Joel Vaught Appointed to North Wasco County School Board
Joel Vaught gets sworn in as the new Zone 5 North Wasco County School Board Member on Aug. 24th.
By Tom Peterson
The Dalles, Ore., Aug. 27, 2023 - The North Wasco County School Board appointed Joel Vaught to the Zone 5 board position at its regular meeting on Aug. 24.
Prior to the decision, the board interviewed six candidates who answered several questions before a vote was cast during the meeting.
“Everyone showed up tonight here for the right reasons,” Board Member Jose Aparicio told all the candidates prior to the vote.
Board Vice Chair Judy Richardson also thanked the candidates and encouraged them to continue to participate in the community as they brought “remarkably diverse” skill sets to the table.
Three different candidates were nominated by board members.
Board Member Dayna Wynn-Elledge nominated Patrick Urain.
Richardson nominated Andrew Hampton. And, Aparicio nominated Joel Vaught.
Board Chair David Jones then awaited a second for one of the candidates.
Richardson put her second behind Vaught and then Jones called for a roll call vote.
Wynn-Elledge cast the only dissenting vote.
The other candidates who applied for the position were Analene Pentopoulos, Caitlyn Grant, and Minnie Goudy.
Board Member John Nelson told all of the candidates the school board “took a lot of work” and he thanked them for be “willing to step up on the school board and I applaud you all for being willing to do that.’
During the interviews, Vaught, who has three children at different schools in the district and is married to a D21 educator, said his strength lay in good communication.
“I try to use measured words and speak wisely and listen with empathy… I enjoy problem-solving and working on projects and building things that will last.”
He also told the board the Bond for a new high school in the upcoming election was the greatest challenge at hand.
“The general age and condition of facilities” was also part of that greater challenge, he said. “The board needs to continue to engage about the seriousness and weight of the situation we are in but not only to communicate the negative but also speak in the positive about the future and what schools will bring for the community.”
He also noted that the community needs to know that the bond is not a “blank check for a wish list” but rather a specific request to build the new high school.
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In dealing with conflict with a board member, administrator or educator, Vaught said: “Sometimes conflict is inevitable, but I have found that when I approach conflict humbly that conflict can bring clarity to situation a lot of times… that starts with listening. You have to be slow to speak and quick to listen. It’s taking that opportunity to see what the other side of the coin looks like before trying to explain what my side looks like so we can find a compromise. I don’t think I hit that mark every time, but I certainly try to take that approach. I don’t know that I would take a different approach regardless if the person is a board member, part of the administration, or a teacher…”
Vaught is the Youth & Family Minister at Calvary Baptist Church in The Dalles.
