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I agree with memo's comments.  Castillo has done nothing to improve services for special needs students, and in fact helped to close the Oregon School for the Blind.  She says the state has processes for parent's to seek solutions when their child's needs are not being met, but that process is a farce.  Just as the teachers' union puts its own needs above that of students, the "due process" that is available to parents is a sham.  ODE does little to assure that the rights of students are met, and hearing officers are employees of the state.  90% of cases are ruled in favor of the districts.  What does that tell you? We need an outside, independent entity to assure true due process in complaints and disputes with SDs over the education of special needs students. 

I'm definitely voting against Castillo.

posted 3 years ago
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As a resident/homeowner in Hillsboro for 15 years, I have to say that I do not think that Tom Hughes guided the city in a direction that was beneficial for the quality of life for people in Hillsboro.  Yes, there was lots of development and jobs added.  I, and many people who live here, were dismayed by the way that houses were allowed to be built, with no apparent regard for saving natural spaces, parks, safe bike lanes and access by walking to local businesses.  It is a city where, in most areas, one has to drive everywhere.  It was a crazy quilt of development and when local residents showed up at building dept hearings to object to these awful developments, it was obvious that the city wanted the fees and was going to subber stamp the development, regardless of what the community wanted.  Tom Hughes primary priority seems to be support of construction over maintaining quality of life, corporate over the living people.

I have lived in a community that knew how to truly create and implement a master plan - Irvine, California.  Within many of its reisdential developments, children and families had parks, libraries, walking paths,  complete daily shopping centers, and schools - all designed so that children could get to all of these without ever crossing a street.   There were little "villages" like this through out the city.

So it has been very disheartening to see what happened to HIllsboro, versus what could have been done, under the guidance of Tom Hughes.

posted 3 years, 1 month ago
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