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Sisters, Oregon
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School board chair resigns
By Jim Cornelius

Sisters School Board Chair Heather Wester has resigned from the board effective June 30.

Three years remain on Wester's term. The school board will discuss appointing her replacement at the Monday, April 22, meeting, according to school superintendent Steve Swisher.

Wester is resigning in the wake of some bruising political battles over the cost and design of the new Sisters High School. The board was bitterly divided over the disposition of interest money from the school bonds and the scope of facilities, including the auditorium.

"I'm just done," she said. "I'm tired. I'm not a politician and I'm tired of the political game. I've become very cynical in the past year, and I'm tired of it."

Wester was disillusioned by the split on the board that started with the fight over whether or not to return to voters $1.9 million in interest earned from the $20.5 million school bond.

She and board member Steve Keeton argued that the money should be used to pay down bonded indebtedness, while board members Bill Reed and Glen Lasken argued that the money should be used in the construction of the high school. Jeff Smith tried to split the difference.

The tense debate, which lasted from October to December of last year, ended with the board agreeing to return any bond and interest money above the "guaranteed maximum price" of the project.

But the long struggle left wounds. Wester was accused of "not caring about kids" and of advocating a "draconian" policy.

Wester said she was disappointed by the tenor of the debate.

"You can disagree with me all you want, but there has to be some mutual respect for other people's opinions," she said.

Tensions continued among the board through discussions of the size of commons area and the auditorium. Those issues appear to have been resolved.

Board Vice Chair Glen Lasken will likely succeed Wester as board chair. Lasken was notified of Wester's resignation over the weekend.

"I guess I would say I was surprised and disappointed to be losing her as a valuable contributor to the process," Lasken said. "I understand some of the frustrations she's felt in regards to some of the issues and people's reactions to them."

On the positive side, Wester said she was proud of the policy changes that instituted an employee identification program and of the board's efforts to pass the high school bond and local option taxes that have helped support the school district in tough financial times.

She plans to stay active in the district in ways that directly impact students such as reading in the SMART program and helping in the classroom.

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