Janelle Tuominen
Janelle Tuominen was a candidate for District 5 representative on the Evergreen Public Schools school board in Washington. Tuominen was defeated in the by-district primary election on August 1, 2017.
This candidate participated in Ballotpedia's 2017 school board candidate survey. Click here to view her responses.
Elections
2017
Two of the five seats on the Evergreen Public Schools school board in Washington were up for by-district general election on November 7, 2017. A primary election was held for both seats on August 1, 2017, because more than two candidates filed for each seat.
District 1 board member Julie Bocanegra defeated newcomer Megan Miles in the general. They both fended off Dennis Jeppson in the primary. In District 5, Ginny Gronwoldt defeated Park Llafet in the general. They competed in the general by defeating James (Jimee Tee) Taylor and Janelle Tuominen in the primary.[1]
Results
| Evergreen Public Schools, District 5 Primary Election, 4-year term, 2017 |
||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Ginny Gronwoldt |
49.74% | 6,749 |
| Park Llafet |
22.37% | 3,035 |
| Janelle Tuominen | 18.34% | 2,488 |
| James Taylor | 9.56% | 1,297 |
| Total Votes | 13,569 | |
| Source: Clark County, "August 1, 2017 Primary," accessed August 17, 2017 | ||
Funding
Tuominen reported $3,151.91 in contributions and $966.68 in expenditures to the Washington Public Disclosure Commission, leaving her campaign with $2,185.23 on hand as of October 11, 2017.[2]
Campaign themes
2017
Ballotpedia survey responses
Janelle Tuominen participated in Ballotpedia's 2017 survey of school board candidates.[3] In response to the question "What do you hope to achieve if elected to the school board?" the candidate stated on June 1, 2017:
| “ | I hope to achieve smaller class sizes, a truly equal and accessible education for all students, and to push the bond to remodel and build new schools[4][5] | ” |
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 |
| Improving education for special needs students | |
| Closing the achievement gap | |
| Balancing or maintaining the district's budget | |
| Improving relations with teachers | |
| Expanding school choice options | |
| Improving post-secondary readiness | |
| Expanding arts education | |
| “ | Children need choices because each student is different and different choices will work better for them[5] | ” |
| —Janelle Tuominen (June 1, 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. most students will not benefit from charter schools and I believe taking money out of the public education system for charter schools should not happen |
| 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. The standardized tests tell us how the students compare in different locations it is not an indicator of personal achievement |
| 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? |
| Offer additional training options. Offer additional training options. Set up a mentorship program for the underperforming teacher with a more experienced teacher in the district. |
| Should teachers receive merit pay? |
| No. causing teachers to compete with their colleagues is counter productive as opposed to them working together to create the best learning environment for the kids |
| Should the state give money to private schools through a voucher system or scholarship program? |
| No. refer to question 11 |
| How should expulsion be used in the district? |
| I feel expulsion is an absolute last resort. There are tools we can use with students before a situation gets to that point. |
| What's the most important factor for success in the classroom: student-teacher ratio, the curriculum, teachers, parent involvement or school administration? |
| Student-teacher ratio With less students per teacher the students get more quality time learning and the teacher has more time to spend with each student. If you relate this to my special needs children their pull out time for each subject is extremely valuable because it is 1 on 1. That isn't ever going to happen in general ed but the closer we get to it the better. |
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Clark County, "Candidates Who Have Filed," accessed May 23, 2017
- ↑ Washington Public Disclosure Commission, "Local Candidates," accessed October 11, 2017
- ↑ Note: The candidate's answers have been reproduced here verbatim without edits or corrections by Ballotpedia.
- ↑ Ballotpedia School Board Candidate Survey, 2017, "Janelle Tuominen's responses," June 1, 2017
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
| Evergreen Public Schools (Clark) elections in 2017 | |
| Clark County, Washington | |
| Election date: | Primary: August 1, 2017 General: November 7, 2017 |
| Candidates: | District 1: Incumbent, Julie Bocanegra • Dennis Jeppson • Megan Miles District 5: Ginny Gronwoldt • Park Llafet • James (Jimee Tee) Taylor • Janelle Tuominen |
| Important information: | What's at stake? |
