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Gresham-Barlow School District, Oregon, elections

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Gresham-Barlow School District
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District details
School board members: 7
Students: 11,359 (2023-2024)
Schools: 21 (2023-2024)
Website: Link

Gresham-Barlow School District is a school district in Oregon (Clackamas and Multnomah counties). During the 2024 school year, 11,359 students attended one of the district's 21 schools.

This page provides information regarding school board members, election rules, finances, academics, policies, and more details about the district.

Jump to a section:
Elections School board Location Budget Academic performance Students Staff Schools

Elections

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Gresham-Barlow School District 10 school board Position 3 Zone 2

General election

General election for Gresham-Barlow School District 10 school board Position 3 Zone 2

Incumbent Matthew O'Connell won election in the general election for Gresham-Barlow School District 10 school board Position 3 Zone 2 on May 16, 2017.

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Matthew O'Connell (Nonpartisan)

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Gresham-Barlow School District 10 school board Position 5 Zone 4

General election

General election for Gresham-Barlow School District 10 school board Position 5 Zone 4

Incumbent Blake Petersen won election in the general election for Gresham-Barlow School District 10 school board Position 5 Zone 4 on May 16, 2017.

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Blake Petersen (Nonpartisan)

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Gresham-Barlow School District 10 school board Position 6 At-large

General election

General election for Gresham-Barlow School District 10 school board Position 6 At-large

Incumbent Sharon Garner won election in the general election for Gresham-Barlow School District 10 school board Position 6 At-large on May 16, 2017.

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Sharon Garner (Nonpartisan)

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Gresham-Barlow School District 10 school board Position 1 Zone 1

General election

General election for Gresham-Barlow School District 10 school board Position 1 Zone 1

Incumbent Kathy Ruthruff won election in the general election for Gresham-Barlow School District 10 school board Position 1 Zone 1 on May 19, 2015.

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Kathy Ruthruff (Nonpartisan)

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Gresham-Barlow School District 10 school board Position 2 Zone 3

General election

General election for Gresham-Barlow School District 10 school board Position 2 Zone 3

Incumbent Kris Howatt won election in the general election for Gresham-Barlow School District 10 school board Position 2 Zone 3 on May 19, 2015.

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Kris Howatt (Nonpartisan)

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Gresham-Barlow School District 10 school board Position 7 At-large

General election

General election for Gresham-Barlow School District 10 school board Position 7 At-large

Incumbent John Hartsock won election in the general election for Gresham-Barlow School District 10 school board Position 7 At-large on May 19, 2015.

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John Hartsock (Nonpartisan)

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Election rules

 

Election dates and frequency

See also: Rules governing school board election dates and timing

School board general elections in Oregon are held on the Third Tuesday in May every two years in odd-numbered years.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Oregon Statutes Chapters 255 and 332

Recent or upcoming election dates for all public school districts in the state

Below are the recent/upcoming dates for all public school districts in the state. There may be exceptions to these dates for specific districts because of local charters and district-specific exceptions and carve-outs.

  • Filing deadline date: March 18, 2027
  • General election date: May 18, 2027

Election system

School board members in Oregon are elected through nonpartisan general elections without primaries.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Oregon Statutes Section 255.335

Party labels on the ballot

See also: Rules governing party labels in school board elections

School board elections in Oregon are nonpartisan, which means party labels do not appear on the ballot for school board candidates. Statute governing nonpartisan elections governs the election procedures for school district board member elections and prohibits the inclusion of any information or designations on the ballot other than the names of the candidates.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Oregon Statutes Section 255.335

Winning an election

The school board candidates that receive the largest number of votes in the nonpartisan general election are elected to office.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Oregon Statutes Section 332.124

Term length and staggering

School board members in Oregon have four-year terms.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Oregon Statutes Section 332.018

Oregon Statute states that each district must hold a school board election every two years to elect board members to four-year terms. Most districts elect as close to half of their board members as possible every two years.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Oregon Statute Section 255.335

Representation: at large vs. by sub-district

School board members in Oregon are elected by voters at large, by voters from zones (sub-districts), or through a combination of the two. Nominating petitions for school board candidates can also contain signatures from the district at large, from voters within sub-districts, or through a combination of the two. School board seats can be nominated from zones but elected at large. School board members are nominated and elected according to position numbers for both at-large seats and by-sub-district seats. School board members are elected at large by default. Zones (sub-districts) for nominating petitions can be established through school board resolution or petition and voter approval processes. Once sub-districts for nominating petitions are established, the school board can also vote to establish that positions nominated by voters from sub-districts must also be elected by voters from those sub-districts.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Oregon Statutes Chapter 332

Filing deadlines and swearing-in dates

The deadline for school board candidates to file nominating petitions and declarations of candidacy is 61 days before the May general election in odd-numbered years. This means the school board candidate filing deadline is in mid-March in odd-numbered years. The filing window is 40 days long.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Oregon Statutes Section 255.235 

School board candidates cannot file nominating petitions and declarations of candidacy until 40 days before the filing deadline. The filing deadline is 61 days before the May general election, which means the window for candidates to file opens 101 days before the May general election in early February in odd-numbered years.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Oregon Statutes Section 255.235

The term of school board members officially expires on June 30 following the election of their replacements, which means the term of newly elected school board members officially begins on July 1 following their election to office.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Oregon Statutes Section 332.138

 


About the district

School board

The Gresham-Barlow School District consists of seven members serving four-year terms. To find information about school board meetings, click here.

