Here Are My Responses to a School Board Candidate Questionnaire by the Shoreline Education Association, submitted July 19, 2007, updated September 16, 2007:

Q: Why are you seeking the position of School Board Director?
A: As a parent I want my children to have the best education we can afford in a safe and secure learning environment.
    As a taxpayer I want my tax dollars to be spent responsibly to maximize the value returned on each dollar.
    As a homeowner I want to live in a School District with a great reputation for excellence to increase the value of my property.
    On behalf of the business community I want our children to be well educated so that they can be productive leaders and employees.
    On behalf of our society I want our children to become well-informed voters.
    As a member of the community I want our voices to be heard by the School Board so that all of the above will happen. We deserve nothing less.

Q: Describe your past commitment to, and involvement in, public schools including enrollment decisions involving your own children and family.
A: My family values education highly. I am a strong supporter of public education because our children are our future. I moved to Shoreline many years ago, in part due to the superb reputation of the schools. I attended a very diverse school as a child and greatly valued the environment of North City Elementary for my children for that reason. I have taught Junior Achievement and the A World In Motion engineering program in the classroom. My wife regularly teaches math in the classroom as a parent volunteer. She is also a past PTA president.

Q: What do you see as the relationship between school board directors and the local teacher association? How would you develop this relationship?
A: We need to restore mutual respect between the Board and the teachers. We need to provide a better means of communication than one-way two-minute snippets at a hearing. The key is better, more open and honest communication. We should also consider adding a non-voting teacher representative to the Board.

Q: Do you support the collective bargaining process between employees and the district?
A: Absolutely, and in addition I support the Union's demands for reasonable wages and benefits.

Q: As a school board director, what would you do to ensure the physical, emotional and psychological safety of students in our schools?
A: The current structures in place work reasonably well. A regular review of policies and their effectiveness would be reasonable. We should ensure that there are adequate reporting mechanisms in place. Open communication between the teachers and the Board are essential to nip problems in the bud.

Q: As a school board director, what would you do to help the district increase parent/community involvement at school sites and in the district, especially in diverse communities?
A: This can be a problem when both parents are working two jobs to get by. We need adequate childcare at the school to facilitate parent involvement. Flexible scheduling would allow greater participation. We need more outreach in the parents' home languages to encourage participation.

Q: How can elected officials make sure the interests of most people are best served when some people are very vocal and often claim to speak for the majority?
A: Parents that raise specific questions need to (and deserve to) have those questions answered. Contradictory evidence must be evaluated and resolved to instill confidence in the electorate. Honestly inviting community input will reveal the true community perspective.

Q: After years of frustration with the political system failing to provide adequate funding for our schools, would you support a lawsuit to force the state to meet its paramount duty to provide ample funding for Washington schools?
A: The State Legislature finally started to make progress on school funding this year. I'd like to keep the pressure on the Legislators to continue their support. If they revert to old practices either a citizen's initiative or a lawsuit would be in order.

Q: What is your opinion of attempting to save money by contracting out district services? (For example, transportation, food services, maintenance, etc.)
A: Our core competency is education. There are certain functions that are better to keep in house, not necessarily for financial reasons. Things that the district is not well equipped to do should be competitively contracted out to local businesses, which would help ensure accountability and keep the district's money local.

Q: Many teachers and educational support personnel believe that they are ultimately responsible to the community and the students they serve. To whom do you believe board members are responsible to?
A: Legally the Board is responsible to the electorate. In reality they are responsible to every constituency in the school district, starting with the number one customer - the students. The Board is also responsible for looking out for the needs of the teachers who provide the primary product - education, as well as the taxpayers who provide the funding.

Q: How would you communicate with your constituency?
A: The current format of the School Board meetings does not allow for any meaningful interaction between the Board and the community. I'd like the Board to hold some sessions where there is real two-way communication to explore concerns and suggestions. Some sessions might target a specific topic, while others would be wide open to anything the community wishes to discuss. Personally, I will hold regular public meetings. I check my email regularly. Paper newsletters are probably cost-prohibitive but I will maintain an email distribution list for interested constituents. Regular classroom visits. Increase use of the School District website to publish all relevant district information to promote transparency of status and decision making processes.

