EDMONDS — The race for the Edmonds School Board has two candidates challenging a 12-year incumbent.
Mark Norton, who works in security for King County Metro and Mary Murphy, a volunteer and mother of two teenagers, are challenging Gary Noble, who seeking election to his fourth term on the board.
The two candidates who garner the most votes in the Aug. 4 primary will face off in the November general election.
Norton said he decided to run because he has two children in the school district. “I’d like to be a part of what moves the district financially and educationally, he said.
Norton said he has questions about the district’s decision to install crumb rubber fill in a synthetic field being installed at the former Woodway High School.
“It seemed like a rush to a decision,” he said. “I think it needs to be revisited, not just the topic, but the process they went through to make that decision.”
Some parents have raised concerns about the tiny particles used as fill on the field, made from ground up tires. The particles that make up the fill can be released during sports play and then swallowed or inhaled. The construction of the sports fields is being paid for with money from the state, the Verdant Health Commission, the City of Edmonds and the Edmonds School District.
Reviews by outside consultants hired by both Verdant and the school district found the chemical levels in artificial turf do not present a risk to people playing on or using the fields. However, a University of Washington soccer coach has questioned whether there’s a link between playing on the turf fields and former soccer players being diagnosed with cancer.
Norton said he’s also concerned by achievement gaps among students, particularly those who are low-income or are members of families in which a language other than English is spoken. If students do not get help when they’re young, more students will fail to graduate, he said.
Noble said he would like to serve another term on the school board when one of its duties isn’t budget cutting. During the recession, programs such as after-school tutoring were cut.
Noble said one of his priorities is reducing class sizes. While the Legislature provided money for smaller class sizes in kindergarten through third grade, that doesn’t help the remaining students, he said. “We still have lab courses with 35 kids,” he said.
Noble defended the school district’s decision on using crumb rubber fill on the sport fields at the former Woodway High School. The rubber fill is used at stadiums at the University of Washington, CenturyLink field “and virtually every artificial turf field in Puget Sound,” he said.
Problems were found with alternative fill products, he said. There’s a fairly limited supply of one material made from ground up scraps from Nike shoe factories, he said. And there are only two fields in the United States using cork, coconut husks and rice hulls as fill. “It’s untested in our area,” he said. “We did not feel that we should spend extra money on a product that we didn’t know whether it would work properly.”
Murphy is making her first run for public office. She said she decided to enter the school board race because “basically I just want to give back to the community.” Murphy said she has helped out with field trips and other school activities. Murphy said she thinks the school district is “doing a great job and I just want to be part of a good team.”
She said that the refurbishing and upgrading of schools “is really important for education.” She said she would like for students to better understand how important it is to graduate rather than drop out. “I would hope the school district can help them see they have potential and graduation is very, very important,” she said.
Sharon Salyer: 425-339-3486 or salyer@heraldnet.com
Members of the Edmonds School board serve for four-year terms. They are paid $50 a day for school board related activities not to exceed $4,800 per year.
Name: Gary Noble
Age: 67
Experience: 12 years on Edmonds school board; 29 years Boeing engineer and manager, now retired
Website: none
Name: Mark L. Norton
Age: 41
Experience: King County Metro, manager of transit security and emergency preparedness
Volunteer/Experience: Major, Civil Air Patrol
Website: www.markforschools.org
Name: Mary Murphy
Age: 42
Experience: Mother of two teenagers, graduate of Edmonds-Woodway High School.
Website: None
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