Hilary Seidel
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Hilary Seidel is the District 4 representative on the Olympia School District school board in Washington. Seidel won a first term in the by-district general election on November 7, 2017.
Biography
Seidel's professional experience includes working in youth development programs, higher education, and communications. She earned her bachelor's degree from The Evergreen State College.[1]
Elections
2017
- See also: Olympia School District elections (2017)
Three of the five seats on the Olympia School District school board in Washington were up for at-large election on November 7, 2017. Two seats were up for regular election and one seat (District 4) was up for a special election for a two-year unexpired term. A primary election for District 5 was held on August 1, 2017, showing that board member Mark Campeau and Scott Clifthorne could defeat Rebecca Cornelius. Clifthorne went on to oust Campeau from his seat in the general.
Newcomer Leslie Huff defeated fellow newcomer Katie Bridges for the open District 3 seat. In District 4, Hilary Seidel defeated Ann Heitkemper.[2]
Results
| Olympia School District, District 4 General Election, 4-year term, 2017 |
||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Hilary Seidel |
51.95% | 8,368 |
| Ann Heitkemper | 48.05% | 7,741 |
| Total Votes | 16,109 | |
| Source: Thurston County, "November 7, 2017 General Election," accessed November 30, 2017 | ||
Funding
Seidel opted for mini reporting in this election, according to the Washington Public Disclosure Commission.[3] 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.[4]
Endorsements
Seidel received official endorsements from:
- The Olympian
- The Olympia Education Association
- State Sen. Sam Hunt (D)
- State Rep. Beth Doglio (D)
- State Rep. Laurie Dolan (D)
- Mayor Cheryl Selby
- Equal Rights Washington
- The National Women's Political Caucus of Washington
- Thurston County Democrats[5][6][7]
Campaign themes
2017
Ballotpedia survey responses
Hilary Seidel participated in Ballotpedia's 2017 survey of school board candidates.[8] In response to the question "What do you hope to achieve if elected to the school board?" the candidate stated on May 30, 2017:
| “ | My goal is to focus the Olympia School District on crafting an Equity Plan that is community focused and uses more than test scores to measure success, expanding innovative programs, and building a culture and system of governance that increases the influence educators, families, and volunteers have on decisions.[9][10] | ” |
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 |
| Closing the achievement gap | |
| Improving relations with teachers | |
| Improving education for special needs students | |
| Balancing or maintaining the district's budget | |
| Expanding arts education | |
| Improving post-secondary readiness | |
| Expanding school choice options | |
| “ | So many of these things are of equal importance. I ranked serving marginalized groups and strengthening teacher relations higher because so much hinges on those two things. I ranked school choice last because I do not support the popular idea of "school choice" through charters and vouchers. I do support robust options within a public school system.[10] | ” |
| —Hilary Seidel (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. We already have great option programs in Olympia, and our community knows how to build and support more. There is no need for charters. |
| 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 defer to school board decisions in most cases. |
| Are standardized tests an accurate metric of student achievement? |
| No. For some students these tests may be an accurate measurement, but we know they are not for all students. |
| 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. I do not believe teacher should be compensated based on their students' test scores - which I think is the popular definition of merit pay. I do believe that teachers should be compensated for taking on additional work or receiving additional certificates - teacher leadership outside of the regularly contracted school day or National Board Certification are two examples. |
| Should the state give money to private schools through a voucher system or scholarship program? |
| No. |
| How should expulsion be used in the district? |
| Ideally, a district should never use expulsion except in extreme cases where student safety is threatened. Even then I would hope that the district would work to find a way to make sure the student either had an opportunity to return to school or another way to continue their education. Expulsion should only be used to keep people safe - never as a punishment. |
| What's the most important factor for success in the classroom: student-teacher ratio, the curriculum, teachers, parent involvement or school administration? |
| Teachers The teacher in the classroom is the most important factor listed here. I would say student support (not listed) is another equally important factor. Students who do not have their basic needs met may not be able to respond to even the very best teacher because of hunger, homelessness, etc. |
Ballotpedia submission
Seidel submitted the below statement in answer to the question: "What is your political philosophy?"
| “ | I believe public schools are a cornerstone of our democracy. I want to help Olympia School District grow into a model for innovative public education with a focus on equity and engagement with educators, volunteers, and families. If elected, I will push our district to create and adopt an equity plan that is community sourced and uses more than test scores to measure success, expand innovative programs, and build a system for increasing the influence community members have on decisions.[10] | ” |
| —Hilary Seidel (2017)[1] | ||
Campaign website statement
Seidel posted the below statement on her campaign website:[11]
| “ | My name is Hilary Seidel, and I’m running for Olympia School Board Director, District 4.
Our public schools should be examples of the very best government has to offer. They should be beacons of equity and opportunity with strong community connections and an unwavering commitment to put students at the center of their education. I’m running for Olympia School Board because there is tremendous potential for building a more equitable, innovative, and responsive school system in our community. The combination of new school district leadership, a rapidly growing community, new federal education law, and historic discussions around school funding at the state level give us the chance to create a new vision for successful schools. To realize this new vision, we need hard-working and open-minded leaders who are ready to welcome the community into their work, encourage and expand non-traditional school models, and make supporting each student’s individual needs a district priority. I have over 25 years of experience volunteering in education and social service programs and building partnerships. I currently sit on my school’s parent council and my church council. I know how to work collaboratively to get things done and engage the community. I am ready to lead, and I ask for your vote.[10] |
” |
| —Hilary Seidel (2017)[11] | ||
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Information submitted on Ballotpedia's biographical information submission form on May 29, 2017
- ↑ Thurston 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
- ↑ The Olympian, "Seidel, Huff and Campeau best for Olympia schools," October 20, 2017
- ↑ Washington Education Association, "2017 WEA-PAC Election Endorsements," accessed November 6, 2017
- ↑ Elisabeth Moore, "Email exchange with Hilary Seidel," November 3, 2017
- ↑ Note: The candidate's answers have been reproduced here verbatim without edits or corrections by Ballotpedia.
- ↑ Ballotpedia School Board Candidate Survey, 2017, "Hilary Seidel's responses," May 30, 2017
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Hilary for Schools, "Ready to Lead," accessed June 26, 2017
| Olympia School District elections in 2017 | |
| Thurston County, Washington | |
| Election date: | Primary: August 1, 2017 General: November 7, 2017 |
| Candidates: | District 3: Katie Bridges • Leslie Huff District 4: Ann Heitkemper • Hilary Seidel |
| Important information: | What was at stake? |