List of school board members
NameYear assumed officeYear term ends
Heather Coleman-Cox20252029
Brenna Puderbaugh20252029
Holly Riegelmann20232029
Blake Petersen20172029
David Ligatich20232027
Shawn Farrens20212027
Kris Howatt20002027

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District map

School district map

Overlapping state house districts

Gresham-Barlow School District
Office NameCurrent OfficeholderParty% School District Covered% Other District Covered
Oregon House of Representatives District 52Jeffrey HelfrichRepublican Party 40% 2%
Oregon House of Representatives District 48 NA NA 30% 31%
Oregon House of Representatives District 50Ricki RuizDemocratic Party 23% 75%
Oregon House of Representatives District 49Zach HudsonDemocratic Party 6% 13%

The table was limited to the lower chamber because it provides the most granularity. State house districts tend to be more numerous and therefore smaller than state senate or U.S. House districts. This provides an impression of the partisan affiliations in the area.

Budget

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[1]

Revenue, 2021-2022
SOURCE AMOUNT AMOUNT PER STUDENT PERCENT
Federal: $18,109,000 $1,580 9%
Local: $59,190,000 $5,164 31%
State: $115,145,000 $10,047 60%
Total: $192,444,000 $16,791
Expenditures, 2021-2022
TYPE AMOUNT AMOUNT PER STUDENT PERCENT
Total Expenditures: $182,523,000 $15,925
Total Current Expenditures: $151,589,000 $13,226
Instructional Expenditures: $87,471,000 $7,632 48%
Student and Staff Support: $20,503,000 $1,788 11%
Administration: $19,238,000 $1,678 11%
Operations, Food Service, Other: $24,377,000 $2,126 13%
Total Capital Outlay: $5,989,000 $522
Construction: $4,549,000 $396
Total Non El-Sec Education & Other: $462,000 $40
Interest on Debt: $9,261,000 $808

Academic performance

Each year, state and local education agencies use tests and other standards to assess student proficiency. Although the data below was published by the U.S. Department of Education, proficiency measurements are established by the states. As a result, proficiency levels are not comparable between different states and year-over-year proficiency levels within a district may not be comparable because states may change their proficiency measurements. To protect student privacy, percentages are reported as ranges for groups of 300 students or fewer. If five or fewer students were included in a data set, the data will display as "PS."[2]

The following table shows the percentage of district students who scored at or above the proficiency level each school year:

School year All (%) Asian/Pacific Islander (%) Black (%) Hispanic (%) Native American (%) Two or More Races (%) White (%)
2020-2021 30-34 PS PS 21-39 >=50 30-34
2018-2019 32 35-39 10-14 20 15-19 34 39
2017-2018 32 35-39 10-14 20 11-19 38 39
2016-2017 33 35-39 10-14 19 20-29 34 41
2015-2016 35 40-44 15-19 20 25-29 41 41
2014-2015 34 35-39 20-24 21 11-19 39 40
2013-2014 54 55-59 35-39 37 40-44 59 62
2012-2013 56 65-69 35-39 40 40-44 60 62
2011-2012 57 65-69 30-34 39 35-39 64 64
2010-2011 60 60-64 35-39 41 35-39 62 67

The following table shows the percentage of district students who scored at or above the proficiency level each school year:

School year All (%) Asian/Pacific Islander (%) Black (%) Hispanic (%) Native American (%) Two or More Races (%) White (%)
2020-2021 65-69 PS PS 40-59 >=50 70-79
2018-2019 48 50-54 30-34 33 30-34 49 57
2017-2018 51 45-49 35-39 37 30-39 55 59
2016-2017 52 50-54 35-39 36 30-39 54 60
2015-2016 52 55-59 35-39 36 40-44 57 60
2014-2015 53 50-54 35-39 39 30-39 55 60
2013-2014 65 60-64 50-54 48 55-59 67 74
2012-2013 66 65-69 50-54 47 50-54 71 74
2011-2012 68 65-69 50-54 47 50-54 76 75
2010-2011 79 70-74 65-69 62 70-74 81 85

The following table shows the graduation rate of district students each school year:

