Virginia La Forte
2025 - Present
2029
0
Virginia La Forte is a member of the Portland Public Schools Board of Education in Oregon, representing Zone 5. She assumed office on July 1, 2025. Her current term ends on June 30, 2029.
Forte ran for election to the Portland Public Schools Board of Education to represent Zone 5 in Oregon. She won in the general election on May 20, 2025.
Forte completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
La Forte's professional experience includes working at the Marketing Arm and co-owning a business that ships produce to food banks. She graduated from the University of Montana with a B.A. in journalism and a minor in history.[1]
Elections
2025
See also: Portland Public Schools, Oregon, elections (2025)
General election
General election for Portland Public Schools Board of Education Zone 5
Virginia La Forte defeated Jorge Sanchez Bautista in the general election for Portland Public Schools Board of Education Zone 5 on May 20, 2025.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Virginia La Forte (Nonpartisan)  | 50.2 | 50,156 |
 | Jorge Sanchez Bautista (Nonpartisan) | 49.5 | 49,470 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.3 | 286 | ||
| Total votes: 99,912 | |||
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Endorsements
Forte received the following endorsements.
- State Sen. Lisa Reynolds (D)
- Multnomah County Commissioner and Portland Public Schools Board member Julia Brim-Edwards (Nonpartisan)
- Portland City Council member Dan Ryan (Nonpartisan)
- For Our Children's Future
- Stand for Children Oregon
- The Oregonian
- Willamette Week
- Willamette Women Democrats
2017
- See also: Portland Public Schools elections (2017)
Three of the seven seats on the Portland Public Schools school board in Oregon were up for at-large general election on May 16, 2017. Since no incumbents filed for re-election, the board was guaranteed to see three newcomers elected. These new members were tasked with hiring a new superintendent and overseeing the implementation of a $790 million bond. A total of 11 candidates filed for the three seats.
In Zone 4, two candidates filed for the seat: Rita Moore and Jamila Munson, with Moore winning the seat. Three filed for the Zone 5 seat: Scott Bailey, Traci Flitcraft, and Virginia La Forte. Bailey won the seat. Six candidates filed for the Zone 6 seat: Zach Babb, Ed Bos, Julia Brim-Edwards, David Morrison, Trisha Parks, and Joseph Simonis, with Brim-Edwards winning the race.[2][3][4][5]
The Portland school board consists of seven members elected at large to four-year terms. While elected at large, each seat on the board has a zone number associated with it, and candidates must live in the zone for which they run. The seat numbers correlate to geographic areas in the district, and serve to separate the elections for each seat on the board into its own race.
Results
| Portland Public Schools, Zone 5 General Election, 4-year term, 2017 |
||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Scott Bailey |
62.51% | 58,052 |
| Virginia La Forte | 26.06% | 24,200 |
| Traci Flitcraft | 10.78% | 10,011 |
| Write-in votes | 0.66% | 609 |
| Total Votes | 92,872 | |
| Source: Clackamas County, "Special District Election," accessed June 12, 2017, Multnomah County, "Multnomah County Election Results," accessed June 12, 2017, and Washington County Elections, "Statement of Votes Cast by Contest," accessed June 12, 2017 | ||
Funding
The filing deadline in Oregon for a campaign transaction is typically no later than 30 calendar days. However, beginning on the 42nd day before an election day and through the date of the election, a transaction is due no later than seven calendar days after the date it occurred. The dates for the beginning and ending of the seven-day reporting period for the 2017 Oregon school board elections were:[6]
- April 4, 2017 (Seven day campaign finance reporting begins)
- May 16, 2017 (Seven day campaign finance reporting ends)
A school board candidate in Oregon must form a candidate committee unless he or she meets all of the following conditions:[7][8]
- The candidate elects to serve as his or her own treasurer.
- The candidate does not have an existing candidate committee.
- The candidate does not expect to receive or spend more than $750 during a calendar year (including personal funds).
