Steve Chambers

Position: Chairperson
Zone: 2
Phone: 503-364-5767
E-mail: chambers_steve@salkeiz.k12.or.us
Occupation: Retired high school social studies teacher
Years served on the school board: 9 ½

Meet Your School Board is a new series of articles for upcoming issues of inside24j. Each article will feature one of our school board members and provide a little more insight about who they are, why they serve, and what perspectives they bring.

Read on for more information about Steve Chambers.

What is your position responsible for?

“As chair of the Board, I run the meetings, meet with staff and two other board members to establish the monthly meeting agenda, consult with the superintendent on district issues, represent the board at public functions (i.e. teacher of the year, welcome to new teachers, service clubs, neighborhood associations), meet with representatives of our employee associations, and speak with the press. I also have personal roles as the board liaison to the Equity Advisory Committee and the Salem-Keizer Education Foundation.”

What are your goals in regard to student achievement?

“My number one goal is that each child will make academic progress equivalent to at least one grade level each year. This will be more measurable by our own formative assessment than by state or national tests. Another goal is to responsibly steward the public's money as we make budget decisions.”

What do you like to hear from staff and the community?

“The board is the policy-making body of the district, so policy questions are our foremost concern. But the board also has a significant role to play as a conduit for communication between the public and the district. In this capacity, we should hear any concerns that patrons (including employees) have. These we pass on to the superintendent, who will then get answers for the patrons from appropriate staff. We even like to hear good things that are going on in our schools!”

What else do you want people to know?

“We are elected by the public, unpaid, and serve without an expense account. Most board members put in about 20 hours a week in preparations and meetings, with board leadership adding up to 10 hours per week. This is often in addition to holding down full-time jobs for most board members. We are responsible to the voters, but we are also cognizant that most of our staff are also voters in the district and many have children in our schools.”

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