Across the country, school board elections have become increasingly political as activists from various backgrounds seek to influence local education policy. While community engagement in schools is vital, some approaches prioritize ideological battles over educational outcomes, turning boards that once focused on budgets and student achievement into political battlegrounds.

Central Valley School District exemplifies this concerning trend. Under Vice President Pam Orebaugh's leadership, the board has repeatedly chosen costly political battles over classroom priorities: filing expensive litigation over policy disputes, implementing governance approaches based on religious principles rather than educational best practices, and supporting voucher policies that would drain funding from the very district she was elected to serve.

Governance by Religious Ideology

Orebaugh proudly displays a 100% rating from 'We Believe We Vote', a group that promotes 'Biblical Governance' in public institutions, and states on her official CVSD biography that she is guided by 'Biblical values' in her governance decisions.

While personal faith can inform public service, governing a diverse public school district requires balancing various community perspectives and prioritizing evidence-based educational policy. The impact becomes evident in board meetings, where individual students' needs are overshadowed by political debates. Board member Anneice Barker recently declared: "There's no such thing as a trans person; there are males and there are females."

Such statements demonstrate how external ideological frameworks now drive board decisions, often compromising supportive learning environments for students in CVSD classrooms.

Federal Backing for Local Battles

Recent federal policy changes have emboldened this approach. In February 2025, President Trump's Executive Order 14201 threatened federal funding cuts for schools allowing transgender students to compete in athletics. A month earlier, Executive Order 14190 suggested that inclusive policies like using preferred pronouns could subject educators to criminal prosecution.

While federal guidance shapes local policy, effective school boards must balance compliance requirements with their primary responsibility: serving the specific needs of students and families in their district.

The $500,000 Price Tag

This ideological approach has translated into significant financial costs. On August 12, 2025, despite Superintendent Dr. John Parker's explicit warning that litigation could escalate to $500,000, the board voted 3-1 to join legal action against state policies. Board member Teresa Landa cast the lone dissenting vote, arguing "We have better use for our dollars."

The superintendent's warning was clear: these funds were meant for classrooms and teachers, not courtroom battles. Board meetings that should address staffing challenges and curriculum development are instead consumed by political theater. Teachers report declining morale as their professional expertise is overshadowed by conflicts that have little connection to classroom realities.

Fiscal Sabotage: Supporting Policies That Harm Her Own District

Perhaps most troubling is Orebaugh's advocacy for school vouchers. In 2023, she appeared on a panel hosted by the Mountain States Policy Center, promoting "education savings accounts" that would redirect tax dollars from public schools to private institutions.

Voucher programs create a funding trap: when students leave, their money follows, but fixed costs like teacher salaries and transportation remain. This forces larger class sizes and program cuts for students who stay. A board member championing policies that drain her own district's resources breaches her fundamental duty to CVSD taxpayers.

A Focus on Educational Excellence: Mark Bitz

The November election offers voters a clear alternative. Retired educator and Independent candidate Mark Bitz represents a return to governance focused on educational outcomes. "Adversarial relationships are not productive. They don't use your tax money well, they don't educate students," he said.

Bitz has been direct about the board's misplaced priorities and fiscal irresponsibility. "Adversarial relationships are not productive. They don't use your tax money well, they don't educate students," he said, directly addressing the board's willingness to spend up to $500,000 on ideological litigation while classroom needs go unmet.

Where Orebaugh aligns with external organizations promoting policies harmful to district funding, Bitz emphasizes local accountability and fiscal stewardship. His approach prioritizes collaborative governance—representing a return to the board's fundamental mission of supporting student achievement.

The Choice: Education vs. Politics

This election represents a decision about public education's fundamental purpose. Will CVSD continue prioritizing political battles over student needs, or return to evidence-based educational governance?

Effective school boards focus on measurable outcomes: student achievement, fiscal responsibility, and community trust. They understand that schools exist to educate all children effectively, not serve as testing grounds for political experiments.

Students in Central Valley classrooms are individuals to be educated, not pawns to be exploited in political conflicts. The choice is clear: continued political theater that divides the community, or collaborative governance that focuses on educational excellence.