Issue statements from school-board candidates in primary

Edmonds School Board candidates Deborah Kilgore, Cindy Sackett and Cathy Baylor recently sent statements about what they think are the most important issues in this year’s school board election.

The three are running on the Aug. 1 primary ballot for the position on the Edmonds School District 15 board now held by retiring board member Susan Phillips. The top two vote getters in the primary qualify for the Nov. 7 general-election ballot.

Phillips represents director district 4, which straddles Highway 99 in the central part of the school district.

School board candidates must live in the director district that they wish to represent, but residents of the entire Edmonds School District vote to elect board members representing all five director districts. The Edmonds School District includes Edmonds, Lynnwood, Mountlake Terrace, Woodway, part of Brier and unincorporated areas near those municipalities.

Another school board position on 2017 ballots will appear only on the November ballot because it has only two candidates.

Here are the Director District 4 candidates’ introductory statements in the order that their names appear on the primary ballot and in the voters’ pamphlet:

Edmonds School District Director District  No. 4, non-partisan office, four-year term

Deborah Kilgore
Edmonds schools face both opportunities and challenges. In the coming years, we will see more dollars to attract and retain quality teachers; assist families in poverty; and provide more special education, English language learning, highly capable programming, and career/technical education. But taxes on middle class families will rise, and our communities will feel the sting. The needs of our neighborhood schools will be great, but so is our promise: vibrant, diverse communities where our children learn to be citizens, neighbors, employees, and business owners who represent Washington on the world stage. I will work to ensure all our schools are schools of choice, where families eagerly enroll their children.

Cindy Sackett
As a school board member, I will advocate for policies that:
• Fund our schools, and use the funding wisely;
• Attract and retain skilled and qualified educators;
• Create equity in education.
As Director, I will help to support our strategic plan and seek opportunities to align it for student achievement for ALL students.
I believe that a Board, superintendent and community that works together around policies that achieve student success creates a strong community.
The Edmonds School District must provide the best for our children and support our dedicated teachers and staff.
I am seeking your vote to make a difference in our children’s lives and in our community.

Cathy Baylor
These are exciting times for our schools. The legislature has just passed a budget with changes to education that won’t be fully understood for years. Our School Board will be crafting a vision that takes into account these changes and our own communities’ specific needs. Included in that vision should be: social studies curricula that will meet the needs of our multicultural students; arts programs that are not at threat when budgets are cut; teacher pay that is adequate to retain good teachers; and reduced reliance on standardized tests for student evaluation.

New Washington voters can register through Monday
New Washington voters can register through 5 p.m. Monday, July 24, to vote in the Aug. 1 primary election, but they must register in person at the Snohomish County Auditor’s Office in Everett.

In-person registration is at Snohomish County Elections, County auditor’s office, 3000 Rockefeller Ave, Everett, First Floor, Administration Building West. The auditor’s office is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The deadline to register online or by mail or for currently registered Washington voters to change their addresses or other information was July 3.

–By Evan Smith

Evan Smith can be reached at schsmith@frontier.com.