Here’s the opponent Jennifer Butler will face in closely-watched school race
Jennifer Butler was leading a closely-watched Peninsula School Board primary race with nearly all the votes counted.
According to results released Friday, Aug. 6, Butler, an architect and school activist who helped pass a crucial bond issue in 2019, was leading her nearest challenger, conservative activist Linda Ader, 9.587 votes to 3,157. Erik Johnson had 2,767 votes and David Weinberg 2,114.
About 17,668 total votes were cast, more than either of the Gig Harbor City Council races.
But voter turnout was low, about 22 percent, according to the Pierce County Elections Bureau.
In a statement, Butler thanked her supporters.
“Thank you Peninsula School District voters for your show of confidence in me. I appreciate how many of our citizens are engaged in the future of our schools, and are aware of the real issues we need to focus on to make our district stronger as we return from the pandemic,” Butler said.
“I look forward to a constructive dialog this fall as we move forward to the general election. I will continue to advocate for diverse pathways to graduation that support college and career readiness, a focus on recovering from learning loss, accountability to taxpayers and excellence for all students.”
Johnson, who was all but eliminated, expressed dismay over the lack of his supporter turnout.
“In a system which requires public participation, if for no good reason you didn’t cast a ballot, please start voting,” Johnson said.
It was an unusual and controversial primary campaign. Three of the candidates — Ader, Johnson and Weinberg — formed an informal slate around opposition to sex education and what they called “critical race theory.” This included taking out an ad together in the Key Peninsula News.
Weinberg also accused Butler of “conflict of interest” because she works for an architectural firm that once subcontracted on a school project, although she was not involved in the project. Butler has said the criticism is baseless.
Butler ran on a slogan of “rebuild and reimagine.”
“As students return full time in September, we need to focus on rebuilding relationships.” she said in her campaign statement. “Our district must increase resources to respond to a wide range of academic and emotional circumstances. Learning gaps have amplified during the pandemic, particularly for our youngest learners in their foundational years.”
She proposes increased counseling services and mentorships, along with more flexible schedules that allow for internships and more Career and Technical Education courses.
Ader, her likely general-election opponent, is a corporate environmental science consultant. She based her campaign largely on her opposition to what conservatives are calling “critical race theory.”
“CRT-concepts teach kids to divide themselves based on their race and then view themselves either as perpetrators of wrongs they didn’t commit, or as victims of wrongs they haven’t experienced. There’s nothing unifying or empowering in this ideology,” she wrote in her campaign statement.
“Further, the sensitive topic of sexuality is best left to parents,” she asserted.
Shortly after the three conservatives put out their joint ad, Weinberg told The Gateway all three had pledged to throw their support to whichever one of them emerged from the primary. Together, they polled just over 8,000 votes.
This story was originally published August 3, 2021 at 10:34 PM.