Thanking our beloved school board members | Letter to the editor

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By proclamation of the governor, January is School Board Recognition Month. It’s a great time to recognize our elected community members who, as public servants, selflessly give their time and energy in support of high-quality public education for our youth. And they all had to do so to an even higher level this school year due to the global pandemic. 

School board members in the four districts in East Jefferson County are entrusted by our communities with responsibility for annual budgets of millions of dollars and serve students and families encompassing Brinnon, Quilcene, Port Townsend and the Chimacum/Hadlock/Port Ludlow area.

School boards are charged with making decisions that can sometimes be quite difficult, or require sifting through a great deal of information. They also bear responsibility for developing a vision that will guide their school district for years to come. Through collaboration as a team, and with school district staff, their governance and advocacy are building the future of education in our districts, county and our state.

This January, please join the area superintendents in our effort to thank a board member. Please thank them for volunteering their time, energy and intellect, and for playing a critical civic role that helps form the bedrock of our democracy—public education. As a crucial bridge between the local community and the school district, their efforts are instrumental in helping all of us realize the hopes and dreams we have for the children of our community.

Local school board members and years of service are:

Brinnon School District

Joe Baisch - 11 years

Bill Barnet – 13 years

Mary Fickett – three years

Ron Stephens – six years

Shirley Towne – seven years

Chimacum School District

Sarah Martin - eight years

Dr. Kristina Mayer - one year

Mickey Nagy - one year

Tami Robocker - one year

Kathryn Lamka - Newly appointed

Quilcene School District

Paul Mahan – five years

Cindy Pollard – three years

Viviann Kuehl – five years

Trisha Freiberg – two years

Jessica Gossette – one year

Port Townsend Public Schools

Jennifer James-Wilson – 11 years

Nathanael O’Hara – six years

Connie Welch – five years

Jeffrey Taylor – one year

Doug Ross – one year

Patricia Beathard, Brinnon Superintendent
David Engle, Chimacum Superintendent
Frank Redmon, Quilcene Superintendent
Sandra Gessner-Crabtree, Port Townsend Superintendent