Occupation: Information technology

Relevant experience: Aberdeen School District Budget Advisory Committee member seven years working for various school districts in this region.

What standards would you use to assess whether the Aberdeen School District is succeeding, and by those standards, how is it doing?

To determine Aberdeen School District’s success, I would look at many different items such as student achievement and graduation, staff/parental/community engagement and district infrastructure health/maintenance plans.

I believe the district has taken steps to improve. With continued effort from students, staff, parents and the community, the district can provide the best possible education.

In terms of priorities, what direction would you as a school board member, give to the superintendent?

I would like the see the Aberdeen School District focus on providing a high quality, evidence based education for students. I would also like to see a continued promotion of Career and Technical Education (CTE) since this is a wonderful program and completely valid option for students to earn a successful career and life.

Collectively, the Legislature takes the position that its new funding methods satisfy a state Supreme Court order to adequately fund basic education. How do you see it?

I don’t believe the Legislature adequately funds basic education in Washington. If basic education were adequately funded, one-third of the school districts in the state, large and small, wouldn’t have lost funding following the education funding reforms the Legislature passed. If basic education were adequately funded, the Legislature wouldn’t have needed to increase the levy cap for school districts. If basic education were adequately funded, districts with high percentages of special education students wouldn’t be penalized by requiring those districts to use the general fund to meet the needs of its most vulnerable students. I think the new education model is a good start, completed in a rush in order to comply with the state Supreme Court ruling, but is not enough and shouldn’t prevent the legislature from fixing and fine-tuning education funding.

While it might be cliché to say that children are our future, why wouldn’t we as a society want to adequately fund education so all of Washington’s students reach their full potential and attain a better future?