Richland School Board Pos 1
Bonnie Mitchell
Elected Experience
Current RSD Board of Directors, Position 1. Appointed 9/23.
Other Professional Experience
I am a stay-at-home parent and have volunteered in schools and local communities for 30 years.
Education
Jefferson Elementary, Carmichael Jr. High, Richland High School, Eastern Oregon University.
Community Service
I have worked in volunteer and leadership positions in several PTO/PTA organizations, school music and drama clubs, and Richland High School Boosters. I have been involved in Richland as a coach, team mom, and as a board member of Richland Lacrosse Club and Central Washington Lacrosse League. I also volunteer in my church congregation and Boys & Girls Club of Benton and Franklin Counties.
Statement
I appreciate the educational and extracurricular opportunities our public schools have provided to my family. I have spent the last 17 years volunteering in Richland schools, and many of those experiences have shown me how amazing our community can be working together for our kids. When I first applied to be appointed to the school board, I said this:
"I love thinking creatively and using teamwork to solve problems. I’m tenacious and a hard worker who can organize people and get stuff done."
Those things are still true. I have learned that this job requires those skills, plus a lot of listening, patience, and difficult decision making. During the last year, our district’s challenging budget situation has been an unexpected development. I will continue to work with our board on a realistic plan to manage costs while improving student outcomes as best as we can. When difficult situations arise, I listen to our staff, administration, parents, students, and community and then do my best to act in the best interest of our district’s 13,000+ students. Our board is working to continue to build trust and I would like to be there to see our critical budget shortfall through to resolution.
Community Engagement
Community Engagement
Endorsements and Opposition
No letters of support or opposition listed yet.
Endorsements and Opposition
No letters of support or opposition listed yet.
Donors
Mini-filer: detailed reports N/A.
Donors
No contributions reported yet.
2025 School Board Questionnaire
Why did you originally choose to run for school board?
Bonnie Mitchell
I have been volunteering in Richland schools for the last 17 years. In 2023, there was a need for volunteers and I wanted to help. The last few years have been challenging for the district and our board has been working to make improvements. When my appointment was up, I decided I wanted to finish some of the work we had started, so I decided to run for a full term.
Jacques Bakhazi
I am very invested in getting our finances in order, unlike my opponent who is a part of the problem. She was a member of the board that voted for the budgets that put us in a financial hole.
What are the 3 most important things you want to do in office?
Bonnie Mitchell
1) Listen to and get to know students, teachers, staff, parents, and community members.in order to understand different perspectives and needs. 2) Support our district in providing the best possible educational and extracurricular activities we can within the current budget. 3) Help find creative solutions to address the challenges that come while trying to do items 1 and 2.
Jacques Bakhazi
Change the structure of the leadership, build a new highschool at a reasonable price, do a better job of retaining employees.
What role should the school board have in making our public schools an excellent learning environment for every child?
Bonnie Mitchell
Listen, support, help solve problems.
Jacques Bakhazi
As elected officials, we need to be much more involved in running the schools rather than what has been happening for the last umpteen years where no elected people are making the decisions and the board rubber stamps.
Rank the school district's top 3 most pressing challenges. How would you address them?
Bonnie Mitchell
From a list of dozens of challenges, these currently feel top three. However,, saying any of them are “lowest” seems dismissive. I would rank these three nearly equal in importance. Obviously, finances and funding are a big issue. Getting good information out to our community, and passing our next levy, especially since the state legislature continually refuses to fully fund public education. Providing the tools, training and personnel to meet each student's individual needs. and learning styles is also a challenging issue - for hicap students, special education students, and for the students in the middle. Behavior and bullying
Jacques Bakhazi
1. Retaining employees( it is extremely expensive to train new employees). the upside down pyramid-management on the bottom serving the needs of employees. 2. Balancing the budget- by being better stewards of the money we have 3. Students and their needs must come first- engaging with parents.
| Statement A | Strong A | Lean A | Lean B | Strong B | Statement B |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mostly trust in my own lived experiences, judgment, and beliefs. | Seek out opinions and perspectives different from my own. | ||||
Our district is underfunded for the needs of our operations, maintenance, and/or capital improvements. | Funding in our school district is adequate for operations, maintenance, and/or capital improvements. | ||||
The district can ease some of the financial, social, and familial burdens of students primarily by partnering with community organizations to provide resources to students and their families. | The district can ease some of the financial, social, and familial burdens of students primarily via professional development so that staff members can better identify student needs. | ||||
Teachers are compensated fairly within existing budget constraints. | Teachers are under-compensated and should be a higher budget priority. | ||||
The school board is doing a good job of seeking input from parents. | The school board should do a much better job of seeking input from parents. | ||||
The best way to handle concerns regarding ideology/religion in the classroom is to focus on transparency and visibility into curriculum with clear feedback channels. | The best way to handle concerns regarding ideology/religion in the classroom is to focus on professional development and policies that maintain appropriate boundaries. | ||||
Through targeted family outreach and community programs. | Through stronger enforcement of consequences for missing classes. | ||||
The best method for school districts to support English language learners is a 'Supportive Mainstream' model — English instruction with supplemental language support. | The best method for school districts to support English language learners is a separate program such as 'Sheltered Instruction' or 'Newcomer' programs. | ||||
The district should handle funding shortfalls through budget cuts — downsizing staff, programs, and/or services when necessary. | The district should handle funding shortfalls by seeking additional funding through levies and state advocacy. |