Elaine M. Hopson - school superintendent, state house representative; Oregon - Interview

School Administrator, Oct, 2000 by Jay P. Goldman

A Distinctive Path: From Schoolhouse to Statehouse

Elaine Hopson has to hark back to her undergraduate days at Purdue in the late 195 Os to recall the last time she vied for any contested office. The job then: social coordinator for the women's residence hall.

Today, after nearly 40 years as a professional educator, including 10 years as a superintendent, Hopson is on the verge of returning to her first and only elective position. She's expected to be re-elected next month as the state representative for Oregon House District 2, a lightly populated agricultural, fishing and tourist area along the state's northwest coast.

Hopson's second term is sure to be easier to navigate than the first, which she served the past two years while simultaneously working as superintendent of the 2,300-student Tillamook School District. She retired this summer after seven years in Tillamook's top post and three years as superintendent in Detroit, Ore. (The National Conference on State Legislatures is aware of only one other superintendent-legislator: Jane Smith, a state legislator in Benton, La., who retired this fall as superintendent.)

"I underestimated the amount of time required for the legislature and campaigning. It's full-time, even in a small, rural coastal district," says Hopson, a Democrat who received appointments to the education and forestry and agriculture committees.

Though her party holds a 35-25 disadvantage in the state house, Hopson found progress was possible through artful compromise. This was particularly apparent in her work on charter schools.

Wary of how charters might harm already stressed public schools, Hopson fought vigorously against the initial charter school bill, which she likened to a voucher system. The compromise measure, signed by a Democratic governor, allowed the first charters to open this fall but provides greater local education agency control. Hopson still is troubled by the law's allowance of up to 50 percent non-certified teachers in any charter school. She fears children in those classrooms will receive a subpar education.

She logged numerous hours researching the issues, and her work drew raves from Kitty Piercy, the minority leader in the Oregon House and Hopson's roommate during the six-month legislative session. "She almost single-handedly carried the education ball through the last year for the Democrats," Piercy said. "She certainly had a store of information to bring to bear."

Hopson set an example as a tireless public servant during her days in Salem, often reaching her office in the Capitol by 6:30 a.m. and sometimes staying until 10 p.m., in part to catch up on her schoolwork (though the Tillamook school board appointed an interim superintendent during the session).

She admits she has changed her tune about the legislative process now that she's part of it. The cynicism she once brought while volunteering on the school funding coalition for the Confederation of Oregon School Administrators has been supplanted by a new appreciation for the workings of democracy.

"I get offended now when I hear people say, 'They did this and they did that,' Hopson says. "It's not just a win/lose situation but the ultimate in collaboration."

A native Alaskan, Hopson first gained what she describes as a "fringe" interest in legislative workings during her nine years in the central office in Juneau, primarily as director of personnel. But she concedes "I knew nothing about what I was doing" when she agreed to run for the open legislative seat just a few months before the primary.

Her colleagues in the Tillamook school district, including board members, encouraged her foray into politics. They figured that her big-picture approach to her school administrative work and her genuine love for and faith in people would apply well to the legislative arena. She's also attracted to individuals with different operating styles.

"I select people to work with me who complement my style in order to cover the areas in which I don't excel," Hopson says.

She also recognizes her limitations, says Jerry Jones, who served as Tillamook's interim superintendent during Hopson's leave. He recalls the day she hired him as a central-office assistant to launch Tillamook's entre into electronic mail. "She pointed me to an antiquated computer in the corner and said, 'This is where I want the staff to get their e-mail.'"

Noting how far his former colleague has come, Jones says the superintendent would sometimes fire two dozen e-mail messages a day his way, and lately she's taken to using a Palm Pilot. He says Hopson gained the title of "techie queen" in Tillamook.

"They were joking," responds Hopson. "I don't often even click right."

Joy Goldman is the editor of The School Administrator.

BIO STATS:

ELAINE HOPSON

Currently: Oregon stare representative, House District 2, Tillamook, Ore.

Earlier: superintendent, Tillamook School District No. 9, Tillamook, Ore.

Age: 61

Greatest Influence on Career: Having education valued in my home and always having mentors step in to help me.