Amy Cast
Ballotpedia provides comprehensive election coverage of the 100 largest cities in America by population as well as mayoral, city council, and district attorney election coverage in state capitals outside of the 100 largest cities. This board member is outside of that coverage scope and does not receive scheduled updates.
Amy Cast is the District 5 representative on the Northshore School District school board in Washington. First elected in 2013, Cast won a new term in the by-district general election on November 7, 2017.
Biography
Cast's professional experience includes working as a freelance web designer and for AT&T and McCaw Cellular. She has been an executive board member for three PTAs in the district. Cast earned a B.S. in business management.[1]
Elections
2017
Four of the five seats on the Northshore School District school board in Washington were up for by-district election on November 7, 2017. Three seats were up for regular election and one seat (District 2) was up for special election for a two-year term due to the resignation of former board member Ken Smith.[2]
Newcomer Jacqueline McGourty defeated fellow newcomer Brian Travis for the open District 1 seat. Two filed for the vacant District 2 seat: Sherry Krainick and Bob Swain, with Swain winning the spot. District 4 board member Sandy R. Hayes filed for re-election and ran unopposed, winning an additional term. District 5 member Amy Cast defeated challenger Rob Taft, Jr.[3]
Results
| Northshore School District, District 5 General Election, 4-year term, 2017 |
||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Amy Cast Incumbent |
64.60% | 18,783 |
| Rob Taft, Jr. | 35.40% | 10,293 |
| Total Votes | 29,076 | |
| Source: King County, "November 7, 2017 General Election," accessed November 30, 2017 and Snohomish County, "November 7, 2017 General Election," accessed November 30, 2017 | ||
Funding
Cast opted for mini reporting in this election, according to the Washington Public Disclosure Commission.[4] Candidates who opted for this had to keep a record of their contributors and expenditures, but were not required to report them. If they raised and spent more than $5,000 in aggregate or received more than $500 from any one contributor, including themselves, they would have had to switch their filing status from mini to full reporting.[5]
2013
Cast ran unopposed for the District 5 seat on the board in the November 5, 2013.
Results
| Northshore School Board, Four-year term, District 5, 2013 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan | Amy Cast |
99.1% | 13,766 | |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in votes | 0.9% | 130 | |
| Total Votes | 13,896 | |||
| Source: King County Elections, "Results," November 25, 2013 | ||||
Funding
Cast reported no contributions or expenditures to the Washington Public Disclosure Commission in this election.[6]
Campaign themes
2017
Ballotpedia survey responses
Amy Cast participated in Ballotpedia's 2017 survey of school board candidates.[7] In response to the question "What do you hope to achieve if elected to the school board?" the candidate stated on May 30, 2017:
| “ | I hope to continue to build on Northshore's strong programs and offerings to prepare our students for a rapidly changing world. I believe in: relentlessly pursuing excellence in education; being responsive to students, teachers and families; consciously adapting to change; and conducting the work of the district in a respect and civil manner that keeps our students' interests first.[8][9] | ” |
Ranking the issues
The candidate was asked to rank the following issues based on how they should be prioritized by the school board, with 1 being the most important and 7 being the least important. Each ranking could only be used once.
| Education policy |
|---|
 |
Click here to learn more about education policy in Washington. |
| Education on the ballot |
| Issue importance ranking | |
|---|---|
| Candidate's ranking | Issue |
| Balancing or maintaining the district's budget | |
| Improving post-secondary readiness | |
| Closing the achievement gap | |
| Improving relations with teachers | |
| Improving education for special needs students | |
| Expanding school choice options | |
| Expanding arts education | |
| “ | Without a healthy financial outlook, a district cannot perform in the other areas.[9] | ” |
| —Amy Cast (May 30, 2017) | ||
Positions on the issues
The candidate was asked to answer eight questions from Ballotpedia regarding significant issues in education and the school district. The questions are highlighted in blue and followed by the candidate's responses. Some questions provided multiple choices, which are noted after those questions. The candidate was also provided space to elaborate on their answers to the multiple choice questions.
| Should new charter schools be approved in your district? (Not all school boards are empowered to approve charter schools. In those cases, the candidate was directed to answer the question as if the school board were able to do so.) |
|---|
| No. |
| Which statement best describes the ideal relationship between the state government and the school board? The state should always defer to school board decisions, defer to school board decisions in most cases, be involved in the district routinely or only intervene in severe cases of misconduct or mismanagement. |
| The state should only intervene in severe cases of misconduct or mismanagement. |
| Are standardized tests an accurate metric of student achievement? |
| No. When properly used, they can be a helpful tool for tracking how districts are serving their students. But a test on a single day of the year can not accurately capture the mastery of subjects and skills. |
| How should the district handle underperforming teachers? Terminate their contract before any damage is done to students, offer additional training options, put them on a probationary period while they seek to improve or set up a mentorship program for the underperforming teacher with a more experienced teacher in the district? |
| Set up a mentorship program for the underperforming teacher with a more experienced teacher in the district. |
| Should teachers receive merit pay? |
| No. As a student's performance can depend on many factors outside of the classroom, tying teacher's pay to student performance is a flawed system of improving outcomes for students. |
| Should the state give money to private schools through a voucher system or scholarship program? |
| No. |
| How should expulsion be used in the district? |
| Only on very, very rare occasions for egregious offenses. |
| What's the most important factor for success in the classroom: student-teacher ratio, the curriculum, teachers, parent involvement or school administration? |
| Teachers |
2013
Cast provided the following statement for the 2013 Local Voters' Pamphlet in King County:[10]
|
"As a 20 year resident of Northshore School District – and a mother of three children in the district – I am highly invested in its success. I'm running for School Board Director to ensure all our resources are dedicated to providing the highest quality education. My priorities include: offering continually improving curriculum & programs to prepare our students for the modern economy; maintaining the financial health of the District; and providing a balanced approach towards programs and management across our diverse district. In order to run a District of nearly 20,000 students, it’s important to ask the Tough Questions. It’s also critical to have a Director that will listen to all possible solutions to the Tough Problems. I believe all stakeholders in the process -- whether they be teachers, parents, students, or area businesses -- have valuable insights to lend. I respectfully ask for your vote." |
Note: The above quote is from the candidate's website, which may include some typographical or spelling errors.
See also
- Northshore School District, Washington
- Northshore School District elections (2017)
- Northshore School District elections (2013)
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Amy Cast for School Board, "All About Amy," accessed August 27, 2013
- ↑ Bothell-Kenmore Reporter, "Director Ken Smith to resign Northshore School Board position," March 28, 2017
- ↑ Snohomish County, "Candidates Who Filed," accessed May 25, 2017
- ↑ Washington Public Disclosure Commission, "Local Candidates," accessed October 12, 2017
- ↑ Washington State Public Disclosure Commission, "New Candidates," accessed June 22, 2017
- ↑ Washington Public Disclosure Commission, "Local Candidates," accessed December 17, 2013
- ↑ Note: The candidate's answers have been reproduced here verbatim without edits or corrections by Ballotpedia.
- ↑ Ballotpedia School Board Candidate Survey, 2017, "Amy Cast's responses," May 30, 2017
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ King County Elections, "Local Voters' Pamphlet," accessed October 9, 2013
| Northshore School District elections in 2017 | |
| King and Snohomish County, Washington | |
| Election date: | November 7, 2017 |
| Candidates: | District 1: Jacqueline McGourty • Brian Travis District 2: Sherry Krainick • Bob Swain |
| Important information: | What was at stake? |
