what I learned from the 2007 election

1. Sometimes, positive wins.
Our Board campaign started off innocuous enough, but turned into a slugfest--on the Olympian comment boards, and in a few vitriolic emails, especially--with a flurry of punches thrown at the Olympia Education Association, current board members, the candidates, a state representative, and anyone else within pugilizing distance.

For the most part, our side either stayed out of the fray or took a judicious, measured stance, avoiding a response in kind. In the end, it turned out that the loudest, most negative spectators were putting off more people than they were firing up.

2. I take these things a lot more personally than I let on.
In my private life and here on the blog, I'm calm, reasonable, dispassionate as a matter of course. I learned that I save my angst for the unconscious. I got to the point where I could monitor my stress level by the poor quality of my sleep--and the inverse, dream-wise.

3. You just never know.
The Simple Majority measure passed. On election night, it took a nosedive, but ended up nosing ahead. The nose knows, but I sure didn't. (For what it's worth, the nosehair-thin margin, in the end, is indicative that people won't mind funding schools, but they don't want districts to go levy-happy. Hmm... maybe it's time to fix our state's bizarro funding inequities?)

4. Politics can be fun.
But not as much as teaching.

Wilson, Barclift win

With commanding leads in the early returns--and there just aren't that many more ballots to count--Frank Wilson, newcomer, and Carolyn Barclift, incumbent, have won seats on the Olympia School Board. (Incumbent Rich Nafziger, also up for re-election, was unopposed.)

At least the also-rans, Jeff Nejedly and Lucy Gentry-Meltzer, can take comfort in the fact that some of the toughest decisions the Board faces won't fall on their shoulders. I'm sure we'll hear from both in the future.

Now, let's get to work.

Thurston County 2007 election results

Update 2/20: If you're looking for the most recent primary results from Feb. 19, 2008, click here.

Initial results are due after 8:00 tonight, when the polls close. Local elections are certified November 27, while the state takes until December 6. (At least no one's running for governor this year.)

I'll post updates as they come in.

8:46
The Olympian has Wilson leading Nejedly in early returns, 58-42 with about 10,000 votes cast, and Barclift leading Meltzer, 63-37. We'll see if it holds up.

10:02
Nothing more on the local races, but statewide, 960 is up, 4204 is down, and 8206 is up. This is a taxpayer revolt kind of year.

7:40 p.m., 11/7
Emmett O'Connell shares my basic bloggerly frustration with Thurston County's tardy updates.

9:25 p.m., 11/7
I'd say Barclift and Wilson are a lock at this point, with the latest batch of ballots leading to nearly identical results. Statewide, only about 30% turnout. That's what happens in the odd years, mail ballots or no.

Jeff Nejedly shares his thoughts

I spoke with Jeff Nejedly, who's running against Frank Wilson for the District 1 seat on the Olympia School Board, and he gave me permission to post this publicly. All blockquoted words are his, unedited except for a removed phone number.

Hello Jim,



I was told by a teacher friend of mine about some of your comments posted on your blog, and went to your web page as well. I’m wondering why you think that I am in favor of pay for performance? I don’t recall this question being asked in the OEA interview. As a manager at the Dept. of Ecology, I am given merit based raises for Growth and Development. I can see why some might consider merit based pay for Principals, as school managers (of course not based on student scores). I personally would have to investigate if and how this has worked (or not) in other high functioning districts like ours, to see if I would support such a proposal.



I do not support Merit based pay for teachers. Although I would think this would be obvious to most, given my background as a teacher’s son who stood on picket lines with my father in Wisconsin, I am adamantly against Pay-For-Performance in any form for teachers. I am also keenly aware of how underpaid teachers are, and as a state worker and manager, I support annual increases in base pay based on time in service which equates to experience.



I was told that the OEA endorsement of Frank was due to his school involvement. I have been very involved volunteering in my children’s schools both in the classroom, school improvement projects, and PTA fundraising. Additionally, my wife was Fundraising chair and PTA Vice President for Boston Harbor, and chaired many other student activities at BHS. My wife also served on the Budget Advisory Group 2005-2006. Additionally, I have been to the majority of Board meetings in the last 2 years, and have learned a great deal.



