Whitaker to run for reelection
If you had asked Woodland School Board Vice President Jake Whitaker where he would be five years after graduating from college, he would in no way have thought he would be here.
“I always knew that I wanted to pursue a career in public service, and I’ve known that about myself since I was a sophomore in high school,” Whitaker said. “It’s all about what doors open for you at what time. Some people fixate on the destination. After graduating, I’ve learned to appreciate the journey a bit more. This is where I want to be right now.”
On Monday, Whitaker, 26, will head to the Yolo County Elections Office to formally place himself on the November ballot in hopes of retaining the WJUSD school board seat he was appointed to in February 2019.
The filing period begins on Monday, June 13, and runs through Aug. 7. He will know by the August deadline if he is running unopposed.
The board appoints among the members whomever they want to serve the leadership roles.
If a board member is appointed to fill a vacancy, as Whitaker did in 2019, they then have to run in
the next general election, which will be in November. The term would only be for another two years before 2022 when he can run again for the full fouryear term. There are no term limits.
“I would say that it has been an honor that my colleagues have recognized me in a leadership role,” Whitaker said. “I hope that I will be able to continue serving in that capacity in some form or another. I want to be a leader on the board.”
Whitaker, who graduated from Woodland High School in 2011 and spent his whole K-12 education with the district, went on to pursue a degree in politics at Willamette University. After graduating from the Oregon school in 2015, Whitaker worked in the Oregon state legislature as an aide before returning to Woodland and working for the county. It was a suggestion from a friend that set his sights on the school board.
“The reason I decided to apply for the appointment was that I felt like it was an opportunity to give back to my community and support the schools that helped make me the man I am today,” he recalled. “I went to school here for my entire K-12 education. The opportunity presented itself to be a part of it and decided to give it a shot.”
Whitaker was chosen over one other person for his current seat, and after serving on the board for a year and a half, he must go out to the community and ask for their approval to continue.
During his time on the board, Whitaker has a few things that he feels proud of.
“One of the things I’m most proud of during my time is we have a district policy on equity that will guide our allocation resources and how we look at addressing student needs,” Whitaker said. “When I came onto the board, we had a policy, but it wasn’t really fleshed out or framework for how to apply it. Working with my colleagues,
we were able to strengthen that policy.”
“Change takes time, and it takes sustained effort over that period of time. This policy is a way we can change the culture of the school district,” he continued.
If elected, Whitaker also has future goals he would like to see go through.
“Before the pandemic hit, we had made a decision to form an environmental stewardship committee, but then everything got derailed,” Whitaker said. “I’m hoping that in these next two years that we will able to reconvene that committee and develop a climate action plan for the school district so that the schools can be a part of the sustainability solution. Racial inclusion and addressing those issues will also be really important.”
The coronavirus pandemic has had a lasting effect on the community, and with constant updates and surging case numbers, a seemingly good plan one week has the potential to become old and unfeasible the next. That is not lost on board members.
“As a school board, I think that we are in charge of the most consequential public health decision that is going to be made in the next two months, which is how we will reopen schools in the next year,” Whitaker said. “The decisions we make have a huge impact in ways I hadn’t really appreciated before. It has had a tremendous impact on working families, and that is some we should be cognizant of.”
The board of trustees will hold a regular board meeting on Thursday, where they will continue the discussion on how they plan to open schools.
“Our upcoming meeting will be one of the most important meetings we will have,” Whitaker said. “Everyone on the board takes this situation very seriously. We all want our kids to be in school and get the best education possible. With any of the three options we have available, there are pros and cons to every single significant decision. How do we find the decision that has the least amount of harm to our community?”