A candidate committee must file a Statement of Organization with the Elections Division of the Oregon Secretary of State within three business days of first receiving or spending money. A form including campaign account information must accompany the Statement of Organization.[7][9]
Candidate committees that expect to receive or spend $3,500 or more in a calendar year are required to report all transactions. A committee that does not expect to receive or spend this much is still required to file a Statement of Organization and designate a campaign bank account, but does not have to file transactions. Instead, they must file a Certificate of Limited Contributions and Expenditures.[7][10]
Endorsements
La Forte received official endorsements from the Portland Tribune, The Oregonian, The Portland Observer, APANO, former Oregon Governor Barbara Roberts, former State Representative and Senator Stephen Kafoury, former Director of Government Affairs for the City of Portland Bob Van Brocklin, Portland Public Schools board members Paul Anthony, Julie Esparza Brown, Pam Knowles, Amy Carlsen Kohnstamm, and Mike Rosen, and former Portland Public Schools members Stephen Griffith, Bill Scott, and Carol Turner.[11][12][13]
Campaign themes
2025
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Virginia La Forte completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Forte's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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- Too many kids in our schools are falling behind in reading, and that’s not acceptable (40% in Oregon). Literacy is the foundation of success — from learning in the classroom to future opportunities in life. We need to do better. That means catching struggling readers early, using teaching methods that actually work, and making sure what we’re teaching reflects who our students are. It also means giving our teachers real support — training, time, and resources — so they can help every student grow. For me, this isn’t just about test scores. It’s about fairness, confidence, and giving every child the tools they need to succeed. When we close literacy gaps, we open up the future for our students.
- When students aren’t in school regularly, they fall behind — not just academically, but socially and emotionally, too. Chronic absenteeism is one of the biggest warning signs that something isn’t working for our kids. It could be housing insecurity, mental health struggles, transportation issues, or simply not feeling safe or supported at school. We can’t solve what we don’t understand, so we need to listen to families, dig into the root causes, and take action. That means better communication, stronger partnerships with community organizations, and making sure every student feels like school is a place where they belong. If we want our kids to show up, we have to show up for them first.
- When kids are going to school in buildings that are falling apart or too crowded, it’s hard to focus on anything but getting through the day. Our schools have outdated facilities, broken heating, and classrooms that just aren’t set up for today’s learning. That’s not the kind of environment any student deserves. The 2025 bond gives us the chance to change that. It’s about making sure every student has access to safe, healthy, and modern classrooms — no matter where they live. I’m supporting this bond because our kids deserve schools that show we’re investing in their future. This isn’t just about fixing old buildings, it’s about giving our kids the best chance to succeed. We need to be shrewd with the funds so they touch all schools.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
2017
La Forte highlighted the following campaign themes in an email with a Ballotpedia staff writer:[13]
| “ | The children and teachers in one district – Portland Public Schools – do not have access to the same basic resources including safe buildings, staffing, critical support services, new books, technology and playground equipment.
