For school board chair, fun is a welcome bonus

Rusty Rae/News-Register##McMinnville School Board Chairman Jason Bizon greets Grandhaven first-graders as they prepare to visit a “pumpkin patch.” Bizon said he likes to spend time at schools to see what students are doing and to show support for teachers and other educators. Events such as the pumpkin patch also are examples of the many community partnerships that support education in the McMinnville district, he said.

Rusty Rae/News-Register##Grandhaven Elementary School first-graders rush across the school field, which PTA members dotted with pumpkins supplied by Kit Johnston’s farm. Some children searched for the biggest squash they could find; others wanted tiny ones.

As Grandhaven Elementary School first-graders searched for the perfect pumpkin, McMinnville School Board Chairman Jason Bizon pointed out big squash here, little ones there and other appealing orange gourds.

“I want a ripe one,” Neylan Farnsworth told Bizon, who was easily the tallest person on the school field.

“A ripe one?” he asked, and Neylan pointed out the markings that, to her, indicated ripeness. Together, they inspected several pumpkins until she found just the right one. At Grandhaven, the Parent-Teacher Organization hosts a pumpkin patch each October.

As Neylan staggered back to the playground with her heavy pumpkin, Bizon laughed in delight.

“This is fun,” he said. “Some things about the school board aren’t so fun, but visiting with kids is fun.”

Being on the board takes a lot of time, he said, but he is proud to be able to serve in his hometown school district. The 1994 McMinnville High School graduate ran in 2021 because, he said, he felt an obligation to give back for the benefits teachers provided him. Bizon is in his second year as chairman of the seven-member board and just starting the fourth year of his first term. His seat will be up for election in May 2025.

Bizon went on from Mac High to Oregon State University, where he majored in agriculture and minored in business. He had grown up with plant nurseries and chose the industry for a career. He’s now regional manager for Bailey Nurseries, which has sites in Washington as well as west of Yamhill and south of Dayton.

He and his wife, Amy, met at Mac High and have two children: Ava, a freshman studying speech pathology at the University of Oregon — something OSU grad Bizon has accepted — and Andrew, an MHS junior who is a backup quarterback for the Grizzlies. Amy works as chief nursing officer for Brookdale Senior Living.

As a board member, Bizon said, his volunteer job is about more than hiring a superintendent and setting policy. It’s also to support educators – and make sure they know they are supported by the board and community.

That’s another reason he visits schools at least three times a year, he said: to show teachers and other employees that they are valued.

He said he also likes to see educational programs and activities that augment them, helping children learn to work in groups, make decisions and — as a plant lover himself –— teach them to appreciate nature.

Having fun is a bonus.

As he watched students visit the impromptu pumpkin patch, Bizon said it’s an example of the support shown to McMinnville schools by parents, businesses and other community members.

This year, PTA President Noelle Ash and other volunteers dotted the field with pumpkins supplied by Kit Johnston. On Tuesday, students from each grade took turns roaming the field to select their favorites to take home for jack-o-lanterns or other fall displays. The youngsters also posed in face-in-hole panels painted with figures of pumpkins and ravens — the school mascot.

“There are so many partnerships between the community and schools,” Bizon said, mentioning not only the pumpkin patch, but also programs in which farmers provide fresh produce for children, businesses open their doors for internships and job shadows and countless other examples..

“We couldn’t do a lot without the people in this community,” he said.

The district nurtures such partnerships, he said, and the relationships are especially helpful these days, in the aftermath of the pandemic, worries about the upcoming election and other factors challenge schools.

Despite those challenges, he said, the 2024-25 school year is off to a good start. “There’s some fatigue, but I feel good about how the district is operating,” Bizon said.

He noted that teachers and classified workers have settled contracts, and administrative contracts will be done soon. The district is financially sound and has quality leadership, he said.

“There are challenges, but on a day like today, with the trees changing and the sun shining and kids looking for pumpkins, how can you not be positive?” he said.