Fresh faces will vote for new Tacoma school superintendent

This year, the Tacoma School Board is poised to make one of the most important decisions school boards make: hiring a new superintendent. Art Jarvis plans to retire at the end of the school year that starts Sept. 1.

Two of the five people who will make that decision will be determined by elections in the next few months. Each of the district’s two school board races has drawn four candidates in the Aug. 16 primary election, combining for the busiest races on this month’s ballot in Pierce County:

 • For Position 3, a seat being vacated by incumbent Jim Dugan, who has chosen not to run again, the candidates are Dexter Gordon, Betsy Elgar, Andrew K. Milton and Scott Heinze.

 • For Position 5, the candidates are Kim Washington, Karen Vialle, Joseph Devlin and incumbent Kim Golding.

The races have attracted considerable cash, with Gordon and Vialle both raising more than $10,000 as of Tuesday and Heinze drawing more than $8,000, according to records filed with the state Public Disclosure Commission. The two top fundraisers, Gordon and Vialle, have also earned an endorsement from the political action committee of the Tacoma Education Association, the teachers union. They both also list endorsements from the Tacoma-Pierce County Black Collective and education advocacy group Stand for Children.

A few candidates – Washington, Elgar and Devlin – said they avoided seeking campaign donations and endorsements; they prefer that voters focus on candidates’ individual views.

Incumbent Golding lists among her endorsements several former school board members, local state legislators, city and county council members, and the district’s paraeducators union.

Heinze supporters include city, county and state elected officials, his former employer U.S. Rep. Adam Smith, D-Tacoma, and the Pierce County Central Labor Council.

Milton, a teacher, runs a Facebook page soliciting support from fellow teachers.

WHO THEY ARE

Gordon grew up in Jamaica, one of 14 children, the son of a fisherman. The college professor has sent his kids to public schools. He credits his fifth-grade public school teacher with encouraging his aspirations.

“I want to be part of a system that ensures every single one of the 28,000 students in our charge now have that opportunity,” he said.

Gordon is passionate about addressing the achievement gap for minority and poor students. It took too long for Tacoma to acknowledge the problem, he said, and there’s still resistance to addressing it.

If elected, he said, the call for change “is going to be issued again and again and again, until we get it.”

Elgar, the daughter of parents born in the Phillippines, grew up on the East Coast and in California. She says she’s running because of the issues of discrimination and racism; she’s also concerned about school safety and child care.

Milton, who publishes an online blog about education issues, said he’s listening to families and faith-based groups in the city to find out what they want in their schools.

“I’m not very politically savvy,” he said. But as a classroom teacher in another district, he said he understands the concerns of teachers on issues such as testing.

Heinze, who works with a group that offers services in some of the city’s struggling schools, said he’s committed to public education for his children.

But he said other parents are leaving for neighboring districts or private schools. He wants to restore public confidence in Tacoma schools, starting with a 10-year plan.

Washington wants to encourage more cooperation between K-12 and college education, especially when it comes to preparing students for education after high school. She has worked on racial-, ethnic- and disability-related diversity issues in higher education. But she said she’s running to “bring another perspective, a fresh eye.”

Vialle said her experience as a substitute teacher has led her to conclude that the school district could benefit from her past political experience.

“I have the ability to build coalitions,” she said.

She wants more autonomy for principals, schools and teachers to tailor education to each school’s needs. She said there’s solid research that proves children in poverty often lack social and academic skills when they start school.

“Those kids, if given the right tools, are going to excel,” she said.

Devlin, a Foss High School graduate, said he was inspired to run after an encounter with a young fast-food worker who didn’t know how to make correct change.

“Where did basic education go?” he asked. He said kids are not taught how to learn, but how to take tests.

Golding said she wants to finish the work she’s started on the board, including using data to improve teaching, meeting goals the board has already set and putting the district’s Achievement Gap Committee plan into action.

She said being on the board has taught her that change doesn’t always come quickly. There are many behind-the-scenes improvements the public doesn’t hear about, she said.

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

Here’s how candidates responded to questions in interviews with a News Tribune reporter.

What will you look for in a new superintendent?

Gordon: Competency, courage, the ability to improve student performance, creativity, innovation, someone interested in creating an inviting environment for parents.

Elgar: “I would like him to listen to parents.”

Milton: “A commitment to servant leadership … people in leadership ought to be serving the people at the bottom so they can succeed.”

Heinze: Someone who can “set a community expectation for a high-performance district, where all children succeed.” Someone who recognizes the needs of a diverse population dealing with poverty and who has experience serving a district the size of Tacoma.

Washington: Look within Tacoma schools first: “I want to know who’s in the system who is ready to take responsibility. We need our own people.”

Vialle: Someone with a previous leadership position in a “large, diverse, urban school district with a record of increasing student achievement.”

Devlin: A leader with a “thick skin,” willing to make tough decisions, who puts kids first and wants to interact with families.

Golding: Someone who inspires, mentors and “works hard at continuous improvement.” A leader who understands Tacoma.

This year, the school board closed two elementary schools to deal with budget cuts. What other budget ideas do you have?

Gordon: Save money on recruiting by hiring teachers from within the substitute pool. Do a better job representing Tacoma schools’ interests in Olympia, where funding decisions are made.

Elgar: “There are teachers who are homeless.” Teachers and paraeducators should receive a living wage. Use federal grants.

Milton: Before schools are closed, the district should develop a “rubric” to guide closures and let the community discuss it. Control administrative spending and cut the number of tests to save money.

Heinze: Work better with federal and state lawmakers who determine funding. Look at which programs are working and “right-size our inventory.” Get ahead of and plan for future changes.

Washington: Create more partnerships with higher education, share common courses online.

Vialle: Require informal bids on low-budget projects. Have a master plan that governs school closures, if they are necessary due to enrollment declines. Involve the wider community, including parents, businesses and others in budget decisions.

Devlin: Comb the budget line-by-line. Ask employees for ideas on what to cut. Look long term in making budget plans, and be transparent with the public.

Golding: “We know we need to downsize if we don’t have revenue coming in.” But she sees positives in the closure discussions. It has prompted changes at schools such as Foss, where new programs may boost enrollment that had been lagging. Zero in, she says, on what is important in professional development for teachers and others.

Debbie Cafazzo: 253-597-8635
debbie.cafazzo@thenewstribune.com