Two Candidates Seek School Board Seat in Southeast Portland

The race for the Portland Public Schools Board seat currently occupied by longtime board member Julia Brim-Edwards will be contested.

Brim-Edwards, who is also a Multnomah County commissioner, hasn’t indicated whether she will seek reelection. Zone 6, which she represents, encompasses much of Southeast Portland, including Cleveland and Franklin high schools.

Two candidates have publicly launched their May 2025 campaigns for the seat. They are Stephanie Engelsman, a career public defender at Youth, Rights & Justice, a children and family law firm; and Rob Galanakis, a leader at Bike Bus PDX, which encourages kids to bike to school.

Engelsman has three children in PPS, and Galanakis has two. Both have been involved in Parent Teacher Associations, among other school groups.

Engelsman and Galanakis have each racked up a number of endorsements, though no current School Board members have endorsed in the Zone 6 race so far. Engelsman is endorsed by the Northwest Oregon Labor Council and a number of animal rights organizations as well as teachers and parents.

Galanakis’ most prominent endorsers are City Councilor Mitch Green and former Portland planning commissioner Chris Smith. He has a slew of endorsements from road safety advocates and some from parents.

Engelsman says she was inspired to run for School Board on behalf of her kids, teachers in her community, and the federal threat to public education. Her top platform priorities include decreasing class sizes, improving the district’s literacy rates, fully funding education and special education, and supporting teachers and unions.

“It’s critical for our democracy and our future that our children are educated. And it’s important for our children that they have a safe school to go to that prioritizes their education,” she told WW in an email. “Prioritizes means funding, it means recognizing the importance of art and science, of music, of movement through PE and recess.”

Galanakis’ platform centers on a “One City” vision. On his website, he says his vision is for Portland schools to play their own role in revitalizing the city. His priorities include better fiscal stewardship, safer transportation for kids to schools, broadening housing supply to increase enrollment, and improving student health. “My issues with the Kicker and Measure 5 and 50 are structural, he says. “Any reforms we pursue must be revenue neutral and not raise average tax rates.”

“I’m running for Portland Public Schools Board to make sure our kids get the best education we can provide so that they can be successful in life,” he wrote on his website. “I will work with our partners—the city, county, and state along with business and community leaders—to create a place where our kids can thrive.”

WW has updated this post with a more detailed position statement on fiscal stewardship by Galanakis.