In a closely contested race for the Zone 5 seat on the Portland Public Schools board, 18-year-old Jorge Sanchez Bautista found himself on the verge of victory but ultimately fell short.
Leaders of the Portland Association of Teachers rallied their efforts to secure his candidacy, emphasizing the importance of ‘curing’ around 1,200 ballots that had been flagged due to missing or mismatching signatures.
To streamline this effort, the union reached out to its members and a diverse network of progressive volunteers, which included various organizations like the Working Families Party and the Latino Network.
Notably, City Council Vice President Tiffany Koyama Lane, a former teacher, even rallied volunteers via a vibrant Instagram video set against the picturesque backdrop of Waterfront Park.
However, a report from the Multnomah County Elections Department painted a different picture once the dust settled.
When the election results were certified, it turned out there were only 739 ballots available for curing within the Portland Public Schools boundaries, contradicting the earlier figure of 1,200 that union leaders suggested.
In total, 1,097 ballots were found eligible for curing in Multnomah County, which includes seven other school districts.
Even if the volunteers had successfully cured every one of the 739 ballots and all those voters had supported Sanchez Bautista, it would still not be enough to swing the results in his favor, as his opponent, Virginia La Forte, held an 801-vote advantage.
Though the curing efforts did provide Sanchez Bautista with an additional 444 votes, La Forte also gained 325 votes through the same process, resulting in a final margin of 682 votes—well beyond the threshold required for an automatic recount.
Angela Bonilla, the president of the Portland Association of Teachers, later explained that the union’s initial claim about the 1,200 challenged ballots was based on a broader understanding that included multiple counties.
According to Bonilla, the total number of ballots flagged for curing across the three counties amounted to 1,550, with 700 being addressed by voters during a designated post-election period.
As the election approached, the campaigns received lists of voters with outstanding uncured ballots, and Bonilla noted that the union’s calculated estimate of an additional 850 ballots could potentially yield more results but still fell short in the end.
Despite Sanchez Bautista’s loss, Bonilla characterized the overall election results as a significant victory for the union, as three out of their four endorsed candidates secured seats on the board.
The candidates who won included incumbent Christy Splitt, who serves as a government relations coordinator; literacy advocate Rashelle Chase, who managed to oust incumbent Herman Greene; and youth rights lawyer Stephanie Engelsman.
Engelsman and Splitt faced only minimal opposition during their campaigns, and their victories were almost anticipated due to broad endorsements from diverse organizations and media outlets.
While neither Splitt nor Engelsman was directly recruited by the union, it is worth noting that Splitt had been approached by outgoing board member Andrew Scott about running for the open seat, while Engelsman independently chose to enter her race.
As for Chase, she was recognized as a strong voice for educational issues and was a logical choice to challenge Greene, who had clashed with the Portland Association of Teachers following the 2023 teachers’ strike.
Greene’s campaign was notably low-key and lacked significant fundraising efforts, further enhancing the opportunity for Chase to succeed in her bid.
In her message of concession posted on social media, Sanchez Bautista congratulated La Forte and expressed pride in the closeness of the race, affirming his intent to remain active in civic affairs moving forward.
To facilitate their candidate search for the Zone 4 and Zone 5 seats, which primarily cover North and Northeast Portland, Bonilla stated that union representatives engaged with PTA meetings to explain how candidates could earn their endorsement, while also encouraging recruitment initiatives.
Sanchez Bautista initially proposed running for the Zone 5 seat but sought Bonilla’s support, given their close collaboration during the previous teachers’ strike.
In addition to supporting candidates, the Portland Association of Teachers was actively involved in efforts for a $1.83 billion bond to fund essential school construction and modernization projects, showcasing the union’s broader commitment to educational improvements within the district.
Jeremy Wright, a consultant for that bond campaign, highlighted the diverse supporters for the initiative, which included the business community and every school board candidate.
The Zone 5 election results underline both the significance of grassroots mobilization within local education governance and the complex factors that influence electoral outcomes in Portland’s school board races.
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