SEQUIM SCHOOL BOARD CANDIDATES

Sarah Bedinger and Stuart McColl

by AVANI NADKARNI
Staff writer

School board candidates Sarah Bedinger and Stuart McColl agree on one thing. The focus of the schools needs to be on student improvement, especially in scores on state tests such as the Washington Assessment of the Student Learning.

“It’s really easy to get sidetracked from student improvement,” said incumbent Bedinger, who has served as the board president for the past two years. “I think it’s important for people in the public that the board and the administrators are constantly trying to remain focused on education for kids.”

Challenger McColl said he is taking a more specific approach to improving student test scores.

“My emphasis is in math,” McColl said. During a debate sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Clallam County, he added, “I’m very disappointed (in Sequim students’ math scores). The problems seem to start in elementary schools.”

To fight the problem, McColl proposed banning calculators from students at the elementary level, an idea he dubbed the “calculator law” and an idea he said he brought to the current school board with no response.

“The calculator law is critical to improving math proficiency in Sequim,” McColl said.

Bedinger countered that while she agrees that district test scores in math do need improvement, throwing out calculators is not the answer.

“Calculators are not used in Sequim schools to substitute basic math,” she said. “I don’t think (the calculator law) is the solution.” 

Another issue important to McColl is bringing community volunteers into classrooms.

“We need to properly recruit ?  community retired citizens,” he said, adding that Sequim’s schoolchildren would benefit from the vast and varied knowledge of its residents.

Bedinger, who is a former Parent Teacher Organization president at Greywolf Elementary, said she agrees with McColl but thinks the school already is doing well recruiting volunteers.

“There’s obviously a huge value in tapping the resources of our community and ultimately helping the kids,” she said. “I think our district does a pretty good job welcoming volunteers (already). I would never want to minimize that kind of program, but I feel we already have the system in place.”
 
To McColl, instilling confidence in children is important, and he said he believes that sports are one way to do so.
“Athletics help build kids up,” he said.

McColl added that if elected, a priority for him would be to rebuild the district athletic field.

“Currently, the stadium is in disrepair,” he said, adding that the board should try to get Microsoft co-founder, philanthropist Paul Allen involved. “Probably, honestly, that won’t work but it’s certainly on the list.”

He added that funding for a brand-new stadium, which he estimated would be upwards of $1 million, would have to be through “a quarter percent expiring sales tax, direct fundraising through the selling of seats,” or “a wealthy benefactor.”

“I believe in the end, it’s going to be a combination of all three,” he said. “I want tot build a little Qwest field right here in Sequim.”

For Bedinger, the issue is important, but not pressing.

“There is no one that can dispute (having a brand new stadium),” she said. “However, as an overall priority with our school district, that would need to be determined by a broad consensus of people. It’s hard to shift the focus from learning to that.”

For more information on incumbent Bedinger, visit www.sarahbedinger.com. 
For more information on challenger McColl, visit www.electstu.com.