While the Marysville School Board underwent a major overhaul at the polls Nov. 4, most other boards across Snohomish County had few or no changes.
Roughly two-thirds of the open school board seats were filled by incumbents, and most ran unopposed.
"I hope it’s a good sign that people are satisfied," said Karen Madsen, an Everett School Board member who ran unopposed. "Hopefully, it’s not a lack of interest. I don’t think it is."
Newcomers and incumbents say tightening budgets, flattening enrollment in many communities and state and federal demands to increase student achievement are some of their biggest challenges ahead.
Here’s a look at who is coming and going from each district.
Newcomers Jeff Huleatt and Jim Weiss replace Steve Peterson and Sue Winterhalter, who decided not to seek re-election, while Kay Duskin ran unopposed. All three terms expire in 2007.
Other board members are Robert McClure and Carolyn Erickson, whose terms end in 2005.
Incumbents Judith Nevitt and Linda McPherson ran unopposed for four-year terms, as did newcomer Tim Lovell.
Lovell replaces Ruth Rankin, who decided not to run again.
Terms for Peter Selvig and Mary Ann Reddell do not expire until 2005.
Darrington, in particular, has been hit hard by declining enrollment over the past two years.
The Edmonds School Board loses 24 years of experience in Judy Janes and Sally Fabro, who served 16 and eight years, respectively, but decided not to run again. Taking their spots are Gary Noble and Douglas Fair, who won contested elections.
Patrick Shields, who was appointed to the board in 2002, ran unopposed.
They join Bruce Williams and Mimi Terwilliger, whose terms expire in 2005.
Fair said the biggest short-term challenge will be balancing the district budget, which could require another series of cuts.
Nevertheless, he is impressed with the direction the school board has taken the district.
"There is no need to right the ship. The ship is pretty well righted," he said. "They have laid a good groundwork for the school district. It’s a question of being good stewards of that."
Incumbents Sue Cooper and Karen Madsen were re-elected to six-year terms.
"We feel really good about the direction in which the district is going," Madsen said. "We are working very hard to deal with the fact that we have financial challenges and staying on the road to continuous improvement that we have been on the while."
That road to improvement includes increasing student achievement, strengthening finances and improving partnerships with parents and the community, she said.
Other board members are Paul Roberts, Kristie Dutton and Roy Yates.
Incumbents Becky Brown and Bob Quarterman ran unopposed and were re-elected to four-year terms.
They join Rick Short, Ross Londerville and Siobhan Sullivan, whose terms expire in 2005.
Incumbents Patty Krona, Susan Cross and Kirsten Williams ran unopposed in the tiny district with less than 40 students.
Incumbents Rodney Mace and Mari Taylor were unopposed, while fellow board member Bob Bernethy outdistanced a write-in challenger.
Newcomer Gail Manahan, a former middle school counselor in the district who is married to Sunnycrest Elementary School principal Rob Manahan, also won a spot on the board for two years.
They join Janice Thompson, whose term is not up until 2005.
Gregory Jensen replaces board member Jean Sager, who didn’t seek another term.
The district is also looking for a new board member to replace Fredda Smith, who did not seek re-election and plans to move from the area. No one filed for the position in District 5 last summer. The district advertised for the opening, with applications ending Nov. 7.
Still, no one applied, said Allen Sharples, a school district spokesman. The district has now extended the deadline to Dec. 5.
Incumbents are Oscar Escalante, Ellen Phillips and Ken Christiansen, whose terms expire in 2005.
W. Dean Adams and Mary Sieverson ran unopposed and were re-elected to terms that will expire in 2007.
Other incumbents are Tom MacIntyre, Greg Baker and Sue Magruder, whose terms expire in 2005.
Incumbents Kevin Laverty, Geoff Short and Anna Rice were re-elected to terms that expire in 2007.
Other incumbents are Judy Schwab and Bruce Miller, whose terms expire in 2005.
"Clearly, the most critical challenge we are going to face is going to be budgetary and how we can keep the academic achievementpace going ahead without harming the other beneficial programs we have in the district," Laverty said.
Incumbents Rich Baldwin and B-Z Davis ran unopposed for new four-year terms.
Other board members are Vicki Opsata, Gene Hawkridge and Cathy Swanson, whose terms expire in 2005.
Dennis Wick ran unopposed and was re-elected to a term that expires in 2007.
Newcomer Leah Hughes-Anderson ran unopposed and will take over for Ken Housden, who did not seek another term.
Also on the board are Jay Hagen, Tom Pendergast and Cyd Nourgat, whose terms expire in 2005.
A big issue for the new board will be school construction and renovation projects. A 38-member committee of district residents has been meeting almost weekly since March and will soon present its recommendations for community input, said J.Marie Merrifield, a school district spokeswoman.
Incumbent Bill Garrison, who was appointed earlier this year to the board in replace Matt Keller, was elected to term that expires in 2007.
Also taking oaths of office soon will be Darlene Hartley and Ken Christoferson. Hartley replaces Terry Greer, who resigned, and Christoferson takes over for Carol Ruble, who didn’t seek another term.
Other board members whose terms expire in 2005 are Sharon Baumgartner and Roger Myers.
"I think it’s a great board," said superintendent Jean Shumate, who noted Christoferson’s previous board experience and that Hartley and Garrison have career backgrounds in education.
Incumbent Craig Roesler ran unopposed for another term, while Charles Van Pelt will replace Lauri Hitchcock, who did not seek re-election.
Other board members were not on the ballot, including Patty Fountain, Sholine Glover and Tracy Cotterill. Their terms expire in 2005.
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