In the lone race for McCleary School Board, longtime educator Melissa Ashlock has challenged Tom Moonan for the District 3 seat.
Moonan, a U.S. Army, veteran and volunteer club wrestling coach, was appointed to the seat in April 2022.
“After many months of being frustrated with the direction the school district was being ran by the prior superintendent, I decided I wanted to get on the school board to try my best to make a difference and a positive change,” he wrote in an email.
Since then, and the subsequent hiring of new Superintendent Susan Zetty, Moonan said the district has “turned the ship around and corrected course to the right direction” facing post-COVID issues. He said the district updated the School Safety Plan, which was one of his top priorities other than student academic achievement.
As a parent to two children in the district, Moonan said “there should be comfort in knowing our children and school staff are safe while they are there.”
He also highlighted that the district passed an operations levy last November, and said one of the biggest challenges facing the district is how it will manage increasing enrollment due to population growth in McCleary.
Ashlock would bring more than three decades of teaching experience from around Grays Harbor to the McCleary School Board. During her time as a standard and special education instructor of many grade levels, she was also a union president, served on curriculum committees, and raised seven children through public schools.
In her retirement, Ashlock said she has more time on her hands, and has followed McCleary School Board meetings. She said she ran to ensure “all people involved are listened to equally.”
“Communication and transparency are very important to me, so I wanted to be able to offer those skills to the community,” Ashlock said, noting communication and transparency issues with the previous administration. She said that tide has turned with the new superintendent, especially since the district updated its website.
Contact reporter Clayton Franke at 406-552-3917 or clayton.franke@thedailyworld.com.
