Luisi joins Hermiston School Board
OSEA Junior Past President Bonnie Luisi is the newest member of the Hermiston School Board.
Luisi — who also serves as chair of Retired Oregon School Employees (ROSE) — was appointed in early August to a vacancy on the board, but the idea of seeking a school board seat has been in the back of Luisi’s mind for a long time. In fact, she had been strongly considering a run in 2017.
But opportunity came knocking when another former classified employee, Maria Duron, resigned to take a job with the district.
“I didn’t want the board to lose the voice of classified employees,” Luisi said. “When she resigned, I thought I’d do the interview, get some experience and let them know who I am. Did that, and darned if I didn’t get appointed.”
In her modesty, Luisi undersells the vast wealth of experience she brings to the position: She is a former OSEA president and chapter leader and in retirement has served on the AFT Retiree and State Classified Employee Retiree committees on top of her ongoing duties with the OSEA Board of Directors and ROSE. She was a 22-year classified employee in special education for the Hermiston School District, and has lived in the district’s boundaries for the past 34 years.
She’s also been on numerous district committees, addressing hiring, rezoning and naming school facilities. Luisi was also on the Yes for Kids committee, promoting bond levies for the district.
Still, serving on an elected board with such huge responsibilities is a big undertaking.
“There’s going to be a little bit of a learning curve, but I’ve been on the OSEA Board long enough that doing the work boards do is nothing new; confidentiality is nothing new,” Luisi said. “I just want to make sure (the board) includes classified when making policy and deciding who gets trainings.”
Luisi said the board has always had a good working relationship with classified and teacher unions. When she was chapter president, board members would inquire how the union felt about issues before taking action.
The district’s motto shoots for the moon: “Striving to be the premier public school district in Oregon!” And Luisi said board members constantly keep that ideal in mind.
“Everything is centered around that goal, and all the board’s decisions reflect those goals,” Luisi said.
In addition to attending board meetings and work sessions, Luisi said Hermiston School Board members are each assigned to a school, where they are expected to remain visible by attending events such as read-ins, first day of school and open houses. She’s excited for the challenge.
“It was something I’ve always wanted to do,” Luisi said. “When you work for a district 22 years (and) get used to the policies, attend all the school board meetings, you glean a little bit.”
Luisi joins several other retired OSEA members on school boards across the state, including Merlene Martin in South Lane, Susan Hardy in Oakridge and Barbara Carter in McMinnville.
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