Our challenges are not unique to any one school, a zip code or side of the Willamette River. These challenges are pervasive in them all yet schools within zones and on opposite sides of the river often believe their problems are unique. They’re not. We need to solve for the success of our school district together as one district. Let’s start here: A vision and the policy to back it up: The role of a school board is to “provide a public link to public schools.” The board must work with the superintendent to: Develop and implement an educational vision with strong student outcome and high expectations at the core. Create and support clear policy to support that educational vision. When policy is clear, the board and superintendent can quickly identify when it’s not being followed and take corrective action. Establish review processes for PPS policy and staff to create at path to identify what’s working and what needs improvement. Accountability: The most pressing issue facing PPS is lack of clear accountability procedures. An accountability plan (“matrix”) doesn’t sound “glamorous” but it’s how we can measure our successes and provide a critical pathway for feedback from staff and the community. It’s how we can identify the need to pivot away from bad policy. An accountability plan should be implemented in a way that provides the opportunity for collaboration when setting educational goals at every level of the PPS organization – from the superintendent to staff to principals to teachers. It keeps staff engaged and invested in student outcome. It addresses the low employee moral that is plaguing the district by giving staff a voice that is valued during the planning and review process. A work and learning environment that values a 360-degree feedback process is one that both employees and the public can trust. I would like our new superintendent to: Require employee input for staff and program goals with corresponding metrics for success. Guarantee a clear annual staff evaluation process that allows not only feedback for those being evaluated but a path for honest, anonymous and documented employee feedback. Value new ideas and “thinking outside of the box.” Safety: In October of 2013, I snapped a piece of deteriorating paint off of my neighborhood school next to the 1st-grade entrance. The building exterior was in extreme disrepair and, even after numerous complaints due to concerns about mold and a leaking roof, my principal told me “Virginia, you won’t get this building repainted in a million years. I’ve asked.” I tested the school paint for lead and was shocked at what I found. Alarmed, I picked up the phone and called PPS to tell the staff it was positive for lead (ultimately identified at 33% pure lead by weight). Little did I know it was the beginning of a 3+ year journey that included 1,317 emails, filing a complaint with the EPA/OHA, pleading for parental notification, countless phone calls, intense media exposure including a front page story in the Sunday Oregonian that blew the lid off the issue, school board testimony, an implosion at the PPS central office and, finally, the first closure of PPS school grounds due to lead contamination. Why didn’t I walk away? Because once you have the knowledge, you are culpable if you don’t act. By not giving up, the effort directly resulted in the stabilization and abatement of lead-based paint at 40 PPS schools. In the spring of 2017, I was invited to sit on the PPS Bond Stakeholder Advisory Group as a Community Leader to help craft the current bond measure. I was thrilled. Rebuilding and modernizing our school infrastructure is critical not only to the safety of our students but to the modernization of our learning environment. The bond measure touches every school and resolves the most urgent hazards in their entirety. The recommendation also outlines the need for long-term maintenance funding to ensure that we take care of this major investment in our infrastructure. We can’t lose sight of this. My efforts have been covered by the Huffington Post, OPBs “Think Out Loud,” The Oregonian (including a front page investigative report in the Sunday paper) and all local news stations. Equity: PPS has adopted a policy built on equity, but needs much more reliable and holistic support for both students and staff. It’s 2017. That means it’s time to create the new PPS Racial Equity Plan. I support the preservation of PPS Equity Funding and the move to create a new five year Racial Equity Plan (the current plan ran from 2011-2016). This plan should include community partnerships at it’s core, wrap-around support services for our students, tools to create a culturally responsive curriculum, and a very critical eye on funds that should be serving children of color on a more equitable basis. In 2013, I discovered that my neighborhood school was returning funds earmarked for specific student services to the general fund with a lack of regard for their intended use. I quickly grabbed a friend and we pulled the budget for every single school in the district to see if the problem was widespread. As suspected, there was no oversight and no accountability to ensure compliance with the state mandate for these services – the very services that PPS finally admitted they were out of compliance with several months ago – Talented and Gifted services. We did not rest until the budget was centralized and accounted for. I’ve been warned by many, “Don’t talk about ‘TAG stuff’ during your