Ochs appointed to fill latest Middletown Unified School Board vacancy
- Elizabeth Larson
- Posted On
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — A parent and education professional was appointed on Thursday night to fill the most recent vacancy on the Middletown Unified School District Board.
At the end of a two-hour meeting, the board voted unanimously to appoint Chris Ochs to fill the seat vacated by Misha Grothe.
Ochs and wife, Heather, live in Hidden Valley Lake and have two children who also attend Middletown Unified schools. He was lauded by supporters as an involved parent and dedicated volunteer.
In his professional life, Ochs — whose last name is pronounced “Oaks” — is the director of facilities, maintenance and operations for Calistoga Joint Unified School District, where he has handled bonds and $47 million in master plan projects.
In addition to bond oversight, his experience with grant writing was cited as a key factor weighing in favor of his selection.
He was one of three candidates interviewed during the special Thursday night meeting at Middletown High School. The two other candidates were Hank Lescher and Collyn Vargo-Criglar.
During the meeting, community members called for an end to the divisiveness that has plagued the district over the past year, particularly over matters related to the district’s following state COVID-19 mandates such as requiring masking.
Grothe’s resignation was the third from the board in just over four months’ time. Her term was set to expire on Dec. 9.
She resigned on March 3, the same day that the board voted to select Thad Owens as the district’s fourth superintendent in less than two and a half years.
Owens’ hire followed the abrupt resignation two days earlier of Tim Gill, who had served as superintendent for just four months.
On Wednesday night, the Konocti Unified School Board voted to hire Gill as its new director of curriculum and instruction.
Owens, who previously worked for Middletown Unified and most recently had worked for Konocti Unified, also had been a Middletown Unified board member until November, when he resigned without giving a reason. That followed the October resignation of LaTrease Walker, who left over COVID-19 mandates.
In December, the board interviewed 10 candidates for those seats, with Ochs among that group.
At that time, the board appointed Annette Lee to fill Walker’s seat and Allison Berlogar to fill the seats as provisional appointments.
However, a group that included Walker targeted Lee’s provisional appointment over her support — at her first meeting as a board member in December — of modifying a proposed resolution advocating the state against imposing a COVID-19 vaccination mandate.
That challenge was filed within the necessary 30-day window, forcing the district to go to a special election that originally was estimated to potentially cost up to $50,000.
The special election has been consolidated with the state’s June primary. Bryan Pullman and Charise Reynolds are on the ballot to seek that seat.
A member of the group who targeted Lee urged the board instead to select Lescher, who during his response to questions called the COVID-19 vaccine “an experimental vaccine.”
Statements during the Thursday night special meeting from Ochs’ supporters raised concerns that his appointment also would be challenged.
Candidates answer questions, majority of speakers support Ochs
The three candidates drew numbers to determine their order, which was Lescher, Vargo-Criglar and Ochs.
They were asked a round of questions regarding priorities, the district’s strengths and the candidates’ qualifications.
Ochs said he wanted to make sure district policies are up to date. He explained that school board members have the ability to improve the environment for students, faculty and staff, and that they need to be able to listen with an open mind. Ultimately, board members are just ordinary people, with their own ideas, experiences and goals.
“It’s key for a board member to be open to differing ideas and willing to consider those in the decisions they make, because as a board member, you’re not an individual, you’re a representative of the community and what they want to see for the school district,” Ochs said.
Ochs said it’s important to advocate for the needs of all students — noting that first grade is just as important as eighth, and musicians are just as important as quarterbacks.
His praise for the district included its working with Woodland Community College to allow high school students to have dual enrollment for free, which prepares them for the transition to higher learning.
Ochs also lauded agriculture and vocational training classes, which prepare students for high paying jobs, and the district’s robust athletics program.
His goals included seeing the district restore the music program back to the elementary school, referencing Konocti Unified’s recent success in receiving an elementary music program grant.
He also noted his experience in handling millions of dollars of bond funding for projects at Calistoga Joint Unified.
Following the interviews, Owens lauded the three candidates and noted that there are some very qualified people in the community.
After the questioning session by the board, community members also were allowed to weigh in on the candidates.
Lescher received a large amount of support from friends and family, including members of his church, Jesus Christ Fellowship.
However, Ochs received the most support by a two-to-one margin over Lescher from those who spoke or submitted correspondence to the board.
Among those supporting Ochs was Cobb resident and parent Justine Schneider, who said she has watched with increasing alarm what is happening in the district. She said the district has lost good people and money for the special election is being bled away from the children.
When Gill resigned, Schneider said she and other parents realized the level of harassment and pressure being brought to bear on teachers and administrators.
Schneider said she wants her children to go to a district that functions, for teachers to be supported, and for administrators to be able to do their job without constant interruptions and ongoing harassment.
“I want a board that is not ground zero for a fight that just cannot be won here,” she said.
She cited Ochs’ experience with bonds, adding he is a politically neutral person.
Parent and business owner Dan Tyrrell thanked the three candidates for sticking their necks out, and said that, speaking on behalf of his two children, he was very concerned about the divisions in the community and how it will impact children’s access to quality education.
Noting that the state will not care if people disagree with its policies, he endorsed Ochs for the board seat.
Allisun Moore, an educator in the Middletown Unified district for 29 years, also supported Ochs.
She noted that the district’s leadership has been “bumpy at best” over the past few years, pointing to the repeated changes in board members and superintendents. Over the last year, the district has had three superintendents and seven different board members — and still needed to fill two vacancies. Moore said she’s never seen anything like it.
“Middletown is a district in need of consistency and stability, and I believe Chris Ochs can bring that to us,” she said.
Annette Lee, the provisional board member whose appointment was challenged, read into the record a letter from Jennifer Hanson, a Lakeport Unified School Board member.
Hanson recounted how Lakeport Unified had gone through extremely difficult times four years ago. “I know that you never thought it would be this difficult.”
She said having a board member with bond management experience would be a windfall. She then quoted LaTrease Walker’s own statement to Lake County News on that point: “It's time to rebuild our district. In the 2018 election our district was granted a $42 million bond to modernize and grow our sites. In order to execute the projects we need someone with bond knowledge.”
When Board Chair Larry Allen asked for a nomination, he went to Berlogar first. After noting it was a very tough decision, Berlogar said, “It’s time to get back to the business of educating our students,” and added that Ochs was her choice.
Her motion was seconded by Trustee Zoi Bracisco.
Allen, a retired teacher who worked for the district for 35 years, said that during his time there many people had said they should hire someone to write grants, but they never did. With Ochs, they now have that chance to have someone with grant writing experience, and Allen also voiced his support before calling for the vote, which was unanimous to appoint Ochs.
The board urged Lescher and Vargo-Criglar to stay involved and to run for the board.
Owens then called Ochs forward and administered the oath of office to him. Ochs took his seat at the board table, with his first vote as a trustee being to adjourn the meeting.
After the meeting, he shook hands with fellow board members and community members.
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