I have serious concerns when the number of administrators grows in a year (2006) that the BAG is told that they need to carve $2Million off the budget to prevent the significant shortfalls that we are seeing now. I have concerns with the increase in other administrative costs that OSD is experiencing at this same time. It would be terrible to see teachers let go (as happened in 2004) due to budget shortfalls, at the cost of more administration.



I’m also concerned that the Math Adoption Committee was made so political by the district administration. In the past this committee would have been made up of teachers only. No administrators and no hand-selected parents (one was a principal’s wife!). The folks who will be teaching the curriculum should be able to fully weigh in on a decision of this type, as has always been the case in the past.



I opposed the middle school curriculum adoption, not only because the curriculum was weighted too heavily with one teaching style, but more importantly because of the process involved in the adoption. It has cost me politically, but that is fine, since my ultimate goal is not political, but an open, honest, and accountable school district administration. This would benefit the teachers in this district, as well as the students.



Since you’ve met with Frank several times (per your blog) and as of yet haven’t attempted to meet or even talk with me, I realize that you have already made up your mind on which candidate you are supporting. I send you this information, in hopes of clarifying the record.



Sincerely,

Jeff Nejedly

www.jeffnejedly.com

I'd like to thank Jeff for his thoughts. Although I have made up my mind, I realize that other voters haven't, and should consider all the relevant facts when doing so.

Three things I should point out: in his first paragraph, Nejedly apparently refers to this post. As readers can see, I was talking about Russ Lehman, who, although he supports Jeff Nejedly, does not share all of Nejedly's views. (I was answering a question about what concerns I had about some of Lehman's--not Nejedly's--positions.)

Second, there's a simple reason I didn't contact Nejedly after the OEA interview process, when I first met him. After members of the committee labored through the difficult decision to support one candidate over another, and once the choice was made, I was asked to speak with Wilson about specific teacherly issues, to act as an informal liaison between the union and its endorsed candidate. Thus, I never imagined that my (small, informal) role in the process would go beyond that. I met with Frank a few times and blogged about the experience--it only confirmed that we had chosen well, especially since we couldn't make a bad choice between the two. Once the school year started, my political activities tailed off considerably.

I support Wilson because of his proven ability to build bridges and work with opposing sides through controversy, because of his kind and thoughtful personality, because of his willingness to reach out and actively seek opinions from those who aren't being heard, and because of his remarkable and highly-regarded career as a volunteer and participant in our schools. I wish I could vote for him. Too bad I live in the wrong district.

Now, back to breakfast.

The Olympian endorses Wilson and Barclift

The Olympian editorial board, joining the OEA, the Principals Association, and dozens of community leaders, endorses Frank Wilson and Carolyn Barclift for positions 1 and 4 on the Olympia School Board.

The Wilson blurb:

Frank Wilson, 42, a digital technician in the printing industry, excels is in his level of involvement in the leadership of schools. He has served as vice president and president of the PTA and as a site council representative in addition to all the fundraising and parental involvement activities associated with education today. He takes a half-day vacation time every week to work in the school, a tradition he will maintain and expand as a school board member.

Wilson supports the decision to change math curriculum, supports a simple majority vote for passage of school levies, would work for a collaborative school board and is endorsed by the teachers’ union and principals’ bargaining unit.

Wilson has demonstrated his commitment to kids through his active involvement in leadership positions in the Olympia School District. Voters should elect Frank Wilson on Nov. 6.

The Barclift blurb:

Barclift has a depth of knowledge and experience that Gentry Meltzer cannot come close to matching. In a board that has seen quite a bit of turnover in recent years, Barclift’s institutional knowledge is needed. She has been an advocate for changing the budget process to smooth out the peaks and valleys, worked on school nutrition and has been a strong advocate for kids and public education at the state and national levels. She has the support of teachers’ and principals’ and voters should re-elect Carolyn Barclift on Nov. 6.

this year's strange and confusing School Board races

Commentator msndis asks some good questions about the WEA's funding lawsuit against the state, and its relation to the current Board races. I'll answer each in turn.

Have you (as a union member I assume) talked to Russ Lehman about this?

