Election 2023: Meet 4J position 1 candidates Tom Di Liberto and Dr. Michael Bratland
Corrections & Clarifications: The article has been updated to accurately state Juan Carlos Valle's occupation. He works for the U.S. Social Security Administration.
Editor's note: The Register-Guard spoke with all eight candidates running in the May 16 election and over the next several days will run articles on the candidates for each of the open positions. This is the first of four such articles.
With the 2023 special election coming May 16, eight candidates are vying for four positions on the Eugene School District 4J Board of Directors.
For position 1, Tom Di Liberto, a retired Spanish immersion teacher, is running against Dr. Michael Bratland, a local dentist.
There is no incumbent in this race. After 16 years, position 1 board member Alicia Hays has decided not to seek reelection.
Tom Di Liberto
Di Liberto, 64, is originally from Burbank, California. He moved to Eugene in 1987 after graduating from California State University, Northridge and seeking more teaching job opportunities. He also earned a master's degree from the University of Oregon.
For five years, Di Liberto taught in school districts in San Francisco and Los Angeles. He then found a position at Monroe Middle School where he taught Spanish immersion, U.S. history, language arts and other courses for 31 years.
He retired in 2018 but still volunteers in schools, substitutes and has been a member of the 4J Budget Subcommittee since 2021 − one of seven appointed community members.
As a former teacher, Di Liberto wants to put a spotlight on staff input and experience.
"As a teacher, I would watch some of the, well, many of the board meetings and I felt that the voice of communities and staff members really wasn't heard to the level that I was satisfied with," Di Liberto said. "I also felt that the board needed to listen more closely to employees as well, because I think there's a lot of expertise that needs to be considered."
Di Liberto said he wants a focus on student mental health resources, reducing class sizes, reducing standardized testing requirements and teaching to the whole child by offering electives and extracurriculars. He also wants to seek out more ways to engage non-English-speaking parents, as well as other community members who are not as openly vocal.
"We really need to relook at the way we engage with our communities," Di Liberto said. "Some people, they don't speak English, oftentimes their schedules don't align, they can't come to the board meetings. They may not have the courage to step up to the mic. I think we need to find ways to go to them."
Di Liberto said a teacher perspective is needed on the board.
Although there are different types of educators on the board, Di Liberto would be the only member with extensive K-12 classroom experience. While teaching, Di Liberto was involved in the Eugene Education Association, serving as bargaining chair for the union.
"I've taught thousands and thousands of kids in my career," Di Liberto said. "Oftentimes at board meetings, some really good ideas come out on the PowerPoint, and everybody is encouraged by that. Then they get into the schools, whatever the plan is ... and it fails, it doesn't pan out like the PowerPoint."
Di Liberto said having a board member with classroom experience could provide valuable input for the successful implementation of initiatives.
This is his second time running for the 4J board. In 2021, he ran for position 3, losing to board member Judy Newman.
Michael Bratland
Bratland, 50, is a longtime Eugenian. He first moved to Eugene at age 7, graduating from Churchill High School, then UO. He attended dental school at Tufts School of Dental Medicine in Boston. He eventually returned to Oregon, opening up a dental practice in Roseburg about 15 years ago. He moved back to Eugene in 2015.
Bratland has five children, ages 15 to 23. His youngest two attend Sheldon High School. He also currently fosters two children.
"I want to see a board that really focuses on inspiring kids and working with the parents so that parents feel like their kids are in good hands," Bratland said. "We have really caring teachers and parents. It shouldn't be dysfunctional like it is."
Bratland said his decision to run for office was based on several events, but the "final straw" was the recent Churchill High sexual fantasy assignment that caused a stir in Eugene and nationwide.
"I graduated from Churchill," Bratland said. "I have patients that went there. And I think the writing assignment for a lot of parents was outrageous. It was absolutely outrageous."
Under fire: Eugene 4J's health curriculum under fire after 'sexual fantasy' assignment at Churchill High
Bratlandsaid he wants to see a return to a focus on fundamentals in school. He said he supports sex education, but it needs to be age-appropriate. He believes there are good intentions, but ultimately some things being taught in the classroom are not effective, such as teachers "ripping on America" and the white race, which he said is not healthy.
Overall, he would like to see more discussions with parents about what students are being taught in schools and more back-and-forth opportunities between the parents and district. He said this sentiment is shared by other parents he's talked to as he's been canvassing.
If elected, he said, he would make himself available to parents and community members.
"I don't care if you're on the left or the right or right down the middle, almost everybody I talked to, they were very frustrated," Bratland said. "They felt like that school board wasn't an advocate for the parents."
Bratland said he could help be that voice, but he also has a soft spot for teachers. His wife, Jacquelyn, is a kindergarten teacher at Irving Elementary in Bethel School District.
He is also calling for better procedures to help teachers handle students who are disruptive in the classroom and to assist with reducing teacher stress.
Bratland also wants to see a focus on mental health resources, an end to bullying, increased extracurriculars, and a return of school resource officers to 4J. SROs were officially removed in 2021.
Discontinued campaign
There is a third candidate who might appear on the May ballot.
However, Juan Carlos Valle has discontinued his campaign.
Valle urrently works for the U.S. Social Security Administration. Although he can run for nonpartisan office, such as the school board, an anonymous complaint led to a conclusion that "this race has become partisan," he announced on his campaign website.
"Should the voters elect me, I, unfortunately, will not be able to accept it," he stated.
Miranda Cyr reports on education for The Register-Guard. You can contact her at mcyr@registerguard.com or find her on Twitter @mirandabcyr.
This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Tom Di Liberto, Michael Bratland campaign for Eugene 4J position 1
