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State association honors CB woman
By Alexander Rich, Staff Writer
Saturday, September 12, 2009 | No comments posted.
The president of the Coos Bay School District’s classified union has seen a lot in the more than 30 years she’s spent in the district. She’s been a cook, a librarian, a bus driver, an educational assistant and a secretary.
But while Linda Smith’s job title has changed, her involvement with government relations has remained a constant. And she’s done it well. She keeps local union members up to date on goings on in Salem. She makes sure elected officials are aware of what’s been happening in Coos Bay.
That’s why the Oregon School Employees Association recognized Smith for her long, dedicated service with its Advocate Award, the association’s most prestigious honor.
“She’s been a real champion,” said Ed Edwards, director of government relations. “She doesn’t brag about it. She just does it.”
She’s motivated by a desire to have a safe workplace that is conducive for learning.
“I just step up to the plate when I see something that is out of place,” she said.
“From reading my union newspaper, I saw a need to educate the people that I work with and to try and make improvements in education,” she said.
Edwards joined the association in 1991, by which time Smith had established a reputation for vigorously supporting education funding. She also helped by providing a strong voice from a rural area. Edwards said her involvement was valuable in getting the Legislature to agree to fund 70 percent of the cost of transporting students to and from school. And her involvement was appropriate considering Coos Bay was a poster child of the need for state funding to help districts cover busing costs.
She’s also gotten involved in myraid campaigns and political battles. Her travels have taken her to Washington to talk to legislators about No Child Left Behind. All the while she’s kept up her work in Coos Bay, where she is the secretary in the maintenance building.
Smith is the second recipient of the award, which was adopted in 2007. The association’s inaugural award winner was its president, who set the bar high, Edwards said.
“The award recognizes the length of time and service that Linda Smith has given to her union, to our members and really to education as well,” he said.
Ross Lorenzo, a local field officer for the OSEA, said the award isn’t just recognizing Smith.
“I think it is a feather in the cap for Coos Bay School District for one of its employees to be recognized.”
But while Linda Smith’s job title has changed, her involvement with government relations has remained a constant. And she’s done it well. She keeps local union members up to date on goings on in Salem. She makes sure elected officials are aware of what’s been happening in Coos Bay.
That’s why the Oregon School Employees Association recognized Smith for her long, dedicated service with its Advocate Award, the association’s most prestigious honor.
“She’s been a real champion,” said Ed Edwards, director of government relations. “She doesn’t brag about it. She just does it.”
She’s motivated by a desire to have a safe workplace that is conducive for learning.
“I just step up to the plate when I see something that is out of place,” she said.
“From reading my union newspaper, I saw a need to educate the people that I work with and to try and make improvements in education,” she said.
Edwards joined the association in 1991, by which time Smith had established a reputation for vigorously supporting education funding. She also helped by providing a strong voice from a rural area. Edwards said her involvement was valuable in getting the Legislature to agree to fund 70 percent of the cost of transporting students to and from school. And her involvement was appropriate considering Coos Bay was a poster child of the need for state funding to help districts cover busing costs.
She’s also gotten involved in myraid campaigns and political battles. Her travels have taken her to Washington to talk to legislators about No Child Left Behind. All the while she’s kept up her work in Coos Bay, where she is the secretary in the maintenance building.
Smith is the second recipient of the award, which was adopted in 2007. The association’s inaugural award winner was its president, who set the bar high, Edwards said.
“The award recognizes the length of time and service that Linda Smith has given to her union, to our members and really to education as well,” he said.
Ross Lorenzo, a local field officer for the OSEA, said the award isn’t just recognizing Smith.
“I think it is a feather in the cap for Coos Bay School District for one of its employees to be recognized.”
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