Yes, I'm a (low-ranking) union member. No, I haven't personally spoken to Russ Lehman about why he pushed for the lawsuit without taking steps required by the WEA; my knowledge of the situation comes from discussions with union leaders. If they have more specific comments about the situation, they're free to speak up.

If the union is so in favor of this idea, why aren't the teachers actively working on this? Has the union been working with Nafziger, Parvinen and Barclift on this? If so, why hasn't it been suggested by one of them at a Board meeting? As you know, they do have a majority and can pass anything they'd like.

Since the issue was first floated, the situation has changed immensely. First, Shirley and Lehman voted against the "simple majority" resolution (a resolution strongly supported by the union). Second, Lehman and Shirley surprised the Board with a "merit pay for principals" plan, backed neither by the principals nor the union. Third, Lehman sent a threatening email to the union insinuating that the Endorsement Committee (of which I was a member) had base motives for choosing Frank Wilson over Jeff Nejedly. The strange turn of events, combined with bad timing (now that the campaign has heated up and the crush of the school year is full on), has put the lawsuit issue on the backburner, at least as far as I can see.

Part of the lawsuit issue is that, at this point, the District's joining is largely symbolic, since there are already several other plaintiffs. Add to that a tight budget and the intense personal feelings on both sides, and I'm not surprised that the combination of personal and situational factors had led to the present impasse.

It appears to me the union wants to have the status quo maintained and back the board members who have the majority but aren't doing anything to help the union.

Most people forget that, up until recently, the Board had voted unanimously 90% of the time, largely agreeing on the direction the District should go, and the Board's role in that process. It should be added that all the current Board members have, at various points, disagreed with the union. But there are disagreements, and there are disagreements.

What do Barclift, Nafziger and Parvinen do that benefits the teachers in the district? I'd like specific examples.

Parvinen is a bit of a moot point, since she's leaving, and her replacement, whether Wilson or Nejedly, will be a different voice on the Board. Barclift and Nafziger...

• By and large, have trusted teachers' and administrators' judgment in instructional and curricular issues.
• Have advocated at the state level for a more stable funding structure for basic education.
• Have supported a Strategic Plan to streamline the budget process, reduce waste, and set priorities.
• Have supported competitive pay for principals and for our Superintendent.

There have been areas of disagreement between the union and Barclift and Nafziger, but always in good faith.

Now, what do Lehman and Shirley do that doesn't support teachers? I'd like specific examples.

They have...

• Proposed merit pay for principals, despite the objections of principals, the District, and teachers. The scheme, brought out of nowhere at a late budget meeting, and since promoted in The Olympian, is not only counter to the aims of the principals in our district, but is a likely first step toward merit pay for teachers, which brings up all sorts of equity concerns.
• Proposed increasing collaboration time, at untold cost to the district, without asking teachers whether they need more time taken away from classroom instruction, instead of further compensating the time we take over and above the school day. (I don't need more collaboration time to finish the stack of journals I have to grade this weekend.)
• Voted against the simple majority resolution because it was "hyperbolic" and had "poor grammar," even though the resolution comes from the Washington State School District Association and, to this English teacher's eye, was a little clunky, but conceptually sound.

This isn't to say that Lehman and Shirley are anti-teacher, or that Barclift and Nafziger are saints. In fact, the OEA's endorsement of Wilson and Barclift was made based on their experience and capabilities, and not on the political wrangling that came to light after we decided, with Board members lining up on either side. I can't emphasize enough how difficult our decision was, considering the strengths of the candidates in this year's election. Wilson, Nejedly, Gentry-Meltzer, and Barclift are all good people--sometimes I think that, as the campaign intensifies, we forget that.

I can only hope that, no matter the outcome, all involved can put the past in the past, and work toward strengthening what's already one of the best districts in the state.

Back to grading stacks of journals.

principals endorse Wilson, Barclift

It's official:

Both the Olympia Education Association and the Olympia Principals Association have endorsed newcomer Frank Wilson for the District 1 seat and incumbent Carolyn Barclift for the District 4 seat.

