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To help voters in their decision-making process for the Nov. 4 general election, My Neighborhood News Network sent a list of questions to candidates for various races. We are posting them as we receive them.
Thom Garrard is running to retain his District 4 director seat on the Edmonds School Board. Prior to joining the board, Garrard spent 37 years in public education, serving as an elementary school librarian, classroom teacher, instructional technology specialist and substitute teacher.
His opponent is Jason Moore.
Q: Why are you running to be an Edmonds School Board Director? What do you hope to accomplish during your time as a board director?
A: The reason I’m running to retain my seat is simple: Public education is the foundation of our community and the key to our children’s future. At a time when public education is being undermined at the federal level and underfunded at the state level, I am committed to ensuring that all students feel welcomed and supported, and that they are prepared for life after graduation — with real skills and a solid plan for the future.
Q: What experience would you bring as a board director and how is it relevant to the position?
A: During my 42 years as an educator, I’ve served as an elementary school librarian, a classroom teacher, an instructional technology coach and, for the past year, as a school board director. My wife and I have two grown children who attended Edmonds schools and graduated from Edmonds-Woodway High School. As an educator, a parent, and a community member, I bring a comprehensive perspective to educational issues. I’ve also served on numerous boards and planning groups, including the Friends of the Edmonds Library, the Lynnwood Youth Council Task Force, planning committees for educational technology conferences, and the North Chapter Soccer Referees Association. These experiences have given me a strong foundation in collaborative leadership and results-driven teamwork.
Q: What would be your top priority, if elected?
A: My top priority is our students. In order to provide our students with the education they deserve, we must hold the state accountable for meeting their paramount constitutional duty to fully fund basic education. With each passing year that the Legislature fails to deliver the required funding, the district is left with fewer and fewer options for cuts that will balance the budget. I will keep working to mobilize the community and apply pressure to our representatives to meet their obligation to our students. This is the only way we’ll be able to preserve our arts, music, sports, and other essential services, such as librarians, counselors, and behavior specialists.
Q: What ideas do you have for improving the district’s high school graduation rates?
A: This is a current goal for our school board, and we are employing a multifaceted approach. Our plans include implementing a district-wide policy to make grading fairer, more consistent, and more accurate. Schools are implementing improvement strategies that develop students’ sense of belonging and engagement, so their attendance increases and they become more invested in their education. Tracking individual students’ progress is helping schools identify who needs extra help earlier. For students who lack the credits to graduate, credit retrieval programs are available. Due to the sleep patterns of teens, the first class of the day has lower attendance and lower grades. Moving high school start times to later in the morning will support improved academic performance. The district’s on-time graduation rate for 2024 was higher than any of the previous six years. We intend to make sure that this trend continues.
Q: Where can readers go to learn more about your campaign?
A: Readers can learn more at www.thomgarrard.com, on Facebook at People for Thom Garrard, or by emailing peopleforthomgarrard@gmail.com.
Wow, Tom Gerards is pretty out of touch with the results of Washington schools.
He says he wants students to feel welcomed and supported and that they are prepared for life after graduation. SEL (Social Emotional Learning) imbedded throughout the program ensures the opposite. Too much time is spent on objective feelings and not enough on concrete Math and Reading, real skills that are the duty of educators.
He says he has a strong foundation in results-driven teamwork. The results from 2013-2024 is the state dropping in reading from 8th to 17th in 8th grade NAEP Reading Rank and from 7th to 24th in 8th Grade NAEP Math Proficiency Rank, despite a 39% increase per student spending. Our public schools cost taxpayers $19,163 per student. How much does Mr. Gerards think the “state” is constitutionally obligated to pay? And to which constitution is he claiming this “constitutional duty,” Washington or United States because I have read them and I don’t see it.
Time to gut bureaucratic bloat, not special programs.
And what does “making grading fairer” mean? How does that prepare students for the real world?
Mr Gerards may have sent his now kids through the public school system, but it is a very different system now.
It’s time to bring someone new in and stop doing what isn’t working. I will vote for Jason
agree with you, Tamara!
The OSPI Report Card for the Edmonds School District has failing grades, look it up for yourself.
Instead of wasting money on SEL, CRT, & DEI salaries and programs, let’s give our kids a classical, exceptional education in reading, writing, mathematics, science, history that’s not rewritten, and the arts.
