Shauna Tominey
for Corvallis School Board 509J
Position #5
Corvallis is a community I care deeply about. I grew up in Corvallis and was a student in the K-12 public school system. Now, as a district parent and professional with experience across all levels of the educational system, I hope to give back to the community I love and call home.
School Board Priorities
This past year has been like no other. With the stress of a global pandemic, heightened attention to systemic racism and social justice at a societal level, wildfires, and more — students, families, and educators are overextended. The coming years will require careful and thoughtful leadership to help our community heal from a global trauma so that all students can thrive. I bring a unique blend of educational, professional, and personal experiences critical to supporting these efforts. In addition to safely returning students and educators to in-person learning and ensuring their continued safety, our district will face challenges in the coming year never before experienced, requiring:
Differentiated instruction for all students with enhanced support for educators.
Over the past year, many students have struggled to engage in learning, to “keep up” with standardized learning goals, or to be sufficiently challenged. Supporting all students will require a multi-pronged approach to meaningfully understand and assess student needs and progress with attention to equity and family voice. Our educator workforce will need our trust and enhanced support to do what they do well during this uncertain time.
Support for social-emotional learning and positive mental health.
As families, we have seen how critical student well-being is for motivation and engagement in learning. Helping students effectively transition back to social and academic environments will require ongoing integration of social-emotional learning and trauma-informed care with academic instruction. Students will also need enhanced positive mental health support inside and outside of the classroom.
Strong relationships with students and their families.
Families are children’s first and most important teachers. This year, that critical role has been realized like never before. Traditional and creative approaches are needed to strengthen relationships with families and ensure all families feel welcome bringing their voices to the table. We must learn together from this past year to ensure student success and continually improve the quality of education in Corvallis schools.
Research- and data-informed decision making in support of student success.
Our district will need to grapple with questions related to what success on the path to graduation means and how to measure success over time. Research must underscore policies and practice, including decisions associated with safe return to in-person learning; curriculum choices and teaching approaches; and continuous evaluation of what is working and for whom. We must also recognize the limitations of these approaches and ground district decisions in student and family goals with attention to what is feasible from the perspective of our educators.
Curricula and instruction emphasizing equity, inclusion, and anti-racism.
All students and families must feel safe and welcome in Corvallis schools. Students need access to curricula, materials, and role models that are meaningful and reflect their individual and family identities so that they see themselves and one another reflected in their community. Our public schools must be a place where students have equitable access to social and educational opportunities and where all students and their families find belonging.
Strengthened partnerships to effectively leverage community resources.
Oregon’s Student Success Act provides significant investment to support community thriving. Deepening partnerships with early learning and parenting systems, after-school programs, career development programs, and others will allow the Corvallis School District to effectively leverage all available resources toward student success. We have work to do and we can do it together.
About Shauna Tominey
Corvallis is my home. I grew up in Corvallis and was a student in the Corvallis K-12 public school system (Husky Elementary, Highland View Middle School, and Crescent Valley High School). My husband and I were married in Corvallis (20 years ago this year!) and our daughter was born here. After moving around the country for school and work (military), we chose to return to Corvallis to be close to family and to raise our daughter in a community we love.
With experience as an educator, family services professional, research scientist, and professor, I bring expertise to the Corvallis School Board related to:
promoting social-emotional learning and positive mental health;
building meaningful relationships with students, families, and educators; honoring their voices in decision-making;
identifying and developing effective assessments and metrics;
supporting research and data-informed practices and policies with an equity-focused, trauma-informed, and anti-racist lens;
building state and community-level systems and partnerships to effectively leverage resources for children, youth, and families;
managing large scale grants and multi-million dollar budgets.
Learn more about my professional work here:
Shauna at OSU / Creating Compassionate Kids Resources
