Edmonds School Board incumbent Diana White recently sent a statement about what she thinks is the most important issue in the Nov. 3 school-district election.
White is running unopposed for a second four-year term representing director district 5. The position is one of four Edmonds School Board positions on the ballot. The School District includes Edmonds, Lynnwood, Mountlake Terrace, Woodway, nearby unincorporated areas and part of Brier. Voters throughout the school district vote for each position, but candidates must live in the director districts they wish to represent.
White, the current board president, represents director district 5 in the northwest part of the school district, including the Meadowdale area and the northwest part of the city of Edmonds.
Here is White’s statement:
Edmonds School Director District 5 (4-year term)
Diana White: One of the biggest concerns facing education is the achievement gap. Our schools serve white, upper middle class students fairly well. In fact, most will graduate and move on to college and careers. However, when you begin to factor in ethnic diversity, poverty, broken homes, struggling learners, disabilities, or English as a second language, graduation rates begin to diminish, and rate of college enrollment declines further. Along with many school districts, our data shows higher suspension and expulsion rates, lower graduation rates, more attendance and discipline problems among students with the factors listed above. They are also less likely to take the advanced courses, which provide a boost in college credit.
Like many districts, we are working towards leveling the playing field for all students. This is why the urgency to fix the school funding issue is so important. Our current system, which is over- dependent on levy funding, favors more affluent districts. Poorer and more diverse districts have a difficult time in hiring and retaining quality teachers, providing updated class materials and technology, building classrooms and facilities and more. The current system creates huge inequities and this must change.
Our population is becoming more diverse, and we must find ways to truly give equal opportunities to all of our students, not just some.
Evan Smith can be reached at schsmith@frontier.com.
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