As the deadline nears to apply for Ashland School Board this Thursday, three more individuals have filed for board posts in the upcoming election on May 20, including Ashland parent and former Hollywood actor Alex Sol, who sued the school district and Oregon Department of Education last year to make Ashland Schools structurally safer in the event of an active shooter scenario, as previously reported by Ashland.news.

Two individuals filed for posts on Monday, March 17: Ann M. Gaffney, who is running for position No. 3, held by incumbent Jill Franko; and Sol, who is running against incumbent and Board Chair Rebecca Dyson for the No. 4 post.

The deadline to file is Thursday, March 20. Candidates must file in person at Jackson County Elections Office, 10 S. Oakdale, Medford.

Susanne McGraw filed for position No. 3 on March 12, a seat currently held by outgoing longtime board member Eva Skuratowicz.

Sol, listed above among those filing for open seats, sued Ashland School District and the Oregon Department of Education in June 2024, claiming ASD resisted his efforts to create enhanced safety measures in Ashland schools and for what he called failure to appropriately apply recommended safety measures from a 2018 Ashland School District  bond. The lawsuit, which was dismissed in December for lack of standing and failure “to present a justiciable controversy for this Court to resolve, and otherwise fail to state ultimate facts sufficient to constitute viable claims for relief,” alleged the district has failed to comply with state mandated safety measures, according to Sol’s suit, including by not providing “hardened corners” or a place in a classroom outside the line of sight of an active shooter.

Sol told Ashland.news in a previous story that the coalition wants to see ODE inspect every classroom in Oregon for hardened corners and provide them where they are not available as well as lead to new state mandates for schools to be structurally designed to protect against active shooters in the same way the state dictates fire prevention.

At a recent informational session on running for school board, longtime school board member Eva Skuratowicz shared with the public that Ashland School Board members historically “ran unopposed.”

“It looks like that’s not going to be the case,” she said, as reported by Ashland.news on March 11.

“If you’re going to run, you’ll be running against someone,” she added. “We want to encourage people to run, so if you’re interested, absolutely consider it.”

That prediction held up as the race now includes seven individuals vying for three seats.

After 16 years on the board, Skuratowicz announced March 11 she would not be running for re-election for the No. 3 post this May when her term is up.

Gaffney, who is the senior manager of the core Mathematics curriculum development, is one of four running for position No. 3. She was honored by the President of the United States in 2014 as the recipient of the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching.

She served as a middle school teacher and school administrator and currently works in “EdTech” on the development team for a new K-6 core mathematics program. She is in charge of “teacher, student, and family support” at Ashland School District.

Gaffney earned her Doctorate of Education in Leadership & Learning from Rivier University and a Masters of Education from Lesley University in Elementary Education.

The Ashland resident has served on the Ashland School District Budget Committee since December 2023 to the present and on the Reimagining High School Innovation Committee since May 2023.

She describes her background as being highly trained in the way school systems operate and the leadership qualities required for building and maintaining relationships, critically using data to drive decision-making, and moving systems forward.

Rooklyn is an Ashland High School graduate, earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from University of Montana. She holds a Masters of Public Administration from the University of Washington.

Rooklyn served as the city manager of Talent from 2021-2023. She also served as a performance analyst for City of Portland’s Water, Police & Transportation Bureaus from 2016-2021.

McGraw, a volunteer with Helman Elementary School Site Council, is running for position No. 3. She also serves as president of Rogue Events Collective Board.

McGraw said she has no prior government experience, but has a background in education. She served as an elementary teacher for a Santa Cruz Montessori School, in addition to Head of Schools for Montessori Scotts Valley and as Primary Teacher for Montessori School of Fremont.

She holds a Masters Degree of Education from Loyola University of Maryland along with an Elementary Teaching Diploma from Montessori Training Center of Milwaukee and a Primary Teaching Diploma from Montessori Training Center of British Columbia.

Sol is the former artistic director of The Dream House Theatre Ensemble and was a member of the Screen Actors Guild. Sol said he has no prior government experience, but has run the nonprofit Safe Zone Solutions. He attended Killian High School through 11th grade and studied acting and directing for four years at Lee Strasberg Theatre Academy.

Franko, who is the incumbent in position No. 1, is a member of the board of the Sunstone Housing Collaborative, a nonprofit aimed at increasing enrollment at the district and keeping employees and families in the district, as well as bringing in more, by furnishing attainable housing.

She also serves on the Ashland Schools Foundation and is treasurer of the Long Term Recovery Group. She is a corporate insurance broker and a health and productivity consultant. Franko is a graduate of Sonoma State University.

Dyson, who serves as chair, is a physician with a specialty in diagnostic radiology at Mercy Medical Center in Mount Shasta, California. She served as an attending physician at Harvard Medical School and is a graduate of Stanford University. She holds a medical degree from University of California San Diego School of Medicine.

Christensen, also a Sunstone Housing Collaborative board member, is self-employed in supply chain and operations consulting. She has 25 years in supply chain and operations, and has worked at Harry & David and Musician’s Friend. She launched her own consulting business in 2024. Christensen is a graduate of Southern Oregon University and Western Governors University.

School board election

Ashland School District board members are elected from the district at large, not from geographical zones. Board elections occur in May of each odd numbered year. This year’s election is on May 20. The term of office for board members begins on July 1 immediately following the election.

Three of the five board positions up for election: Nos. 1, 3 and 4

Declared candidates:
No.1: Incumbent Jill Franko, Jordan Rooklyn
No. 3: Ann M. Gaffney, Noelle Christensen, Susanne McGraw (to fill seat left by outgoing board member Eva Skuratowicz)
No. 4: Incumbent Rebecca Dyson, Alex Sol

The Oregon School Boards Association has information on its website on how to run for a position on the school board at osba.org.

The last day to file for school board positions is Thursday, March 20.

Candidate forum

American Association of University Women (AAUW) will host a candidate forum for school board candidates with a chance to ask candidates questions from 2 to 4 p.m. on Sunday, May 4, in the Ashland High School auditorium. The event is free to attend and open to the public.

Email Ashland.news reporter Holly Dillemuth at hollyd@ashland.news. Ashland.news Editor Bert Etling contributed to this report.