Q & A with North Beach School Board candidates

With the Aug. 1 primary election less than one week away, voters who live in the North Beach can anticipate two contested races for school board, including the District 1 seat.

Incumbent Jeff Albertson — who also serves as school board president — was appointed to the position last fall, and looks to defend his seat from opponents Francelle Jordan and Rickie Day.

The Daily World asked candidates to explain their positions on the biggest issues facing the district — financial instability, capital projects, tsunami towers and test scores. Their answers have been edited for clarity, accuracy and grammar.

Francelle Jordan

Why are you running for school board director?

“I am running for school board director to bring upon change on how current policies that most impact our children are managed.”

If elected, what would be your main priorities?

“While learning from the past, we need to move forward with our concentration on improving school culture. Advocating for student learning in order to recognize and utilize student data to improve academic achievement and graduation rates.”

Please provide a short summary of your personal and professional background. How would that lend itself to the position of school board director?

“In working with children for over 30 years, as a teacher, I believe I have a thorough educational background to know what it takes to provide our children with a strong and safe educational experience.”

The North Beach School District failed to pass consecutive ballot measures last year: a $110 million bond and a $7 million levy. What would be your plan to secure funding needed for necessary capital projects around the district?

“As a school board director, I would make sure to educate the community on the importance of levy and bond measures in order to gain support. Levies should allow students to grow and thrive.”

What would you do to protect students from the threat of a tsunami? Do you support building a vertical evacuation tower for the students of Ocean Shores Elementary? If so, where, and how would you choose to fund it?

“In order to protect students from a tsunami, I would construct a tower on the grounds of Ocean Shores Elementary School. In order to fund this project, I would look to the government for support. I would then research other avenues for assistance with this project. Finally, I would bring my ideas to the community for their input and support.”

The district is currently facing decisions about cuts to programs and staff. What are your ideas for solutions for the current budget pinch?

“My suggestions for budget solutions are to work with the superintendent and trust that he has worked with the office staff and union to come up with a balanced budget, trust that he’s being transparent in sharing his solution with the board and trust the process of who they put in charge.”

The most recent OSPI data shows North Beach School District is below state average in test scores: 36% of students met grade level standards in English and Science assessments, while 19% of students met Math assessment standards. If elected, would you strive to improve test scores? If so, how?

“I would strive to improve test scores in the district by utilizing student data to align curriculum to meet the students’ needs and improve academic achievement for all students.”

Jeff Albertson

Why are you running for school board director?

I was motivated to seek appointment to the school board in 2022 (and now, to run for a full four-year term) to help ensure that the North Beach School District will be able to provide great educational opportunities and outcomes for my son, who is a rising first-grader, and his classmates. Public schools are among the most vital institutions in any community, and our school district needs to improve.

If elected, what would be your main priorities?

Academic Achievement: The NBSD has significant room to improve on learning outcomes, as evidenced by the rates at which our students met state standards in Spring 2022 — only 19% in Math, 36% in English/Language Arts, and 37% in Science.

Enrollment and Attendance: Our district-wide attendance rate in the most recent year tracked (2021-22) was only 57%, and enrollment has dropped steadily from nearly 700 students just prior to the pandemic, to only 620 today.

Accountability and Fiscal Responsibility: In recent years, the school district has eaten into its fiscal reserve annually, over-hired in some administrative areas, and raised compensation for some positions above the norm for districts of our size. Meanwhile, inattention to critical employee-supervision responsibilities has resulted in a costly payout to a former superintendent and ballooning costs for legal representation and processing public records requests.

Please provide a short summary of your personal and professional background. How would that lend itself to the position of school board director?

I have experience from my 25-year career in the tech industry with strategic planning, organizational leadership, communications, project management and financial forecasting. I’m currently a group product manager at Google Inc., my employer for the past nine years. That said, a school district is not an organization that can or should be “run like a business.” I also have extensive experience as a nonprofit board leader with three mission-driven organizations — Teen Feed (a meal and case management program for homeless youth); Washington Conservation Voters (environmental policy advocacy); and Equal Rights Washington (civil rights). Finally, I’ve served on the school board since September 2022 and have been its chair since January 2023.

