Eric Warwick
Eric Benjamin Warwick was a candidate for District 1 representative on the Bellevue Board of Directors in Washington. He was defeated in the general election on November 3, 2015.[1]
Biography
Warwick identifies as "[P]roudly autistic, bisexual, and transgender. My pronouns are she/her." She is part of the Autistic Self Advocacy Network of Washington State and has volunteered for the campaigns of Washington United for Marriage and several Democratic candidates at the local level. While in high school Warwick founded the Disabled Abled Coalition, was president of the Gay Straight Alliance and was part of the Feminist Club.[2]
Elections
2015
Three of the five seats on the Bellevue Board of Directors were up for general election on November 3, 2015. Seats for District 1, 2 and 4 were scheduled for election. District 1 incumbent Steve McConnell saw the only contested race on the ballot. He defeated challenger Eric Warwick.[1]
District 2 incumbent Christine Chew, meanwhile, sought re-election, but not to the District 2 seat. Instead, she won the District 4 seat without opposition. District 4 incumbent Krischanna Roberson did not file to seek re-election.[1]
The open District 2 seat initially saw two candidates file for it: Sharon Taubel and Carolyn Watson. Taubel's withdrawal from the race, however, left Watson to win the seat without opposition.[1]
Results
| Bellevue School District Board of Directors, District 1 General Election, 4-year term, 2015 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Steve McConnell Incumbent |
86.6% | 18,351 |
| Eric Warwick | 13.1% | 2,784 |
| Write-in votes | 0.32% | 67 |
| Total Votes | 21,202 | |
| Source: King County Elections, "Election Results: General and Special Elections November 4, 2015," November 24, 2015 | ||
Funding
Warwick reported no contributions or expenditures to the Washington Public Disclosure Commission as of October 30, 2015.[3]
Campaign themes
2015
Ballotpedia survey responses
Warwick participated in Ballotpedia's 2015 survey of school board candidates. The following sections display her responses to the survey questions. When asked what her top priority would be if elected, the candidate made the following statement:
| “ | Addressing the disproportionate discipline of disabled students and students of color. Specifically, I want there to be procedures created that will end the de facto use of restraint and seclusion as a discipline tool in favor of preventative practices.[4] | ” |
| —Eric Warwick (2015)[5] | ||
Ranking the issues
The candidate was asked to rank the following issues by importance in the school district, with 1 being the most important and 7 being the least important. This table displays this candidate's rankings from most to least important:[6]
| Education policy |
|---|
 |
Click here to learn more about education policy in Washington. |
| Education on the ballot |
| Issue importance ranking | |
|---|---|
| Candidate's ranking | Issue |
| Closing the achievement gap | |
| Improving education for special needs students | |
| Expanding school choice options | |
| Balancing or maintaining the district's budget | |
| Expanding arts education | |
| Expanding career-technical education | |
| Improving college readiness | |
Positions on the issues
The candidate was asked to answer 10 questions from Ballotpedia regarding significant issues in education and the school district. The questions are in the left column and the candidate's responses are in the right column of the following table:
| Question | Response |
|---|---|
| Modifications are required before they are implemented. | |
| No | |
| No | |
| No | |
| Addressing equal access is a complicated issue and much of it has to be done at the school level. The district, however, can create procedures, reform district-wide practices, and facilitate discussion on the matter.
Ways to address student achievement gaps include: (1) creating meaningfully inclusive schools; (2) targeted, in-class interventions rather than using resource rooms for interventions; (3) implementing Universal Design in general education classrooms; (4) reducing suspensions/reforming disciplinary practices; (5) addressing institutional bias as it relates to ableism, sexism, racism, anti-LGBTQ, xenophobia, and classism; (6) and increasing student access to functional, respectful mental health services. This is a very basic list because the specific circumstances of an individual school will highly influence what policies should be implemented and how they are prioritized. In general, there is a trend of ableism, sexism, racism, anti-LGBTQ bias, xenophobia, and classism in schools that if addressed can have profound impacts on student achievement which is why I focused in on these issues. I am also answering this question in this way rather than assuming a natural divide between ""low"" and ""high"" -achieving students because I do not believe in that dichotomy. | |
| Practices such as positive behavior strategies should be used before expulsion is considered. | |
| It should create a committee of students* from that school, teachers, administrators, parents, and advocates from any marginalized group that may be specifically underserved by that school (ex. Disability Rights Washington) to identify issues within the school and present a plan to address them with a budget. * the role of elementary schoolers will be different from middle or high schoolers but all student voice is valuable and can be heard. | |
| No | |
| Offer additional training options. | |
| 1: Allow testimony to be submitted remotely and read aloud in school board meetings.
2: Videotape and caption school board meetings and put them on the Bellevue School District website. 3: Post transcripts of the meetings online. |
Warwick also issued the following statement regarding her bid for office:
| “ | I believe in meaningful inclusion of all students in schools that help them learn, grow, and achieve. This reality is true for very few, if any, student due to issues such as, but not limited to, the stress of coursework, tensions between students, staff, and other students, a lack of Social and Emotional Learning, and an almost non-existent mental health support system. It should not be normal for students to experience serious depression and anxiety related to school--and these issues exist in all grade levels.
I want to address that by changing policies related to student discipline, first and foremost; starting the process of really addressing institutional bias; and funding mental health programs for students that respect their autonomy and presume their competence. In addition, we need to move away from the special education model and towards schools that have every student in a general education classroom regardless of ability. That means changing how general education classrooms are structured while also keeping standards high which is a possibility with the right supports. [4] |
” |
| —Eric Warwick, [2] | ||
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Eric Warwick Bellevue School District. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 King County Elections, "2015 Official Candidate Filing," accessed May 26, 2015
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Information submitted through Ballotpedia's biographical submission form on August 11, 2015
- ↑ Washington Public Disclosure Commission, "Search the Database: Local Candidates," accessed October 30, 2015
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Ballotpedia School Board Candidate Survey, 2015, "Eric Warwick's responses," August 11, 2015
- ↑ Margaret Koenig, "Email correspondance with Eric Warwick," August 31, 2015
| 2015 Bellevue School District Elections | |
| King County, Washington | |
| Election date: | November 3, 2015 |
| Candidates: | District 1 : Incumbent, Steve McConnell • Eric Warwick District 4 : Incumbent, Christine Chew |
| Important information: | Key deadlines • Additional elections on the ballot |
