The Riverdale School Board will hold a School Board Meeting on Monday, July 14, 2025 at 6 p.m at the grade school library. Please use the grade school back door if attending in-person. The public meeting will be also available via GoToWebinar.
Public Comment Process
Community members who would like to speak on agenda topics will be given an opportunity to do so at a designated part of the agenda. Any person wishing to make oral public comment must give the district notice in writing prior to the approval of the meeting agenda (shortly after the meeting begins).
For members of the public who wish to submit written public comment:
The five-member Riverdale School Board is the policy-making body of our school district. It is responsible for providing an educational program for students living within the district.
To accomplish its role, the board:
All Riverdale School Board regular meetings begin at 6 p.m. and are open to the public. Meetings are held at the Riverdale Grade School Library, unless otherwise noted. Public participation time is scheduled at the end of each regular meeting to allow community members the opportunity to share information or concerns about educational issues.
In addition to the regular meetings, the board has scheduled work study sessions. Work study sessions are special meetings in which the board meets but does not intend to take any action. Work sessions enable the board to gather information and discuss and review various aspects of an issue. Like regular meetings, work study sessions are open to the public. These meetings are held at the Riverdale Grade School Commons, unless otherwise noted, and typically begin at 4:30 p.m.
Determines the long range direction of the district
Establishes policies that direct the instructional and support programs
Communicates with the community
Employs and evaluates the superintendent
Negotiates with employee groups to determine salaries and benefits
Director | Seat 1 | Term December 2024 - June 2025
Shaina was appointed to the Board in December 2024. Since joining the Dunthorpe community in 2021, she and her husband David have been active and valued community members. In addition to her entrepreneurial endeavors, Shaina has dedicated her time to various volunteer roles, including serving as the Chair of the District’s Budget Committee and helping to organize PTC events. She is also a proud parent of two children, aged three and six, who inspire her dedication to the district’s long-term success.
Professionally, Shaina brings extensive leadership experience as a former executive of an international nonprofit. Her passion for building science and sustainability reflect her dedication to creating a better future for the community and its children. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies and Journalism from the University of Oregon.
Outside of her volunteer work, Shaina enjoys spending time outdoors, playing soccer, exploring photography, and gardening. She is eager to bring her skills, experience, and enthusiasm to her role on the School Board.
Mina was elected to the Board in May of 2023. She is an in-house intellectual property attorney at Nike, with extensive experience leading teams dedicated to the strategic IP protection of innovative consumer products. She and her husband, Taft, moved to Oregon in 2014 from Southern Ohio with their two daughters, Violet and Lucille. They have been actively engaged as champions for the Riverdale School District ever since.
Mina has served on the Foundation Board, Budget Committee, and Auction Committee. She also actively volunteers with the Nike Employee Networks, recently launching and Co-Chairing a new chapter of the Women of Nike network. In her free time, she enjoys exploring the Oregon Coast, travel, kayaking, and Pilates.
Michele chose Riverdale in 2008 and has actively volunteered in many roles with the Riverdale community. Counting four children and an exchange student, she has cared for five students in RGS and/or RHS - Jack, Aiden, Sarah, Hanna and Elisa. After graduating from the University of California at Los Angeles, Michele worked in real estate and owned a fashion retail/design small business.
Michele also represents Riverdale on the Oregon School Boards Association Members of Color Caucus, the Multnomah Education Service District Equity Team and at the Asian American Youth Leadership Conference. Michele now works as an artist, advisor and freelance creative primarily in photography and painting. She hopes to again host an exchange student for a year when her sons attend Riverdale High School.
Ali and her husband have called the Riverdale community home since 2019, where they’re raising two daughters, an aggressively affectionate dog, and a garden that’s as unruly as it is full of flowers.
Ali is a fine artist whose artwork has been featured in venues around the world. From train stations in England to magazine spreads in Australia and luxury hotels in Boston. Her clients include private collectors across the U.S., Europe, and the Caribbean, as well as brands like Marie Claire, Kodak, Walgreens, and Serena & Lily. She serves as the Federal Legislative Chair for Oregon PTA, works as a Legislative Assistant to Oregon State Senator Janeen Sollman, and is a graduate student at Oregon State University, pursuing a degree in public policy with a focus on social and economic issues.
Milessa and her husband joined the Riverdale community in 2022 and have two children at the grade school. Milessa has actively volunteered in the district, organizing schoolwide PTC events like Field Day and Candy Crawl, serving as a call captain and board member for the Riverdale Foundation, and serving on the District’s Political Advocacy Subcommittee.
A former U.S. Diplomat, Milessa served at the U.S. Consulate General in Toronto and the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City. Following her Foreign Service career, Milessa launched a consulting firm that advised professional athletes, teams and leagues on community impact programs and philanthropy.
Milessa is now a member of the Oregon Sports Angels, where she invests in and advises early-stage sports startups, with a particular interest in companies making a social impact. She is looking forward to bringing her background in diplomacy, entrepreneurship, and civic engagement to her service on the School Board.
Riverdale School Board: A Letter on Special Education Funding
Dear State Legislators,
The Riverdale School Board is writing to express our support for increased SPED funding so districts across the state can best serve its growing number of students on IEPs. We agree that resources are finite; however, it is important to support all students with the services most needed.
The Riverdale School Board believes:
Our Students with Disabilities Deserve Every Opportunity to Succeed in School.
But Our Current Funding Model for Special Education is Inequitable and Needs Updating. The 11% SPED cap was put in place after Measure 5 was passed in 1991.
Funding Has Not Kept Up With Caseload Growths. We have more students with disabilities who need highly specialized services and well-trained staff. We must have the funding to meet these growing needs.
Current Special Education Funding Is Inadequate. Funding for the staff, services, and programs that serve our students with disabilities does not account for the real costs our school districts incur. Districts must cover these costs by redirecting general fund dollars to cover inadequate state funding.
The Riverdale School Board understands that we need to make additional investments to meet the growing needs of our students with disabilities in the State School Fund, and requests that state legislators:
Raise the Special Education Cap:In Riverdale School District, 15% of our students have been identified with special education needs, but the state only provides double weighting for 11% of our students. This means we have to innovate and subsidize with thousands of dollars from our general fund to cover these shortfalls, which impacts our ability to provide services to all of our students.
Increase Funding for High-Cost Disability Account: As school board members, we have a moral and legal obligation to serve all students with disabilities. In our district, many students qualify for the High-Cost Disability Account funding. However, that Account only covers about 40% of our eligible costs, forcing us to move dollars from other programs to make up the funding gap. The state must fund 100% of the costs of meeting the needs of our most severely impacted students.
The Riverdale School Board firmly asserts that improving the formula is insufficient. Additive funding is needed to account for true costs. According to ODE data, school districts report spending more than $700 million per biennium on special education services not funded or reimbursed by the State School Fund.
We must make two critical changes, and we ask again that State legislators:
Raise the SPED cap and include the additive dollars to pay for these new weights in the State School Fund Appropriation (HB 2953); and
Ensure that school districts receive reimbursement for 100% of the eligible expenditures they make to ensure our most impacted students with disabilities receive the support and services they deserve from the High-Cost Disability Account (HB 2448).
We thank you for your consideration of this critical component of our students’ education.
