School district leaders might do well to start recruiting now for vacant school board positions this fall in Darrington and Sultan.
Spots on both boards remained vacant after two separate filing periods for the November general election, and past experiences in other rural districts show it could take months to find willing people.
Sultan School District Superintendent Al Robinson said when he was in the Nespelem School District in Eastern Washington, it took a year to fill one vacancy and several months to fill another. For seven overlapping months, the school board operated with an empty seat.
“We just basically continued as board members and the superintendent beating the bushes,” Robinson said.
He said school boards can be a lightning rod when things aren’t going well, while attracting little attention when everything is running smoothly.
“The interest does seem to be less than normal,” said David Brine, a spokesman for the Washington State School Directors Association.
On Monday, just three candidates showed up for a candidates forum in Everett. In the past, the workshop has drawn 15 to 20 people.
“It’s a real commitment of time,” Brine said. “It’s no pay and a certain amount of grief for tough decisions. It’s always a challenge to get people to run for the school board, no matter where you go.”
It took the Lakewood School District nearly five months to find someone willing to serve on its board in 2004. Lakewood used newsletters, press releases, its Web site and three mailings to residents in the part of the school district left without board representation
“The first couple of mailings, we didn’t get a single response,” said Lakewood Superintendent Larry Francois.
Three people finally came forward.
Jill Leonard, whose five children attended Lakewood’s schools over the years, was eventually chosen. She is one of four Lakewood School Board members who will run unopposed this fall.
Leonard, a longtime Lakewood school volunteer, remembers getting the fliers recruiting for the school board opening and initially thinking she was too busy with family and work obligations.
“I didn’t know if I wanted to take on the commitment,” she said. “Now, I’m more than eager. I just love it.”
It’s not just rural areas that have a dearth of candidates. Only six of 38 school board openings in Snohomish County have contested races. None of the races has more than two candidates.
Statewide, there are 770 candidates for just under 700 openings, meaning most candidates are running unopposed.
Sultan’s opening is in its District 1, covering the middle section of the city west of Sultan Basin Road, east of Fourth Street and north of U.S. 2. Sholine Ravensberg decided not to run for another term, and the board will decide how it wants to replace her.
The board vacancy in Darrington is in District 1, where Mary Ann Reddell chose not to run. District 1 covers the area south of Sauk Prairie Road and east of the Mountain Loop Highway.
“I really hope somebody will jump up to the plate and take it on,” said Pete Selvig, who has served on the Darrington School Board for 29 years.
Reporter Eric Stevick: 425-339-3446 or stevick@heraldnet.com.
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