Keep what’s working in UPlace schools, City Council

The University Place School District faces a period of turmoil by the end of this school year, with several top administrators – including Superintendent Patti Banks – either retiring or taking new positions in other districts.

This is the wrong time to also make wholesale changes to the school board, which has guided the district to a position where it’s widely admired for academic success and its progress in closing the achievement gap between lower-income and better-off students.

For that reason, The News Tribune encourages voters in the University Place School District to retain board president Mary Lu Dickinson and vice president Rick Maloney. Both have served since 1995 and know the district inside out. They would provide much-needed leadership and continuity as the new administration takes shape. They are genuinely devoted to serving University Place schools, students and their families.

The board is getting an injection of new blood in Position 3, where promising up-and-comer T’wina Franklin is running unopposed for the seat previously held by attorney Annie Fitzsimmons. And veteran educator Ethelda Burke is running unopposed to retain the position she was appointed to in January to fill the vacancy created when Christine Kilduff was elected to the state House of Representatives.

Dickinson has an impressive opponent in Ed Arrington, an orthopedic surgeon. But he doesn’t articulate anything he thinks needs to be done differently. Given the changes coming to the district, the board needs stability, not having to bring two new members up to speed.

In a move that had some in the community scratching their heads, board member Fitzsimmons decided not to run for her own position but instead to try to unseat Maloney from Position 5. Her rationale is that the only way to change the way the board governs is to dislodge one of the members she perceives to be embracing the status quo. She believes the board leaves too much of the decision-making up to the superintendent and should exert control beyond setting policy and evaluating how it’s implemented.

One person’s attention to detail is another’s micromanaging. If the district were in dire straits, Fitzsimmons might have a point. But sometimes the status quo is the best place to be; this is a smooth-sailing ship; why change course?

The editorial board believes the school board is doing just about everything right, and in the spirit of “If it’s not broke, don’t fix it,” we recommend sticking with two veterans who have played such key roles in the district’s success.

Only one University Place City Council seat, Position 6, is contested this year. Incumbent Chris Nye, an Army veteran and owner of a real estate business, is opposed by Frank Boykin Jr., an account manager with United Parcel Service and vice chair of the city’s Planning Commission.

Nye, a solid member of the council, set up the U.S. Open task force. He seems better equipped to help the city attract more business. Voters should give him a second term.

This story was originally published September 16, 2015 at 9:40 AM with the headline "Keep what’s working in UPlace schools, City Council."