to people and find out what they want.”
Right now, one of the top questions on her mind is who will be the next president, she said. She would like to find someone who can measure up to the standard set by Cavin, who has been president since 2003.
From her perspective, Cavin has been able to build a cohesive team that works well together, Seward said. She is able to compromise and run smooth meetings, finding consensus, reaching conclusions and moving on.
Seward had three children, James, Marie and the late John. She has four grandchildren. She has been working in education since 1970.