Rachel Alexander
Rachel Alexander is Salem Reporter’s managing editor. She joined Salem Reporter when it was founded in 2018 and covers education, economic development and a little bit of everything else. She’s been a journalist in Oregon and Washington for a decade and is a past president of Oregon's Society of Professional Journalists chapter. Outside of work, you can often find her gardening or with her nose buried in a book.
Superintendent says Salem-Keizer bus driver shortage “catastrophic”
School buses parked in the Salem-Keizer School District lot on Hawthorne Avenue (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter) Bus driver shortages are a common problem across school districts, but Salem-Keizer’s has gotten bad enough that the district soon may not be able to…
“Choose to Stay” concert Friday pays tribute to Sprague student who died by suicide
Aaron Brown, right, and the bench installed in his memory at Kalapuya Elementary School (Courtesy/DeLee Brown) One year ago, DeLee Brown marched at the Oregon State Capitol to remember her son Aaron, who died by suicide. Now, she’s planning to…
Oregon “falling behind” on college affordability, data shows
Chemeketa Community College graduates wave to audience members as the 2019 ceremony begins (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter) Funding for Oregon’s colleges and universities has recovered from cuts during the Great Recession, but students are paying far more in tuition than they…
School board unanimous in buying West Salem land despite community equity concerns
A home adjacent to West Salem High School would become part of the high school campus after the Salem-Keizer School Board’s vote (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter) The Salem-Keizer school board voted unanimously to buy a home next to West Salem High…
Salem teens will talk mental health, suicide prevention at free daylong summit
Jewels VanVolkingburg of Central High School is blindfolded for a communication exercise during a small group session at ILEAD 2018. (Courtesy/City of Salem) Salem-area teens can spend a day learning about mental health and coping strategies as part of a…
AGENDA: Chemeketa board to hear license exam results, approve grants
Chemeketa Community College’s Board of Education members will learn about the college’s efforts to help students receiving food stamps meet their educational goals before a regular meeting Wednesday evening. The board will hear a report on license and certificate exams…
AGENDA: Salem-Keizer board will vote on West Salem land purchase, discuss policies
The 2019-20 Salem-Keizer School Board (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter) Members of the Salem-Keizer School Board will meet Tuesday to vote on a West Salem land purchase before discussing the policies outlining how they supervise Superintendent Christy Perry and how they work…
Seeking art, science and more, Salem teachers turn to crowdfunding
Stephanie Taylor, a behavior specialist, has used DonorsChoose.org to supply the Cubs Den at Four Corners Elementary School (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter) When Monica Brillig began teaching at Myers Elementary School in 2007, her classroom came with a desk for her,…
Blanchet debuts new turf field, just in time for homecoming
Blanchet Catholic School’s new turf field. (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter) For the three years James Moore has played football at Blanchet High School, every game has felt like an away game. The Catholic school hasn’t had a football field, so Moore…
More kids coming to school in Salem-Keizer, new state data shows
Students get off the bus for the first day of school at Bush Elementary. (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter) Hundreds more local students attended school regularly last year after a determined push by the Salem-Keizer School District to boost numbers. That’s the…