My entry into politics was when I ran for the local school board after a divisive teachers' strike. I felt like the local public school system did not represent the values of the District. I ran against two highly competent opponents who were equally concerned about the state of things, but I was able to prevail in both the primary and regular elections. I am also proud to say that both of my competitors eventually supported my run for the US Congress.

There is no end to the challenges and opportunities of a school board director. When I was first elected I sat down with local officials and community leaders to craft a plan of action for my term on the school board. I wanted a clear list for me to accomplish and a visible means for the public to base their judgment of me as a school board director. My service to the District can be summed up by the goals and accomplishments I set for myself with my kitchen cabinet immediately upon election. They were:

1. Heal the Rift - I worked to smooth the relationship between the many stake holder groups with an interest in the school district. The culmination of this was witnessed in the 70%+ voter approval for the February 7, 2006 bond and levy ballot offerings.


2. Avoid a Strike - I worked with the unions to improve relations and in 2004 we signed three-year contracts with all the unions.


3. Funding Our Schools - I traveled to Olympia many times to testify in hearings and personally meet with legislators which is critically important to getting specific funding. In addition, I became a member of the prestigious Federal Relations Network and lobbied the US Congress for more money for our schools and to stop unfunded mandates.


4. Special Education Programs - The relationship between the school district and the parents of students involved in special education programs was strained so I worked to develop new forums to enhance the dialog between parents and the schools.


5. Complete Transparency - The school district, as with any government agency, has to operate openly and honestly with both the public and the media. I ensured that our press releases and public statements were straightforward and not misleading. I also encouraged parents and interested parties to attend school board meetings and we removed the time limit for speakers during public comment.


6. Focus On Children's Learning - During my time on the school Board we achieved the highest SAT scores in the history of the state. We also produced some of the highest WASL scores in the state with both reading and writing scores passed by 95% of our students.


7. Personnel - The Superintendent is the main personnel decision the board has to make and with the retirement of the Superintendent in 2007 we are well underway in the search to find a highly qualified replacement.


8. Tenure as School Board President - I served a year as school board president and during that time we developed a scoping team that came up with a full and complete bond and levy package that was both fair and balanced. The community overwhelmingly supported this package and voters passed the four ballot measures by over a 70% margin of victory.


9. Policy Governance Model - I was able to search the country for the best consultant to help us find a viable method of working with policy governance while Board president, and we developed the best possible vision statement for the district. Our work and our vision statement have been acclaimed by experts as the best in the country for recognizing that our children need to be prepared for a globally competitive world.


10. My campaign promise was to serve only one term. I worked hard to engage quality individuals in the affairs of the school district and have developed a very qualified person to replace me.