My vote is in support of Eva Manderson for Tillamook School District Board position 3. I began working with Eva in 2008 as she began her tenure as Director of the Tillamook Early Learning Center (TELC). A hasty exit from the previous administration helped place TELC at risk of closing due to regulatory and financial barriers. Eva stepped up to ensure the children continued to thrive in the classroom. I joined the TELC board at a meeting Eva held to explain the path forward. While she spoke of the challenges, the Center faced, primarily she listened to the concerned families, their needs for affordable care, their desires for quality education, the lack of other opportunities if the doors closed. Her calm and balanced responses placed children at the forefront of hard questions about problems that do not have clear answers.
Eva has a keen ability to coordinate stakeholders and engage community resources to improve the learning environment. Over seven years, I worked directly with Eva while she spearheaded the writing, execution, and reporting of; local, state, and federal grant programs. She raised the bar at TELC for students and teachers by working with community leaders and state regulators to develop and implement early childhood curriculum to improve educational outcomes. Since leaving TELC, I have continued to enjoy working with Eva on youth programs; her involvement leads to better results. For all thirteen years I have known Eva, she has continued to guide our community towards positive experiences for our children. I believe Eva can correctly balance the demands of children, teachers, politics, regulation, and finance. Eva Manderson is the right choice for Tillamook School District Board position 3.
-Bill Gerken