The Edmonds School Board is responsible for dismantling the wonderful music and art departments despite first hand testimony from students, teachers, parents, and community members. Thom Gerard participated in that decision.
School campuses need to be a safe place for students, including being able to use the restrooms. Currently, this is not the case in the Edmonds School District.
The SRO Program was sadly discontinued and has left students & staff vulnerable to violence.
The Edmonds School Board doesn’t need another person to rubber stamp decisions that haven’t made our kids and their education better.
Our kids, our future generation, deserve more, Jason Moore!
Do the right thing and vote for Jason Moore.
What do you mean by critical race theory (CRT)? Do you mean eliminating any discussion of race, historic events, the lived experience of all races in our country, or racial effects of actual actions such as ‘urban renewal’? I’m always curious about how other voters interpret acronyms in general. Please elaborate.
Well said, Tamara — and I couldn’t agree more. My wife is a public educator with a Master’s Degree in Special Education – of course I don’t want to speak for her – but I do hear from hear – she sees the decline in real academic focus every single day…
The data backs it up: despite massive spending increases, Washington’s rankings have plummeted in both reading and math. That’s not a resource issue — it’s a priorities issue.
We need leadership that values measurable outcomes and holds systems accountable, not more bureaucratic layers and buzzwords about “fair grading.” Kids need structure, expectations, and teachers empowered to teach…
Jason represents a chance to get back to fundamentals and start expecting results again. He’s the right vote if we actually want our schools to improve.
Jason also supports policies that undermine the safety of LGBTQ+ kids, including barring trans girls from playing sports with their classmates. I cannot support a candidate that supports policies harmful to my queer communities and my family. The voters pamphlet statement doesn’t tell the whole story. I respect everyone’s right to vote for whom they choose, but our household does not support candidates who do not recognize our equal rights under the law, and we don’t patronize businesses owned by folks who support such candidates.
You’re jumping the gun a bit, IMO. We can support equal rights and expect better educational outcomes at the same time. That balance — not boycotts or moral litmus tests — is what moves a community forward.
Having been physically assaulted for being queer and having family members and friends directly impacted by bullying based on gender identity and/or sexual orientation, including folks in Edmonds, I’m not going to look beyond that and vote for a bigot. As an attorney who was co-lead trial counsel in the most significant civil rights case for queer folks in the history of this state, I’ve heard horror stories you can’t even imagine. I’m sure you have experienced violence based on immutable characteristics and can relate. Also, blaming problems with public education on one retired teacher like Thom is a big leap. Washington State does not fund public education sufficiently. Teachers are heroes. Have a blessed day.
Hey Kim,
Wanted to respond to the below — thank you for sharing your perspective. It’s an important one, and one that I absolutely acknowledge. It wasn’t too long ago that I supported former State Senator Rodney Tom in the 48th LD — a staunch supporter of equality for all — at a time when he and our current State Senator (and former House Rep.) Marko Liias were working closely to move policy forward at the state level to expand protections, increase representation, and ensure that every community had a voice.
That spirit of collaboration and pragmatism is what we need in Edmonds right now. We can disagree on tactics, but the goal should always be the same — building a city that’s inclusive, transparent, and fiscally responsible.
Agreed! Absolutely voting for Thom, in part for this reason.
Good points Tamara Nelson. Our student grades are getting worse and it seems the only solution schools come up with is to pour more money into a failing system. We need a new approach. I will be voting for someone new….Jason Moore.
After reading Mr. Garrard’s Q & A, we have definitely decided to vote for Jason Moore.
Mr Garrad has been part of our school system for 42 years and the overall results have been disappointing to say the least. We expect better grade results from our public schools. There are obvious reasons for this drop in grades.
Additionally, today, more families send their children to private school or home school their children. This is a disturbing trend for the public school system and it will not change until our school boards decide to return to teaching the basics of education again.
At recent events, we had the opportunity to hear Jason Moore speak of his concerns and goals for the education of our children. His sincerity and desire to affect change in our public school system is a welcome change from the status quo.
Therefore, we whole heartedly support and will cast our votes for Jason Moore for school board.
Richard & Julie Johnson
I attended the School Board meeting when Thom Garrard was appointed to this position. I was there to support another candidate who brought a vast understanding of the complexities that Special Needs kids face in school, having raised her son. The board chose Mr. Garrard.
