Grant County Education Service District board member Becky Tatum goes through finance reports during the Jan. 22 meeting in John Day. Tatum says she understands district finances a lot better than when she joined the board in 1988, and that helps her talk to the community about district issues. (Photo by Jake Arnold, OSBA)

Becky Tatum saw the School Board Recognition Month gifts on the table at the start of the Grant County Education Service District January board meeting and thought: "Has it been a year already?"

The annual opportunity for school districts and communities to say thanks is nothing new to Tatum.

The National School Boards Association proclaimed January School Board Recognition Month starting in 1995. Tatum, one of the longest serving school board members in Oregon, joined the Grant County ESD board in 1988.

"I'm not doing it for appreciation," said Tatum, "so I'm always surprised when I walk in and there are gifts."

Tatum has served for decades because she has a heart for children, she finds the work interesting, and somebody has to do it.

"You have to have a school board; you have to have community and parent input," she said. "A superintendent can't just run it by themselves. [Superintendent Robert Waltenburg] is the expert, but we have to tell him if we think he is doing something wrong."

Tatum, who lives in Prairie City, joined the ESD board headquartered in nearby John Day because she was tapped on the shoulder by a current member. In those days, board members unofficially were required to find their replacement before they could step down.

"It's hard to get people to volunteer for things, and school boards are scary," she said. "This is real stuff. We talk about real things."

Tatum had a daughter starting kindergarten in 1988 and a son soon to follow and she wanted to improve their education experience. She accepted the challenge.

Tatum had never heard of an ESD before she was asked to run. She was immediately fascinated by the way the Grant County ESD teachers and staff filled in the education gaps that the county's five small school districts couldn't do by themselves.

Her eyes still light up when she talks about the presentations and work of area educators.

Grant County has an experienced board, with several of its members having served more than a decade. The board chair, Megan Brandsma, has served since 2003, and yet she still values Tatum's experience.

"That institutional knowledge is so helpful," said Brandsma. "She has seen a lot of changes."

Brandsma said being a school board member is a lot more complicated than when she started, with more stuff coming in, more state and federal requirements, and more scrutiny from the public.

"My dad was on the school board," Brandsma said. "I don't remember him having all that stuff."

For Tatum, the increased professionalism required of school board members has been one of the most notable changes, as well as the increased support from OSBA. She recalled that OSBA visits to Grant County had once been more social gatherings than productive meetings, but now the board receives high-level training on governance and in-depth briefings on legislative action and advocacy efforts.

She recently traveled to Portland for her first OSBA Annual Convention and said she was blown away by how much she learned, knowledge she can use when talking to her community.

"Being on a school board is more complicated, more professional, but there is way more instruction available," she said.

She said her first years were overwhelming, and she is excited that OSBA is offering a program to help new board members take a shortcut to some of the knowledge it took her years to acquire.

Level Up - Boardsmanship for Beginners, a new program starting this year, is a two-year course that provides training, resources and mentorship for newer board members. Board members have until Feb. 27 to join the 2026-27 cohort.

Superintendent Waltenburg said this is the best school board he has worked with. Mutual respect and understanding of everyone's roles and responsibilities built up over time keeps the work at the center.

He said a key aspect is that all the board members are long-time county residents who are deeply active in their communities but also maintain the perspective that the ESD board must serve the best interests of all the students in the district. He said ESD board members need to see the whole county and not just the school their children attended.

"Becky has always been able to stand up in a meeting and say, 'Hey, we're talking about all the kids in Grant County,'" Waltenburg said.

Waltenburg has been superintendent since 2006, but he appreciates Tatum's even longer view. He said that she doesn't get rattled and that when Tatum speaks, people listen.

"Becky helps set the tone," he said. "The institutional knowledge and history that she brings to the board helps the others understand the decisions and the direction."

Tatum, a retired dental assistant, is married to Michael, with two adult children, Karli and James. Tatum's current term is up in 2027, but she is thinking of running again.

"It's absolutely fascinating," Tatum said. "There's something new every meeting."

- Jake Arnold, [email protected]