campaign because the public won’t understand.” I completely disagree and what I continue to explain is that “oversights” like this affect many students living in high areas of poverty who are consistently under-identified. My husband was one of those kids – nearly held back in fourth grade as a Hispanic boy on the west side of Chicago who was disengaged at school – not because he couldn’t understand the material. He wasn’t challenged. Thanks to a great teacher and his concerned father stepping in at the last minute, he was assessed and accelerated just in time. What happens when a child like him is missed? What happens when a well-intentioned teacher doesn’t have the necessary funding for support staff and measurements for success? Kids and teachers lose. I also strongly support community-based partnerships, increased special education funding and wrap-around support services (a system of care management) for students and parents. They are absolutely critical for the success of any PPS Equity platform. Oregon is #1…in hate and bias crimes per capita according to a new project released by the respected journalist website ProPublica. I’m an ardent supporter of developing and supporting a culturally responsive learning environment with continued investment in community partnerships that support our most at-risk students. While we educate staff, we also need to educate students. It’s critical that the district goes “all in” to fully implement an Ethnic Studies curriculum per the Resolution 5262 adopted by school board in May 2016. Created and presented to the school board by PPS students, it includes an ask to “focus on history, culture and US social movements of people of color, immigrant and LGBTQ communities.” In a time when hate crimes are the on the rise in Portland (I Co-Chair the Security Advisory Committee at Portland’s JCC), this type of curriculum not only educates all students in a way that mitigates bias, it also increases the attendance and graduation rates of at-risk students. It makes school relevant to their experiences both inside and outside of the classroom. Learning to read…Reading to Learn. As a board member, I will also strongly support financial investments in Early Learning and K-3 literacy programs to move students from “learning to read” to “reading to learn.” If a child is not reading at grade level by the end of third grade, we know that they are four times less likely to graduate by age 19. If that child lives in poverty, that child is 13 times less likely to graduate. Unacceptable. This is one of our more critical investments as a district because it’s the foundation by which our children learn. Fiscal responsibility: PPS needs to revamp the budgeting process to allow for zero-based budgeting across all departments. My husband is the managing partner of the small business we own. Our personal business experience combined with my years managing budgets and generating revenue for companies including Coca-Cola, Metro – Chicago and Flair Communications has taught us that zero-based budgeting is a financial “best practice.” PPS departments should be required to justify expenses during the annual budgeting process vs. receiving a lump sum based on the prior year. This method is being “tested” in both the PPS Athletics and IT departments. We need to roll it out across all departments as soon as possible. This will allow PPS to diligently tracks funds to: Eliminate waste Clearly understand department and program financial needs Tackle funding state mandates like PE, TAG and CTE programs Make a plan to address extremely important issues like ADA compliance If you want a proven collaborative, action-oriented school board member who knows what it’s like to worry that your child’s needs aren’t being met at drop off every morning with no end in sight, vote for Virginia La Forte on May 16th. The school board and new superintendent have a responsibility to rebuild trust in PPS and with our community. Virginia wants to be part of the team that makes that happen for everyone that lives in our city.[14] |
” |
| —Virginia La Forte (May 10, 2017)[13] | ||
See also
2025 Elections
External links
|
Candidate Portland Public Schools Board of Education Zone 5 |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ Virginia La Forte for Portland Public School Board, "About Virginia," accessed May 5, 2017
- ↑ Clackamas County, "Special District Election," accessed May 17, 2017
- ↑ Multnomah County, "Multnomah County Election Results," accessed May 17, 2017
- ↑ Oregon Secretary of State, "Washington County, Oregon," accessed May 17, 2017
- ↑ Multnomah County, "May 2017 Special District Election," accessed March 21, 2017
- ↑ Oregon Secretary of State, "Oregon Elections Calendar," accessed April 17, 2017
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Oregon Secretary of State, "Campaign Finance Manual - 2014," accessed January 13, 2014
- ↑ Oregon Revised Statutes, "Chapter 260, Section 043," accessed January 13, 2014
- ↑ Oregon Revised Statutes, "Chapter 260, Section 039," accessed January 13, 2014
- ↑ Oregon Revised Statutes, "Chapter 260, Section 057," accessed January 13, 2014
- ↑ Virginia for Portland Public School Board, "Endorsements," accessed May 5, 2017
- ↑ The Portland Observer, "Portland School Board Endorsements," May 2, 2017
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 Elisabeth Moore, "Email exchange with Virginia La Forte," May 10, 2017
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
