LEBANON — Newcomers Liz Alperin and Jane Ruck are vying with Rick Alexander to represent Zone 2 on the Lebanon School Board in the May 19 special election.

Alexander, elected in 2003, said he believes he's the best candidate for the job only if voters agree with changes he's helped effect.

In the past year, the board appointed Russ McUne, bought out Superintendent Jim Robinson and hired Rob Hess on a two-year, non-rolling contract, Alexander said. Since then, he said, he feels the community, including teachers, are much more optimistic and have been participating more in district governance.

"We've been a part of the change in Lebanon," he said. "If the community thinks we're headed in a positive direction, I think they should vote (for me)."

Alexander sees the board's main role as the liaison between the community and the school district, and that communication among board members and between the board and superintendent should be unrestricted so a unified voice can be presented to the public.

The biggest challenge facing the district is the budget, Alexander said, but he also wants to retain teachers, strengthen vocational education, improve the special education graduation rate and increase community input on all aspects of education.

One aspect of community input Alexander said he would like to discourage is anonymous online sniping.

Among other things, he said, bloggers have falsely claimed he is against the college credit program Beyond LHS. That's a program he said he strongly supports, although he would prefer students do not take remedial courses at Linn-Benton that he believes can and should be provided in Lebanon.

Alperin, who has three children in the district, said she is running because, "I don't feel like we have anyone in this zone who's leading this district in the direction it needs to go."

Alperin said she believes there's a presumption in the high school that higher education resources shouldn't be made available to some students out of the belief they won't be going to college anyway. She said she couldn't disagree more.

"All the kids in this district should be educated as though they are going off to college, so that when they are juniors or seniors, they can make that decision for themselves," she said. "Their future is being written off before they have a chance. The bottom line is, education is never wasted."

Alperin said she would advocate for higher academic expectations and education plans that are tailored to individual student needs to make sure everyone remains challenged. She also strongly supports the high school's "Beyond LHS" college credit program.

Board members, Alperin said, should be open-minded, willing to listen to all sides of a situation and research the history of anything that has been previously tried.

She believes she is the best candidate because "I believe wholeheartedly in the capabilities of the students of this district, and in the capabilities of the teachers, and I'm passionate about public education," she said. "I love this community and I would love to see it have the best school district in the state of Oregon. I think with direction, we can."

Ruck, who has supervised the detention room at Lebanon High School, said she chose to file for candidacy after hearing from students there who were discouraged by courses they believed they could not pass and would never need.

She said she also has been dissatisfied with current board representation, particularly the board's buyout of the former superintendent and what she perceived as a lack of community input in choosing a new superintendent.

As a board member, she would push for more public input on decisions and better communication about input opportunities.

A strong supporter of vocational training, Ruck said she believes high schools have the responsibility to prepare students for the "real world after academia," which may or may not include college. As it stands, she said, she feels the school stigmatizes students who aren't university-inclined.

"Blue-collar workers are the backbone of this nation, and their skills need to be appreciated, too," she said.

As a board member, Ruck said she'd support more opportunities for vocational education, such as forming apprenticeship links with local businesses for high school credit or creating a skills center similar to the one touted by the superintendent candidate the board did not hire.

As a substitute teacher and former district employee, Ruck said she'd make a good board member because she's sympathetic to the issues of both teachers and staff and would advocate for fair and respectful treatment as employees, something that, in her experience, has been lacking.

"I'd be someone they could come to," she said.

Rick Alexander

Age: 64 in May.

Occu-pation: Self-employed in construction.

Education: 1963 graduate of Prescott Senior High School.

Community service: Has served on the Lebanon School Board since 2003. Former member of the Lebanon Planning Commission; former chairman of the Linn-Benton-Lincoln Education Service District.

Liz Alperin

Age: 48.

Occu-pation: Currently a homemaker and volunteer; former research technician.

Education: Bachelor's degree in science and early childhood education from Bennington College, master's and doctorate in biological chemistry, both from UCLA.

Community service: Coordinator of the Start Making a Reader Today program at Hamilton Creek School, Hamilton Creek PTA/PTO treasurer, co-founder of the Hamilton Creek read-at-home program, temporary service on the Lebanon Community School District budget committee, service on and fundraising work for the Lebanon Talented and Gifted Committee, coach for the Boys & Girls Club of Lebanon, volunteer for school bond elections in Lebanon and Sweet Home.

Family: Three children in the district, at Hamilton Creek and Lebanon High School.

Family: One grown daughter.

Jane Ruck

Age: 59.

Occu-pation: Currently not employed; formerly a school assistant at Lebanon High School and Seven Oak Middle School and 25 years' experience as a substitute teacher.

Education: Bachelor's degree in history from Fairleigh Dickenson University, certification in elementary education from the University of South Florida, EMT certification from Edison Community College.

Community service: Religious services volunteer, Oregon Department of Corrections; Linn County Court Appointed Special Advocates; Sweet Home Gleaners. Formerly involved with Bread of Life Ministries and Volunteer Services for Animals, both in Collier County, Fla.

Family: Two grown children.