Longtime Richland schools president steps aside for new leadership

Richland’s longtime school board president stepped aside Tuesday night.

Rick Jansons has led the school board since 2005. The position meant he led the meetings and facilitated discussion. It also made him the face of the school board when dealing with the media.

While it came with extra responsibilities, none of the school board members are paid, including the president.

He said he took on the responsibility of board president because no one else wanted to do it, and he was happy to hand it off to someone else this week.

Jansons has served on the school board since the early 2000s and is currently the longest-serving Richland board member.

He was re-elected earlier this month to a four-year term but previously told the Herald that this will be his last term.

Jill Oldson, who is in her first full term, was chosen by the board on a 3-2 vote over newly elected member Semi Bird to lead the board this year.

At the same meeting, she was criticized by at least one speaker for sharing a political cartoon on her Facebook page that showed a parent opposed to COVID vaccines, masks and Critical Race Theory heading to a school board meeting with a torch in hand.

Commenters said they were concerned she wasn’t taking their concerns seriously.

Bird was one of two new board members who rode a wave of people upset with COVID-related mandates, as well as having concerns about CRT. A Change.org petition with 256 votes tried to build support for his choice a school board president.

This story was originally published November 25, 2021 at 5:00 AM.