I am a firm believer in the diversity of thought. I think that honoring diversity would look like Jason Moore who is running against this candidate. Jason is a Navy veteran with 2 deployments (on an aircraft carrier!). He owns his own business and he and his wife have 2 young sons who are in elementary school, he is the only candidate who currently has kids in school and would be the only Board member with kids in school.
Jason’s diversity of thought is clear – some examples:
– Excellence: students deserve to get a rigorous and comprehensive education to give them the opportunity to fulfill their dreams.
– Safety: students deserve to feel/be safe while they are at school.
– Transparency: he is a champion of parental rights to make all decisions related to their child/children.
– Government Accountability: recognizing that test scores are abysmal and finding the solutions necessary to deliver better outcomes.
So, in short, Jason Moore will bring diversity to the Board and I’ll not support anyone but Jason Moore for this very important position!
https://www.moore4students.com/
Vote for Thom Garrard! He is the only candidate in this race who has the decades of experience in the field and now also experience on the school board.
Thom is inclusive and genuine cares about every student, and doesn’t want anyone left behind. As he says “We must ensure that all students feel welcome, supported, and prepared for life after graduation—with real skills and a solid high school and beyond plan. We need a fiscally responsible budget that puts students first. We must value our staff, respect their work, and collaborate with our unions to find thoughtful solutions.
I am running for the school board because I believe every student deserves a thriving educational environment. My passion for equity, excellence, and public education drives this campaign—and it will guide every decision I make.”
100% this—I look forward to voting for Thom. He’s experience in the classroom AND on the school board and is committed to serving ALL children.
Lee, if you know Marko at all, you’d know that he is a fierce advocate for trans kids and has no time for what folks like Moore are putting out there. And even if Moore had all the answers and plans that would magically transform the Edmonds School District, the price is way too high. We will have to agree to disagree on this. I cannot vote for someone who does not support full equality and equity for trans kids. Period. Just as I don’t vote for candidates for local office who support zoning restrictions that perpetuate racism. That’s my choice.
Kim, good early morning. We should ask for a meeting with Marko — because honestly, I think we’re more aligned than it may seem.
I have tremendous respect for what he’s done and agree with you completely — Marko has been a fierce advocate for trans kids and has worked tirelessly for equity and inclusion across our region.
That’s exactly why I’m struggling to understand his support for this levy. If it passes, the unintended consequences could fall hardest on the very communities he’s fought so hard to protect — lower-income families, seniors, and small business owners who are already feeling squeezed.
My point isn’t to debate the values — I think we share those — but to make sure the policy choices we support don’t inadvertently deepen inequities. Maybe a short conversation with Marko could help bridge that gap and ensure we’re looking at the full picture before the next vote.
Appreciate your honesty here — truly.
Speaking of rezoning and displacement..and see my comment – case in point – see below how the City of Edmonds currently executes:
https://myedmondsnews.com/2025/10/council-moves-closer-to-adopting-minor-tree-code-amendments-and-confirms-new-public-works-director/
Kim, I didn’t blame the problems on the retired school teacher. He is a school board member. The problems are with the school boards and the unions. Those are the things that need to change. I agree, many teachers are heroes.
This is an education problem and the fact is the kid’s quality of education has been falling for a long time. Those are facts.
How strange, I was emailed a comment coming from Dana Twight, not to me specifically but because I have written in the comments. She asked what someone means by CRT. It’s roots are Marxism. Marxism divides people up by economics. The haves and the have nots. It is done to pit one group against another in order to tear down and replace with a utopian society. It has always ended in killing on a mass scale. In America there is a relatively (or used to be) free market enterprise, by which people can rise and fall economically. Happens all the time. So working with an economic system to tear down and make change was difficult here. So later a new critical system was formulated based on immutable characteristics. It splits further, too. But know that it proposes that instead of the haves and have nots (a division that still exists as a dividing mechanism) now there are the oppressors and the oppressed. It fundamentaly denies things that actually make our outcomes different, like growing up in a stable home, grit, slothfulness, etc. The purpose is to pit people against one another and to break down. It never builds up. Below is a link to a series of lectures by James Lindsay on the subject. He wrote Cynical Theories, which I recommend reading.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BED_D6Hc6TU
I will also note that CRT is imbedded in the public school curriculum, although it is vehemently denied. The history curriculum is based on “work” by Howard Zinn, a literal communist who hated America. He was a revisionist who plagiarized and outright lied about America’s history. The Ethnic Studies curriculum is so bad I couldn’t finish reading it because it was so upsetting. Don’t take my word for these things, do your own research. More effort is being put into convincing children that they are victims or victimizers and creating activists. This comes from the teachers’ unions and the school boards should be where it stops. It should never reach our children.
