The small business owner, mother of five children who both attend schools in Salem, is the second candidate to announce she will run for president of the school board in 2023.
Casity Troutt is running for the seat representing Zone 2 in East Salem, currently occupied by Marty Heyen.
“We knew it would take a lot of time and commitment, but in the end we decided that if we wanted a better future for our children, we had to work too.” talked to some people and realized I had a lot of support behind me, so I accepted it and decided to follow suit.”
Troutt is a member of the McKay Booster Club Board of Directors and participates in the Jane Goodall Environmental Middle School Parent Club.
Trout describes herself as an active mother who is also invested in school board work fighting to make sure parents’ voices are heard.
“I’m here to help rebuild the school. I know what needs to happen,” she said. “We need community support.”
A native of Bakersfield, California, Trout attended California Vocational Career College and became a certified medical assistant.
Trout lived in Bakersfield with his family before moving to Northeast Salem in 2016. Trout’s husband, a former naval officer, hails from the area.
“We bought a house a few blocks from his parents and his childhood home,” Trout said.
Together, the couple own Sherwood-based Elite Fleet Services, a mobile diesel repair business.
“That keeps us pretty busy,” said Trout.
On a campaign website, she said being a mother allows her to see first-hand “how our schools are failing,” citing low literacy rates and low literacy rates among other school districts across the country. Here are the overall rankings for the school district.
“But I’m not giving up hope!” Trout writes in the biography section of her website.
The site lists Trout’s four biggest campaign challenges. It’s about returning to safer schools, regaining the rigor of her studies, regaining trust with her parents and, as she puts it, “pursuing something more effective.” .
In an interview, she said that “pursue what works” means expanding career technical education, and “regain rigor” after the pandemic negatively impacted classroom learning. , which means emphasizing math, science, and literacy, and “restoring trust” means that school districts, staff, and parents will be transparent about their children’s progress in school. “Safely Returning” means returning a school resource her officer who was reassigned after the school district did not renew her contract.
Trout said school safety needs to be addressed urgently.
“Our campus is not safe,” Trout said. “It scares me every day.”
Whatever the priorities of the issues she believes are important, Trout claims the school board “fails” to address them.
Trout said he can bring “differences of opinion” to the board while working with other members.
“I think I can really help advocate for our students, make them successful, and revive our school district,” Trout said.
She plans to campaign for a seat on the school board, but there is no definite date at this time.
“I’m very involved with the kids through various sports and school activities, so I’m kind of always there,” Trout said. intend to.”
She mentioned the neighborhood association as one of the constituent groups she visited.
“We are in the process of coordinating and rescheduling all these dates,” Trout said.
Zones 2, 4, and 6 will be voted on May 16th. The winner will be seated on his July 1st.
The first day to officially submit to the Marion County Clerk’s Office to run for a seat on the school board is Saturday, February 4th. Voting deadline is Thursday, March 16th.
Zone 4 School Board Director Sathya Chandragiri announced her candidacy for re-election earlier this year.
A Salem reporter could not reach Hayen or Robert Salazar, who represent Zone 6, for comment on Tuesday. Salazar was one of his ten candidates for the position after former school board member Daniel Bethel resigned from his seat in October. Salazar’s term runs until June 30.
Correction: Casity Troutt has two children enrolled in the Salem-Keizer School District. An earlier version erroneously stated that her all five of her children attended school in this district.Salem reporter apologizes for error.
Story tips or ideas? Email reporter Kevin Opsar. [email protected]
SUBSCRIBE TO GET SALEM NEWS – We take great care in reporting your community fairly and accurately. Get the local news that matters to you. Subscribe now to get daily newsletters and more.click I want to subscribe!