Regarding capital facilities, the good news is that the state of Washington has made significant funding available to school districts like ours since that failed bond campaign in 2022. As a board member, I have been moving us forward in the state’s process to access those funds to address critical issues like the relocation of Pacific Beach Elementary out of the tsunami inundation zone, seismic retrofit of the junior/senior high school, and provision of vertical evacuation options at both of our Ocean Shores-area campuses.

I do support building a vertical evacuation facility for the students and staff of Ocean Shores Elementary, provided that this facility is located directly on the school campus where it can be easily accessible in the moments after a major earthquake. This should be primarily funded by the state’s Seismic Safety grant program, with the school district raising its local match portion (approximately one-third of the cost) through a future bond issue to be approved by voters.

The district is currently facing decisions about cuts to programs and staff. What are your ideas for solutions for the current budget pinch?

Earlier this week, the school board approved a pragmatic budget for the 2023-24 school year that makes conservative assumptions about enrollment (which drives our revenue from the state) and includes significant belt-tightening in specific areas, most notably by eliminating two administrator roles and implementing furloughs for district office staff. Even so, it forecasts that we will dip a further $100,000-plus into our fiscal reserves by the end of the year. The board will work with the superintendent to identify further operational efficiencies, and to engage families to re-enroll their students in the district, to help close this gap throughout the year.

None of us — not in the school district, nor in the broader community — should view these academic outcomes as acceptable, or write them off merely as post-COVID impacts on learning progress. We need a strategic plan to address these shortcomings that will span several areas, including how we can better evaluate, support and up-skill our classroom teachers; how we can engage community volunteers in one-on-one tutoring for specific subjects; and how we can standardize classroom curricula across the district at all levels to reduce friction as students move up from grade to grade and building to building.

Rickie Day

Why are you running for school board director?

“Maintain adherence to process and procedural compliance. Increase learning standards, support superintendent direction, supporting parents and citizens voice.”

If elected, what would be your main priorities?

“Adherence for work process practices are achieved by procedural understandings.”

Please provide a short summary of your personal and professional background. How would that lend itself to the position of school board director?

“I’m a grand dad, children are first. Standards taught results in respectful integrity and work habits. Early training in following directions of standards allows clarity of expectations of one’s character.

I worked, supervised and managed multiple trades following process and procedural instruction/direction compliance. Interacted with trade management to successfully maintain United States Naval vessels, using prints, technical drawings, Naval sea systems command requirements, thousands of signed, certified documents. Personnel training, leave, work assignments and arrange successfully supporting independent medical, legal, personal concerns.”

“At this time, I will look to understand current concerns, constraints that are impacting upkeep, maintenance to complete prior to beginning new projects. Look at first impressions of schools’ presence within our community.”

“I will follow current schools emergency alert preparation. To understand planning of tsunamis tower and funding involved status. Align knowledge with superintendent, school board, communities input and address any concerns.”

The district is currently facing decisions about cuts to programs and staff. What are your ideas for solutions for the current budget pinch?

“I will need additional information to address what currently is forcing a RIF and what programs are affected, current budget and with the school board, superintendent to determine corrective action if necessary.” (Note: The North Beach School District’s budget for the 2023/2024 school year did not include a Reduction In Force.)

“Yes. When I was in school, teachers held us accountable as did my parents. When in trouble or having difficulty, my parents knew when I got home. Direction, adherence to responsibilities. Holding students to a standard. Discipline with understanding.”

If there’s anything else you’d like to add, please do:

“I am not connected with current faculty, administrators, maintenance personnel. I do not have children in this school district. I am approachable, understanding of others opinions, knowledgeable in following instruction. Children, too, need mentors. All of them. To ensure team cohesive understanding of their responsibilities.”