Getting Primed for Election Season

Patch caught up with Enumclaw School Board candidates Tina McGann and Dan L. Peterson Wednesday night during a meeting of the Thunder Mountain Middle School PTSO, at the invitation of PTSO President Johna Thomson.

It was an opportunity for the PTSO to meet the candidates who are vying for Position 4 on the Board, currently held by Tim Nickson, that represents an area of the district that includes Black Diamond.

Students who attended Black Diamond Elementary, Westwood Elementary, Kibler Elementary, and those who live on the north side of 432nd Street would attend Thunder Mountain Middle School, so these parents had an interest in hearing what the candidates who would be representing them had to say.

Both and gave brief introductions of their backgrounds. They had also previously answered profiles for Patch, which you can read by clicking their names above or checking the column to the right.

The parents in attendance, including Thomson and currently School Board member Corey Cassell (who's running unopposed for re-election in his Position 3 spot), peppered the candidates with questions including what improvements they thought could be made to the state of the Board, how they view the future role of the Board with the Enumclaw Schools Foundation, and what challenges they foresee in terms of growth in the District, especially in Black Diamond.

We took some notes.

Improvements:

Peterson: Better communication with parents and with the community at large; make the board members more available to the community; and make sure students are put first in terms of priority -- that they have what they need to excel.

McGann: Better communication which could be brought about by better collaborations with the various PTAs/PTSOs at each district school in an effort to increase parent attendance at School Board meetings.

Enumclaw Schools Foundation:

McGann: She has already served in a leadership role with the Foundation's Full Day Kindergarten program and would like to continue with that collaboration.

Peterson: "I'm still learning but I'm excited to work with the leaders in the community."

Growth:

McGann: A big issue will be bonds and finding the funding necessary to built the schools to accommodate the anticipated population growth in the District, but she is optimistic it can be done.

Peterson: Growth is inevitable but he would like to see the issue of development in Black Diamond not cut the District in two -- it is the Enumclaw School District as a whole which includes Black Diamond. He would like to pursue funding assistance from the developer rather than solely asking residents in the District to pay for the schools.

Are you an elections junkie? As the Courier-Herald reported this week, there will be several opportunities in the next few weeks leading up to the election for you to hear from all the local candidates in the School District as will as City Council. (Click here to read their full schedule.)

Here is, again, a quick rundown of elections positions that Enumclaw residents will be looking at next month:

City Council: 

Position 2: (incumbent) and

Position 4: (unopposed)

Position 6: (incumbent and unopposed)

School Board:

Position 1: (incumbent and unopposed)

Position 2: April Schroeder (incumbent and unopposed)

Position 3: Corey Cassell (incumbent and unopposed)

Position 4: and

Fire District 28: David J. Hannity (unopposed)