I'm also heartened by what Nejedly and Meltzer have said:

Meanwhile, their opponents — District 1 candidate Jeff Nejedly and District 4 candidate Lucy Gentry Meltzer — both say they would reach out to teachers and principals if elected, despite not receiving those groups' endorsements.

For both endorsements at least for the OEA, it was a difficult decision. We interviewed and deliberated for hours, spoke with teachers and community members throughout the district, and after a few days, made our decision in good faith, long before this race turned into a slug-fest and ended up dividing the current Board.

No matter who wins, I hope the Board can move forward in a spirit of cooperation and trust.

four reasons to support simple majorities for levies

Co-blogger and blog neighbor Ryan takes Angie Dorman to task for opposing Resolution 4204, the "Simple Majority" bill just aching to become law.

By all accounts, Ms. Dorman is a sensational teacher. There's no disputing the good that she's done for kids in a tough, tough environment. By standing against the simple majority she's working to deny other kids throughout Washington the same things that she would want for her own students, and that's morally indefensible.

How does Ryan reach that conclusion? Click through to find out.

Board candidates to discuss issues

TCTV will soon have the video for today's forum, sponsored by the League of Women Voters. The forum will feature Frank Wilson and Jeff Nejedly, both squaring off for Position 1 on the Olympia School Board. (Carolyn Barclift and Lucy Gentry-Meltzer were both unable to attend.) I'll post the video as soon as it's available.

Also, interested voters can catch up with the candidates at the following dates and locations:

Sunday, 10/7, First Christian Church on 7th and Franklin at 9:30 a.m.

Tuesday, 10/23, at the Reeves Middle School Library at 7:00 p.m.

Tom Hill endorses Carolyn Barclift

Barclift, who is already endorsed by the Olympia Education Association, among others, today received Tom Hill's stamp of approval.

I wish to thank those who voted and expressed their confidence in my ability to represent in the race for Olympia School District Position 4 director....

Because of the important issues facing the district, difficult policy questions, budget restraints, and the need to establish priorities, I feel we need an individual who has the background, the experience and understanding of those issues to represent us.

The current school director, Carolyn Barclift has that experience. Carolyn Barclift desires to hear from those who support her, but equally from those who have different points of view. For the position of Olympia school director Position 4, I encourage you to support Carolyn Barclift.

Hill, if you recall, lost to Barclift and Lucy Gentry-Meltzer in the August 21 primary.

In my brief time speaking with him, I found Tom Hill to be a friendly, thoughtful man with an obvious passion for education. I encourage him to continue to participate in our local and state conversation--and to run again the next time the #4 seat is up for election.

2007 Thurston County Primary results

Initial results from the first tabulation, the three major Olympia races, with much more to come:

That's Green narrowly leading Ottavelli for Council Position 2, Thomas with a comfortable margin over Strub, and Barclift in the lead in the District 4 School Board race.

No predictions. If we've learned anything out here in Washington, it's that we don't go prognosticating until all the votes are in. And not even then.

Update 8/22: With tabulation a mere 2500 votes from completion, nearly nothing has changed--so I'm not even going to update the graphic. Congratulations to Green, Ottavelli, Thomas, Strub, Barclift, and Meltzer, all who move along to the general election in November.

the August 21 primary is upon us

Don't forget to send your ballot via mail or drop it in a drop box today, August 21. (Don't know the location of your nearest drop box? Click here.)

I couldn't quite bring myself to vote for Prophet Atlantis, despite my professed love for quixotic candidates.

Election results coming as soon as they're available...

Update 9:30 p.m. And now they are.

voter guide for District 4 candidates now online

If you're voting in the August primary for the Olympia School Board District 4 race, you've probably received your guide by now. Still, just to be sure, the Thurston County Auditor offers it online as well. Here are the candidates' statements [pdf].

I see a lot of readers are looking for information on the three candidates--incumbent Carolyn Barclift and challengers Tom Hill and Lucy Gentry-Meltzer. Surprisingly, none of them has a website, which, in the 21st century, is unbelievable.

I'm here to fill in the gaps. I'm also curious: what would you like to know about the candidates that you're not necessarily finding elsewhere? Email me at the address listed at right.

