Ed Rankin stepping down after twenty
years on Vancouver school board

Edward Rankin, a member of the board of directors for Vancouver Public Schools for nearly 20 years, announced today that he does not intend to seek another term.

Rankin, 72, has served on the five-member board since 1990, helping to guide the school district through a period of significant change and growth. His tenure has included these highlights:

Passing every maintenance and operations levy put before voters; earning voter approval of three bond measures, which enabled the completion of 31 school construction and renovation projects; developing new educational programs that provide students and their families with more choices, including the Vancouver School of Arts and Academics; International Baccalaureate; science, math and technology magnet; legal magnet; medical arts magnet; habitat planning and civil engineering magnet; careers in education magnet; Spanish language immersion and dual language programs; Vancouver Internet Connection; Vancouver Home Connection; and Internet Learning Academy; and connecting all district schools with a fiber optic network and bringing computers into every classroom.

While proud of the district’s past accomplishments, Rankin says he is worried about the challenges facing Vancouver Public Schools in the future.” Because state funding for K-12 education has not kept up with rising costs, the district has been forced to cut programs and services in each of the past seven years,” said Rankin. “A major budget shortfall is expected for 2009-10 as a result of the national economic recession and state budget cuts. I am deeply troubled by our state’s failure to meet its highest constitutional duty, which is to provide ample funding for our public schools.

Additionally, Rankin says he is concerned about the following: how schools locally and nationally will handle the increasing diversity of student backgrounds and needs; the overreliance on standardized testing to assess student achievement; the provisions of “No Child Left Behind” that unfairly punish schools serving populations impacted by poverty and mobility; and the erosion of local school board control as federal, state, and even some municipal governments have expanded their roles in education.

Rankin also served as the rector of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church and was a board member of the Vancouver School District Foundation, the Free Clinic of Southwest Washington, the Greater Vancouver Inter-Faith Association, and the Community Action Advisory Board.

Bill Turlay running for
Vancouver council

Retired Navy pilot Bill Turlay has announced that he will be a candidate for the Vancouver City Council position 3, that is currently held by Jeanne Harris.

Turlay says he feels that a definite change is needed on the city council to establish fiscal controls and expenditures of city tax dollars.

Turlay is a graduate of Willamette University and the Naval Post Graduate School, Monterey, Calif.

Turlay’s community activities include the United Way, Vancouver’s Green Ribbon Panel and the Forum at the Library.

Rebecca Ocken named
VDA executive director

Rebecca Ocken, former Gresham urban renewal manager, has been appointed executive director of Vancouver’s Downtown Association, reports VDA president Lee Coulthard.

After earning a masters degree in urban and regional planning from the University of Oregon, Ocken worked in Arlington, Va., on commuter rail projects. Ocken is a graduate of the University of Washington.

Vancouver’s Downtown Association will be located at 811 Main Street, when Ocken officially joins the association May 4.

Business loans topic
at CREDC workshop

Dennis Lloyd, lead lender relations specialist with the Portland District Office of the U.S. Small Business Administration, is conducting a free workshop, “Tools for Tough Times: Accessing Capital,” on May 21, 4 to 5:30 p.m., in the Discovery Ballroom at the Hilton Vancouver Convention Center, 301 W 6th Street, Vancouver. The Columbia River Economic Development Council is presenting this workshop.

Among the topics that Lloyd will address are which lenders in Clark County are using SBA programs, current and past loan numbers for Clark County, and permanent and temporary changes to the SBA loan program as a result of the Recovery Act.

To register for the workshop, call 694-5006.

Calendar

Vancouver’s Downtown Association is holding an open forum on loading zones, deliveries and parking issues in downtown at 5:30 p.m. this evening in the Hilton Vancouver Washington.  For further information , call Linda Glover, 695-6443. <> Jonah Edelman, CEO of Stand for Children, is the speaker at the Sherry Vaughan Distinguished Lecture Series at 7 p.m. this evening in room 110, in the administration building at Washington State University. Edelman's address, "Despite the Downturn: How Can We Position Schools for Progress?" will focus on Stand for Children's efforts to support Washington public schools. For further information, call 546-9114. <> The Southwest Washington Blood Program is holding a blood drive from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday, April 22, in Charter Communications, 521 NE 136th Avenue. <> Ronnie Noize will discuss how to harness the power of networking and relationship building during the 11:30 a.m.-to-1:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 22, Business Success Association luncheon in Club Green Meadows, 7703 NE 72nd Avenue. Admission is $15 for members, $25 for non-members. For further information, call Donna Owen, 635-2933.  

Community Calendar Links

• Southwest Washington Center for the Arts

• Greater Vancouver Chamber Community 

• City of Vancouver Calendar