Hi Dana,
“Yes”, CRT, Critical Race Theory, is the idea that systemic racism is inherent in all of our educational, laws, and political systems.
It is undergirded by falsified history such as the 1619 Project and to overcome the inherent oppression by European races, extreme equity programs must be implemented under a guise of reparations that disadvantages kids who are white and provides unearned merit to kids of color.
This is a sad, unhealthy, unnecessary, and destructive environment for students to be exposed.
In short it causes division where division never existed before.
The focus should be on educating K-12 students in reading, writing, mathematics, science, accurate history, and the arts regardless of skin color.
All students should be given the opportunity to be exceptional instead of the continuing decline under SEL, CRT, and DEI policies.
Don’t claim to know much about this race, or the candidates. Like to know more about Thom’s response to this question. Seattle Times is flooded with reports & opinions regarding the failure of the Seattle School District. For the first time in the cities history 40% of student aged kids are enrolled in private education.
Lowering the bar is not the answer, instead providing more resources to students, allowing them to achieve is the answer. Though I 100% agree with Thom, later start times will improve performance, many studies on this.
I also believe ALL elected officials at ALL levels, should face term limits.
Q&A – from above article.
Q: What ideas do you have for improving the district’s high school graduation rates?
A: This is a current goal for our school board, and we are employing a multifaceted approach. Our plans include implementing a district-wide policy to make grading fairer, more consistent, and more accurate.
Mr. Jason Moore takes in consideration all constituents. The position of School Board Director is suppose to be Non-Partisan, however, it is clear that Mr. Thom Gerrard’s backing of donations are definitely left leaning democrats their views and indoctrination.
It is way past time for the District to get back to core academic teaching and not all the DEI, CRT, SEL, that sucks up time in the classroom when students should be learning from Kindergarten to Grade 12 their reading, math, language arts, science, history, art, music, and PE.
Students also need to feel SAFE in schools and according to the incidents at the high schools, especially in the girls restrooms, these need to be addressed and made transparent. Mr. Moore will be proactive in reinstating the School Resource Officers.
My family and I will be voting for JASON MOORE! Time for common sense change!
I had the opportunity to volunteer alongside Thom Garrard at several community events over the past few months, and one thing consistently stood out to me was the way students lit up when they saw him. Many children came up to say hello, and Thom greeted them with genuine warmth, knowing their names, and often recalling what grade they’d be entering in the upcoming school year, what extracurriculars they were involved in, or how things were going at school. It was clear to me that he’s not just aware of their experiences, he is actively engaged and invested in their growth.
When I was a student, I don’t remember ever meeting anyone on the school board, let alone felt seen by one. Thom’s presence and attentiveness show that he’s already making a positive impact, and I believe he’ll continue to do so as a school district director.
Christie,
I am sure that Thom is very friendly with children, and knows many of them because he has been a teacher for nearly as long as I have been alive. But we are not talking about how friendly or nice someone is.
We are talking about someone conducting oversight and dictating policy for a nearly $450 million government agency that he spent his whole career in. Thom has also been an executive in the teachers union, so how is he going to remain neutral or unbiased when reviewing contracts for people he was an executive board member for? Also the majority of his donations (%68) have come from unions, parties, and PACs, or non individual donors. I have not taken one penny from any parties, unions, or PACs! I have raised more money from individual donors than my opponent, who has raised nearly $12,000.
https://www.pdc.wa.gov/political-disclosure-reporting-data/browse-search-data/candidates/3322058
My opponent was selected by all the other board members, but I have been selected by the People.
https://www.moore4students.com/
Excellent response, Jason!
You speak truth!
People want what you will bring to the Edmonds School Board and the students &
that’s why many are voting for you!
“Let’s Go Jason!”
Thank you, Jason, for pointing that clearly out! I have wondered why since this is a NP race, that
Thom Garrard’s endorsements have been mostly Democrats. That in itself shows a very liberal viewpoint and that is exactly how the current board wants to keep it. As for me, my family, and my neighbors we are voting for Jason Moore!