Every two years, our community takes part in one of the most important local elections on the ballots — the decision of who to elect as our school board directors. The Northshore School District (NSD) is one of the largest employers in its district. But, aside from providing jobs within this community, which includes portions of Bothell, Kenmore, Redmond and Woodinville, it has a significant impact on the quality of life for all of us. The success of the district, meaning how well the NSD does in providing a strong education for our children, impacts the value of our homes, the types of businesses it attracts and even the crime rate in our area.  Furthermore, and most importantly, the school district is a critical component to the future success of our children.  Therefore, it’s well worth our time to consider the candidates we will be electing on to our school boards.

We need to ask the questions of what has our school board achieved, and what do we want it to achieve in the near and distant future. It’s not news that the NSD has worked on trimming its budget for the past decade. Yet, in spite of this daunting challenge, in the past two years our school board has managed to restore some of its cut programs (e.g., music and the fifth-grade overnight environmental program), invest in updating its math and literacy programs (as well as working toward science and other subjects), and resisted the practice of releasing staff during economic downturns.  The board has also been responsive to the community’s requests for more rigorous middle-school programs. As a result of the collaboration between administrators, the board, and the community the NSD is now implementing the first phase of a middle-school “Challenge” program.

For the future, there’s ongoing discussion about expanding the nationally recognized International Baccalaureate (IB) program and providing more Advanced Placement opportunities for students. The board has also endorsed district support for preserving the largest forested area in Bothell, which feeds directly into the wetlands that are being restored by a group from the University of Washington, Bothell. And, for the first time in our district’s history, the board is tying achieving district goals with senior administrative performance evaluations.

By most accounts, the district under this current board has made significant strides to maintaining and advancing our children’s educations.  However, the projections for a prolonged economic downturn will continue to challenge this district. This is, without a doubt, a critical piece in determining the future plans for the district. How will the next school board respond to this hurdle, whether it includes a mix of new directors or keeps the current board intact? Will these board directors continue to engage the community and collaborate to find innovative solutions? Will they continue to prioritize and protect student programs? Will those elected continue to assure oversight of fiscal responsibility and transparency?

Whatever our concerns and criteria are for good school-district governance, we need to take the time to consider and elect the most qualified individuals onto the school board. At stake is the quality of our communities, as well as our children’s futures.

Tolli Lowell-Forker, Bothell