The four candidates running for the Bethel School Board are far from strangers. In fact, relations between the opponents are downright cordial.

Incumbent Ken Blair and challenger Ron Morehouse, facing off for the District 1 seat on the five-member board, ran against each other in 2005. Blair won 54 percent to 45 percent. They see eye to eye on many issues, including their displeasure with Bethel’s superintendent.

Robert Etteldorf and Marianne Lincoln, who are vying for District 3, both graduated Bethel High School in the class of 1975 and consider themselves old friends. They even dated briefly during their sophomore year of high school.

DISTRICT 1

Blair and Morehouse have much in common in their anti-establishment, anti-majority views for how to fix Pierce County’s third-largest school district.

“Part of my problem is, I don’t disagree with Ken very much,” Morehouse said. “It’s hard to fight somebody you like.”

A self-proclaimed straight shooter, Morehouse advocates building larger schools, moving away from state standardized testing and firing Superintendent Tom Seigel.

“I’m tired of seeing our kids not being educated,” he said.

Blair, who has served as director since 1999, cited finances as the chief concern of the district. In addition to other cuts, Bethel entered this school year with a net loss of 30 teaching and other certificated staff positions as well as seven fewer classified jobs.

“The money going into the classroom is shrinking every year; we need a superintendent who is going to act upon that and start reducing the staffing at the administration level,” he said.

Blair is frequently the dissenting vote on the board. In March 2008, he sued the district, contending that his freedom of speech was violated when he was demoted from board vice president after making public statements criticizing Seigel in 2007.

A panel of the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals heard his case earlier this month. Pending the court’s decision in the next two to six months, the suit could go to trial.

Blair acknowledged the lawsuit has strained his relations with fellow board members, but added that they agree “probably 98 percent” of the time.

“My biggest thing is that the board has to follow their policies,” he said. “The majority of the board feels that they do not have to do that.”

Morehouse supports his rival’s suit. “I’m surprised he didn’t call me as a witness, because I’ve been stomped on the same way from the same people.”

One key matter on which the candidates differ is the issue of bonds. A fiscal conservative, Morehouse has campaigned against the 2006 bond and would push for more scrutiny of any proposed bond or levy. He said the district should specify by dollar amounts where the money is going.

Blair, on the other hand, counts the passage of two construction bonds in 2001 and 2006 — after eight straight defeats — as one of his greatest achievements.

“I was just a piece of the puzzle and we had a lot of great volunteers, (but) it took a board member going out there (door to door),” he said.

DISTRICT 3

Etteldorf and Lincoln never intended to run against each other. Lincoln first filed unopposed on June 5, then withdrew on July 13 over a contention of her residency. She refiled July 29, and Etteldorf joined the race shortly after, unaware that Lincoln was still planning to run.

Etteldorf was appointed April 2001 to the board and ran unsuccessfully for re-election that year. His priority is student retention; if elected, he said he would incorporate more parents in student activities and the classroom. Ideally, “the parents are involved and they continually stay involved.”

Lincoln champions greener district vehicles and boosting district science and math scores. She recalled her firsthand experiences with overflowing Bethel schools.

“I double-shifted when I was in high school; we had class sizes of 35,” she said. “I heard the rancor that goes along with crowded classrooms.”

Both candidates support stronger online components of learning, albeit in different ways. To alleviate crowded classrooms and cut the number of teachers needed, Etteldorf would promote online courses in all Bethel high schools.

“I think that in the future, everything is going to be online,” he said. “Traditional schools are good, but we don’t necessarily have to stay with that philosophy.”

As an alternative to textbooks, Lincoln would encourage more electronic media, “something like a Kindle,” she said mentioning the wireless electronic reading device offered by Amazon.com. Otherwise, “you buy books and they’re outdated the next year.”

In regard to budget matters, Etteldorf is seeking ideas on how to bring in revenue for Bethel.

“Attacking taxpayers to increase revenue of the school district – I don’t think that’s an option,” he said, adding that he would be cautious of new bond measures. “We have to find new ways to teach that cost less money.”

Lincoln also was leery of placing more pressure on taxpayers and said she would try to retain employment opportunities within the district.

“I don’t want to contract out – the money goes away. It doesn’t stay in Bethel.”

Joyce Chen: 253-597-8426

joyce.chen@thenewstribune.com

Robert Etteldorf

Age: 51

Residence: Spanaway Occupation: Construction project manager

Family: Two sons, one stepson

Education: B.A. in education, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, 2001

Campaign contributions: None reported.*

Endorsements include: None provided.

Marianne Lincoln

Age: 52

Residence: Spanaway

Occupation: Contract computer coordinator for ACT1 at Microsoft

Family: Two children

Education: Bachelor of Science in chemistry, minor in math and computer science, California State University, Stanislaus, 1979

Campaign contributions: None reported.*

Endorsements include: Pierce County Labor Council, AFL-CIO, COPE; International Association of Fire Fighters Local 726; 2nd District Democrats; Pierce County Democrats