As the deadline to vote for district representatives comes up, one of our very own students is running for Portland School District Director Zone 5. Much younger than his running opponents, Jorge Sanchez Bautista is up for the challenge. With the ballots being mailed Apr. 30, and closing May 20, we are right in the middle of the campaign.
Bautista, a senior, is 18 years old and has lived in Portland his whole life. He currently lives in the Cully neighborhood. The Zone 5 district covers most of Northeast Portland. As a student, community organizer, and educational advocate he will continue his education studying Political Science at Portland State University.
Bautista is a son of Mexican immigrants. His mom and sister came to Portland where he was born and raised. The PAT (Portland Association of Teachers) president Angela Bonilla expressed her support for Bautista. She highlighted how his unique perspective as a queer, indigenous Latino would bring a new perspective to the board. It is also honorable to mention that he is trilingual; Bautista speaks English, Spanish and Mayan.
The position’s responsibilities include establishing policies for support programs, informing and keeping the community involved, approving collective bargaining agreements, and approving the annual budget. His passion to support mental health and other policies that affect the youth as well as older generations has grown, especially in his campaigning in the past four months. Bautista talked about the lead-up to his campaign.
“I’ve been thinking about [running] for this exact position for maybe 2 months now,” he said.
Even though his experience in government has inspired him for years, he didn’t think that it would take hold so fast.
“I’ve always thought about running for office at some point in my life but never this soon. It kinda just happened,” Bautista added.
Bautista also talked about how that fuels his motivation for change.
“I have been in the [Portland Public Schools] district for 12 years, K-12, and I went to Rigler Elementary off Prescott, Beaumont off Fremont, and now I’m here at McDaniel. The three schools differed a lot, and seeing my own experiences motivated me,” Bautista said.
Bautista has been campaigning for the entirety of the 2025 year. He talked about his experience campaigning for the position at such a young age, compared to his competitor, Virginia La Forte. She is 54 years old which means that he is running against someone who is 36 years older than him. His campaign has been in place since January.
“The campaign has consisted of reaching out to folks for endorsements, raising funds, and contacting voters,” he said.
Although it is lots of work, he is able to find enjoyment in campaigning.
“The most exciting parts have been engaging with people as I am a very social person,” Bautista continued.
His young age raised a few obstacles for him as a candidate, as it takes a lot of money to run for a position on the school board, especially for someone so young.
“The grueling part for me has been asking folks for money as during times like this, nobody wants to put money into politics, but also as an 18 year old, I don’t have a lot of rich friends,” Bautista highlighted.
There are a few people at McDaniel who have been involved in Bautista’s life as he became the political figure he is today. Keyla Santiago Rodriguez, who is Vice Principal at the school, being one of them. Bautista has been a TA (Teachers Assistant) to Santiago Rodriguez for two years, and participated as a leader of the climate team.
“He’s a good listener, he’s very curious. So as he may get one answer, he will keep digging deeper,” Santiago expressed.
He proposed the idea of a Vice Principal needing a TA, and Santiago went along with it.
“I think as a representative of the school board I feel like a lot of times they may miss what students really need, so him being closer in age and with his curiosity and seeking of answers I think that would be really beneficial.” She continued.
I also spoke with Karen Tiet, who has taught Bautista for three of the 4 years he has attended. He was in her AVID class as well as chemistry.
“Even when I didn’t have him as a student his junior year, he would often stop by the classroom to catch up,” Tiet said.
She also mentioned some of Bautista’s skills as a leader.
“I think that he also tries to see beyond the student perspective and take into consideration what the educators and staff need to help students be successful.” she continued.
Tiet continues to believe in Bautista as he continues through his academic career and graduates high school.
“I hope he keeps his eye on the prize and figures out how to organize his time in and outside of school.” Tiet said.
As a high school student going into college, there are lots of obstacles and changes that take up time in his life, one of them being graduation.
“It’s going to be a tough time but I am sure he’s going to be able to achieve and be successful at whatever he puts his mind to,” she concluded.
Those who want to learn more about Bautista’s campaign can visit his website at jorgeforportland.com.