Also, I should note that the Olympia Education Association endorses Carolyn Barclift for the District 4 position.

watch the Olympia School Board District 4 candidates

Not sure which candidate you should choose in the Olympia School Board District 4 primary? Watch them square off in a League of Women Voters forum. tctvjohn has the video. For the record, the Olympia Education Association endorses incumbent Carolyn Barclift. (Challengers are Tom Hill and Lucy Gentry-Meltzer.)

school board race gets personal

But not in a bad way, as The Olympian profiles the three candidates vying in the primary for the Position 4 seat.

Barclift, an Olympia police officer, has been pressing the district for years to change its budgeting process to look at the entire budget and prioritize items based on a strategic plan. Now that the district is getting closer to using that process, she wants to see it through....

Gentry-Meltzer, a freelance theater designer and educator, said she thinks that after eight years with the same person in the District 4 seat, it’s time for someone new....

Hill, Olympia’s permit/­inspections manager, building official and development engineer, said his school board experience in California plus the problem-solving skills he has honed at work would be beneficial as the school board faces new challenges.

It should be noted that the Olympia Education Association endorses incumbent Carolyn Barclift.

Frank Wilson endorsed by Olympia Education Association

The official blurb:

Frank Wilson is a strong and passionate supporter of public education, with glowing accolades from teachers and administrators who have seen his commitment as a classroom volunteer, PTA officer and Site Council member. Frank's approachable demeanor, cooperative spirit, and willingness to listen make him well suited to serve the community. The Olympia Education Association is proud to endorse him in his campaign for Position One on the Olympia School Board.

The warm, personal, human side: I've met with Frank Wilson a couple times since the OEA chose to endorse him. We've talked about life in the classroom, issues in the district, campaigning in the 21st century, and camping in western Washington.

The requisite disclosure: I sat on the committee that interviewed and chose whether to endorse candidates. I also wrote the blurb.

Olympia's budget woes delayed for another year

Last night the budget was adopted 3-2.

Board members Lehman and Bob Shirley voted against the budget. Board president Rich Nafziger, vice president Carolyn Barclift and board member Michelle Parvinen voted in favor.

“I’m sympathetic to the perspective that Bob and Russ have presented that we should be making as big of cuts as we can,” Nafziger said before Monday night’s vote. “But we need a strategic approach.”

Looming over the budget discussion was the $1 million or more in cuts the district faces in the 2008-09 school year, which all the board members agreed will hurt programs. But district officials hope that a strategic plan being formulated will guide those decisions.

$1 million seems massive, until you compare it to the size of the overall budget, $81-odd million. That $1 million represents just 1.23%.

Could every position and every program take a 1.23% hit? Or is "thinking small" just not politically feasible?

a tricky question

The union had another round of School Board candidate questioning today, interviewing Lucy Gentry-Meltzer and Tom Hill, both challenging Carolyn Barclift in the upcoming primary. I don't have much to say yet, other than to note a question we didn't ask: What would you do if high school protesters covered in fake blood crashed a school board meeting?

local races set

Electorally speaking, we're ready for the August 21 primary. From this morning's paper:

The key races in the primary will be in Olympia, where three candidates are vying for mayor, four for one council spot and three for another council spot. Olympia schools and the port also have three candidates vying to advance to the Nov. 6 general election.

In the various school board races, Carolyn Barclift will face challengers Tom Hill and Lucy Meltzer; Frank Wilson and Jeff Nejedly will square off in the general election; Rich Nafziger is running unopposed.

interviews with school board candidates

Watch this space--I'll be posting unofficial commentary on OEA interviews with a couple school board candidates who've agreed to undergo interrogation. The first round is this afternoon.

Update: So far we've met with two opposing candidates for Position 1, Jeff Nejedly and Frank Wilson. Both are in the race for the first time, having worked extensively with parent organizations and other volunteer groups, and both feel strongly that better communication with staff and parents is their fundamental concern.

Once the OEA decides on a course of action, I'll post a more detailed look at the two. For now, I can just say that it's been fascinating to work with other area teachers in designing the questions and evaluating their answers. It's also interesting to see how different people handle interviews--which questions they run with, which questions trip them up.