Newberg has been the center of a political maelstrom over the last few years, beginning with a conservative majority on the school board banning political symbols, pointedly targeting Black Lives Matter and Pride flags.
The same school board abruptly ousted Phillips’ predecessor, Superintendent Joe Morelock, in March 2022. They hired Phillips a few months later, despite the fact that he was coming off a string of controversies connected to his work in other Oregon districts.
The guy the conservative school board appointed superintendent to own the libs, turned out to suck at his job. At least the people were smart enough to vote out the conservative school board. But sounds like they were too late.
It’s always nice to see my shitty little hometown making national headlines for incompetence and bigotry.
A little background you won’t get from anywhere else about newberg:
It was a sleepy little town of about 15,000 in the Portland metro area. It had some decent jobs (it’s actually the dental equipment manufacture’s western hub). Over time the cost of living there has exploded. It is within commuting distance of Wilsonville (Oregon’s tech hub) and Hillsboro (Nike/Intel). It is wine country as well. The locals are getting priced out of the area. As expected, when people feel they are getting left behind by society they turn to conservatism. Now you see the results of that. Conservative grifters promised more than they could ever deliver and wasted needed resources fighting losing ideological battles.
It makes me sad :(