Q: How will you ensure that you hear from minority communities and communities of color?
A: Open public meetings held to the extent possible in local venues to minimize transportation issues. Provide interpreters as needed. Everyone deserves the same access to information and the same opportunities for input.

Q: The WASL has been a hot topic of discussion across the state because it is currently being used to prevent students from graduating from high school. Sound assessment research clearly objects to having one assessment determine high stakes decisions. The WEA believes that student achievement and high standards should be measured in multiple ways and that a single test should not prevent a student from graduating. What is your position on the WASL and education reform?
A: Testing is a useful tool but should not obscure our final goal - a well educated student body. Setting artificial test requirements that distract from the regular course of education is a disservice to our students. There must be some means ensuing that the student has attained a minimum the level of competence to progress a grade or graduate. The current WASL is clearly problematic.

Q: Who will you look to for advice on instructional matters?
A: I know many good teachers. I will gladly seek their advice, as well as others in the District's curriculum advisory office.

Q: What is your view of the role of the school board in relation to selection and retention of instructional materials?
A: In general the Board does not have the time or expertise to evaluate instructional materials. We rely on the expertise of the professionals. We would only weigh in if there is a significant issue or disagreement.

Q: How much latitude should the individual teacher have in his/her classroom? How should controversial issues be addressed?
A: Teachers should have as much latitude in the classroom as possible within the constraints of state law and district policy. I've always felt that a little knowledge is a bad thing, and that censorship just increases the allure of "forbidden" topics. Our children are much more aware of what is going on around them than most parents realize. Therefore an open and enlightened approach invariably yields the best results.

Q: How should schools meet the needs of students of color? How should schools meet the needs of sexual minority youth?
A: We need to be watchful for any signs of discrimination or abuse and address these issues promptly. Every student deserves the opportunity of a good education in a threat and harassment-free environment.

Q: As a school board director, what would you do to help the district reach and maintain financial stability?
A: At a time when most local school districts are seeing increased enrollment, we must stop driving away our customers, the students, and their funding. We need a thorough external audit to identify where all the money has been going in previous years. We must continue to reduce unnecessary spending, cut overhead costs, streamline processes and implement proper controls on expenses. We must verify that we comply with state law and district policy on competitive contracting. We must pressure the state for better funding and actively work with the Shoreline Foundation, PTAs, and others to raise additional funding. It is WRONG to balance the budget at the expense of the teachers!

Q: What steps would you take if you found yourself in disagreement with a decision or direction the school district was taking?
A: With the increased transparency I intend to bring to the Board's decision making process, public support or opposition to an issue should be easy to ascertain. On significant issues I will stand up for what the public clearly wants, and with their backing we will ultimately sway the direction.

Q: What are your priorities for the school district?
A: Reestablish the district's reputation for excellence to attract new students by putting education first. Get finances under control once and for all with structures in place to prevent reoccurrences of mismanagement. Open the lines of communication with the community and increase transparency of the decision making process.

Q: Should we choose to endorse you, what does being a candidate endorsed by our education association mean to you?
A: The SEA is a well-known and respected organization whose support would be greatly appreciated and valued by me. This would be a strong vote of confidence that I will support our teachers.

Q: Do you have anything else you would like to tell the committee that we did not cover in our questions?
A: Last spring the district stated that the anticipated savings from closing two schools would cover upcoming teachers' raises, among other things. After giving raises to everybody else, they then came back and claimed that there was no money left so the teachers must take money out of one pocket and put it into another pocket to reward themselves with a raise. How insulting! Against overwhelming odds, our teachers have managed to produce quality education in the classrooms. Imagine how much more they could do with the full backing and support of the administration and School Board!

You can contact me, Richard Potter, at:

18400 15th PL NE, Shoreline, WA 98155
(206) 367-5477 email: Vote4Potter@gmail.com

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