Conservative incumbent files to retain seat on Central Valley School Board, running against former ally

Incumbent Pam Orebaugh has filed to retain her seat on the Central Valley School Board.

Orebaugh, a conservative, will have at least one challenger in her attempt: Spokane County GOP Chairman Rob Linebarger, who ran against her for the seat four years ago but stepped aside and endorsed her at the time.

Linebarger has since been entangled with the school district legally, facing $22,500 in court sanctions stemming from a 2021 recall attempt against a trio of more progressive board members – Cindy McMullen, Keith Clark and Debra Long. The latter two lost re-election bids in 2023, while the former still sits on the board.

The recall, which a judge ruled “improper,” in part stemmed from the district’s enforcement of pandemic-era mask and vaccine mandates, something Orebaugh also opposed at the time.

Now, with the COVID-19 pandemic behind her, she’s running her campaign focusing on kids’ success, parental rights and continued accountability and transparency, she said in an interview Thursday.

Residents have until Friday to file for office. Several seats on area school boards remain unconstested, including those in Spokane Public Schools, Mead School District, East Valley School District and Medical Lake School District.