The three women who will be joining the Crook County School Board next month responded Thursday to the recent resignations of Superintendent Sara Johnson and board member Gwen Carr. They claim surprise at one of the departures and political motivation in the aftermath of the other.
Cheyenne Edgerly, Jessica Brumble and Jennifer Knight defeated three incumbents in the May 16 election. The three newcomers won their races on a joint platform in which they called for ensuring parental rights in education, rejecting the use of critical race theory and protecting children’s innocence.
They will make up the majority of the five-person board.
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RELATED: Crook County Superintendent Sara Johnson resigning, cites board election
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Carr — who was not one of the three incumbents who were voted out — announced her resignation on May 25. She cited a head injury that she is trying to recover from.
The board held an open call for applications for Carr’s replacement. That person is expected to be picked by the current board before July. That means Edgerly, Brumble and Knight won’t be involved in selecting that person.
The trio released a joint statement, indicating they should have a say in choosing the new board member and claiming that the move to replace Carr before July is political.
“There is no reason to rush the replacement process of Gwen Carr except for the explicit reason of not allowing the incoming board members a voice in the selection,” they said. “School is out soon for summer break and there could be a thorough vetting process to find a good replacement board member. The current school board has rushed this process purely for political reasons.”
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Johnson, who was named Oregon Superintendent of the Year last September, announced her departure Wednesday. She cited the board election as a key reason for her resignation. Johnson said “the new board members do not share my vision or mission for district leadership and how to operate the school district.”
Edgerly, Brumble and Knight said they were surprised to hear about the resignation.
“Since our election and in the coming months, we will be engaging in productive dialogue with administration and staff. We ran on the promise to the Crook County voters that parental rights would be valued in all aspects. It saddens us that Dr. Johnson can not get behind that community vision for the school. We wish Sara the best in all her future endeavors,” they wrote.
You can read the full statement below:
Incoming school board members react to recent developments at Crook County School District
Prineville, Ore. – Recent developments on the Crook County School Board cause grave concern for incoming elected school board members; Jessica Brumble, Jennifer Knight and Cheyenne Edgerly. In light of these recent developments we release the following statements on the two main items.
1. School board resignation of Gwen Carr
“There is no reason to rush the replacement process of Gwen Carr except for the explicit reason of not allowing the incoming board members a voice in the selection. School is out soon for summer break and there could be a thorough vetting process to find a good replacement board member. The current school board has rushed this process purely for political reasons.”
“It reaffirms the reason for running for office and shining a light on how the previous board was being operated. We will focus on transparency, parental and community inclusion over politics on day one.”
2. Resignation of Superintendent Sara Johnson
“As the incoming board we are surprised to hear of the resignation of Dr. Sara Johnson. Since our election and in the coming months, we will be engaging in productive dialogue with administration and staff. We ran on the promise to the Crook County voters that parental rights would be valued in all aspects. It saddens us that Dr. Johnson can not get behind that community vision for the school. We wish Sara the best in all her future endeavors.
We continue to support our hard working teachers, staff, and administrators- as they are committed to our community, parents, and the students.”