School year All (%) Asian/Pacific Islander (%) Black (%) Hispanic (%) Native American (%) Two or More Races (%) White (%)
2019-2020 78 70-79 60-79 75-79 40-59 70-79 80
2018-2019 74 60-69 70-79 65-69 <50 80-89 76
2017-2018 73 70-79 50-59 60-64 <50 70-79 78
2016-2017 76 70-79 70-79 70-74 >=50 80-89 78
2015-2016 74 >=80 60-79 60-64 <50 70-79 78
2014-2015 74 >=50 40-59 65-69 <50 70-79 76
2013-2014 73 60-79 40-59 65-69 >=50 70-79 75
2012-2013 72 >=80 40-59 60-64 >=50 70-79 75
2011-2012 70 60-79 40-59 55-59 40-59 80-89 75
2010-2011 71 50-59 50-59 55-59 >=50 80-89 75

Students

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[3]

Year Enrollment Year-to-year change (%)
2023-2024 11,359 -0.6
2022-2023 11,429 -0.3
2021-2022 11,461 -1.7
2020-2021 11,661 -2.4
2019-2020 11,945 -0.2
2018-2019 11,967 -0.5
2017-2018 12,027 -0.7
2016-2017 12,117 -0.1
2015-2016 12,132 -0.5
2014-2015 12,191 -0.2
2013-2014 12,219 0.3
2012-2013 12,185 -1.6
2011-2012 12,376 1.3
2010-2011 12,211 -0.4
2009-2010 12,262 0.9
2008-2009 12,156 -0.5
2007-2008 12,215 1.3
2006-2007 12,053 1.2
2005-2006 11,903 -1.7
2004-2005 12,100 2.1
2003-2004 11,845 1.1
2002-2003 11,712 0.7
2001-2002 11,632 2.1
2000-2001 11,385 0.7
1999-2000 11,302 0.0
Racial Demographics, 2023-2024
RACE Gresham-Barlow School District (%) Oregon K-12 STUDENTS (%)
American Indian/Alaska Native 0.8 1.1
Asian or Asian/Pacific Islander 3.5 4.1
Black 4.6 2.4
Hispanic 33.0 25.7
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander 1.4 0.9
Two or More Races 9.0 7.3
White 47.2 58.0

Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

Staff

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[4]

As of the 2023-2024 school year, Gresham-Barlow School District had 590.57 full-time classroom teachers. The student-teacher ratio was 19.23.

Teachers, 2023-2024 school year
TYPE NUMBER OF TEACHERS
Prekindergarten: 0.00
Kindergarten: 45.59
Elementary: 353.99
Secondary: 190.99
Total: 590.57

Gresham-Barlow School District employed 8.91 district administrators and 37.19 school administrators as of the 2023-2024 school year.

Administrators, 2023-2024 school year
TYPE NUMBER OF ADMINISTRATORS
District Administrators: 8.91
District Administrative Support: 25.22
School Administrators: 37.19
School Administrative Support: 63.77
Other staff, 2023-2024 school year
TYPE NUMBER OF OTHER STAFF
Instructional Aides: 185.08
Instruc. Coordinators & Supervisors: 9.20
Total Guidance Counselors: 37.67
Elementary Guidance Counselors: 0.00
Secondary Guidance Counselors: 0.00
Librarians/Media Specialists: 1.00
Library/Media Support: 12.39
Student Support Services: 39.82
Other Support Services: 182.77

Schools

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[5]

The Gresham-Barlow School District operates 21 schools. They are listed below in alphabetical order.
List of schools
SCHOOL NAMENUMBER OF STUDENTSGRADES
Center For Advanced Learning111-12
Clear Creek Middle School6426-8
Deep Creek - Damascus K-8 School463KG-8
Dexter Mccarty Middle School5106-8
East Gresham Elementary School563KG-5
East Orient Elementary School351KG-5
Gordon Russell Middle School6356-8
Gresham Arthur Academy171KG-5
Gresham High School1,6989-12
Hall Elementary School397KG-5
Highland Elementary School420KG-5
Hogan Cedars Elementary School455KG-5
Hollydale Elementary School447KG-5
Kelly Creek Elementary School360KG-5
Lewis And Clark Montessori Charter School267KG-8
Metro East Web Academy717KG-12
North Gresham Elementary School560KG-5
Powell Valley Elementary School357KG-5
Sam Barlow High School1,6389-12
Springwater Trail High School1899-12
West Orient Middle School3956-8


About school boards

Education legislation in Oregon

Bills are monitored by BillTrack50 and sorted by action history.

See also

School Boards Education Policy Local Politics Oregon
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External links

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    • Footnotes

    1. ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Elementary/Secondary Information System," accessed October 6, 2025
    2. ↑ U.S. Department of Education, Washington, DC: EDFacts, "State Assessments in Reading/Language Arts and Mathematics- School Year 2018-19 EDFacts Data Documentation," accessed February 25, 2021
    3. ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Elementary/Secondary Information System," accessed October 6, 2025
    4. ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Elementary/Secondary Information System," accessed October 6, 2025
    5. ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Elementary/Secondary Information System," accessed October 6, 2025
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