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In recent years the Shoreline School District has lurched
from one financial crisis to another. Neighborhood schools are being shuttered.
Families are abandoning the district. Meanwhile the School Board ignores community
input as they pursue their personal agendas. It is time for a change!
Here Are My Responses to a School Board Candidate Survey by The Enterprise Newspaper, submitted July 19, 2007:
Q: Money for schools has been tight in recent years. When decisions need to be made about what's to be funded and what's not,
what are your top three priorities for where the money should go? Explain your reasoning.
A: Our ultimate "customers" are the students.
Our children are our future. They deserve the best education we can afford so they will grow up to be intelligent, productive and successful
leaders, workers and voters. Money expended for direct student benefit is the highest priority. This includes teachers' salaries, teaching
materials and supplies.
A healthy and safe learning environment is also important, so reasonable and affordable facility and transportation
investments are also a priority.
School support staff: principals, office staff, librarians, nurses, janitorial /maintenance, etc. are third.
After that, the further removed from direct student benefit the lower the spending priority.
Q: What is your decision making process when community input conflicts, in whole or in part, with district recommendations?
A: You can't please everyone on every issue, but you can respectfully invite and consider the different viewpoints before reaching a decision.
You can also explain the rationale behind your decisions so that the public can feel confident that they were heard. We have a large community of
highly skilled and concerned parents and businesses who can all offer valuable insights and suggestions. I would value their input as my own
"personal staff of advisors". I intend to increase the openness and transparency of the decision making process to increase the community's
confidence in the direction our district is moving.
Q: How important do you think it is to give more technology to students? Why?
A: By technology I assume you mean
laptops. School is a continuum, with the elementary grades teaching "the basics", middle school is a transition, and high school being more serious
preparation for adulthood where the students will become full-fledged, productive members of society. The closer the students are to graduation,
the more important it becomes that they can apply the "technologies" they need to survive, contribute and excel in society. I have reservations about
the appropriateness in grade schools - I support limited use in grades 4-6 for targeted assignments but I'm not convinced that each student needs a
personal laptop.
You can contact me, Richard Potter, at:
18400 15th PL NE, Shoreline, WA 98155
(206) 367-5477 email:
Vote4Potter@gmail.com
Thank you for your support! Together we can make a difference!
Paid for by Citizens to Elect Richard Potter. Thanks for taking the time to learn more - your support is crucial to our children!
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