Jim Shaver (Blaine School District school board District 3, Washington, candidate 2025)

Jim Shaver

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Nonpartisan

Candidate, Blaine School District school board District 3

Elections and appointments

Next election

November 4, 2025

Personal

Profession

Information technology professional

Contact

Campaign website

Jim Shaver is running for election to the Blaine School District school board District 3 in Washington. He is on the ballot in the general election on November 4, 2025.^[source]

Shaver completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Jim Shaver provided the following biographical information via Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey on October 5, 2025:

• Associate: Southern Alberta Institute of Technology, 2009
• Gender: Male
• Profession: Information Technology Professional
• Incumbent officeholder: No
• Campaign website
• Campaign endorsements

Elections

General election

The general election will occur on November 4, 2025.

General election for Blaine School District school board District 3

Bob Feaster and Jim Shaver are running in the general election for Blaine School District school board District 3 on November 4, 2025.

		Candidate
	Submit photo	Bob Feaster (Nonpartisan)
	Submit photo	Jim Shaver (Nonpartisan)

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	Incumbency information for this election was not available.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Endorsements

Shaver received the following endorsements. To view a full list of Shaver's endorsements as published by their campaign, click here. To send us additional endorsements, click here.

• Legis. District 42, Wash., Democratic Party
• Whatcom County, Wash., Democratic Party
• FairVote Washington

Pledges

Shaver signed the following pledges. To send us additional pledges, click here.

• Everytown for Gun Safety

Campaign themes

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Jim Shaver completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Shaver's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I was active in student government and yearbook in high school, and was elected student council vice-president in my senior year. I have worked in IT and cybersecurity in the healthcare and cybersecurity industries and have consulted for small and medium sized businesses. I worked for one of the most successful cybersecurity startups in history. I have benefited greatly from my education attaining various security certifications along the way including Certified Information Systems Security Professional and Certified Ethical Hacker. I am a former professional ethical hacker. I'm a parent of a Blaine grad. In my free time I am a beekeeper and I serve on the Board of Trustees of my church and on other boards and committees across Whatcom County. I volunteer with groups like Kulshan Community Land Trust and Mount Baker Beekeepers Association.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• My primary priority is addressing our school district's budget crisis. The school board is facing difficult decisions about consolidating buildings due to declining enrollment and inadequate state and federal funding. I want to ensure we create welcoming schools that attract students, boost enrollment, and fully utilize the facilities taxpayers are already supporting. I also believe the board needs a member with stronger connections to Olympia who can effectively advocate for improved funding. Based on the current board composition and other candidates, I believe I am uniquely qualified to fill this role.
• Our district currently has an interim superintendent, and the next board will need to hire a permanent replacement. My goal would be to find someone who is not only qualified for the position, but also capable of integrating into and becoming part of our community. This person must prioritize improving communication among all stakeholders, the board, administration, teachers, staff, parents, and students.
• The top issue I'm hearing from voters is technology use in schools. The board needs strong policies on cell phone usage that balance parents' need to reach their children with students' need to focus on learning and reducing bullying. We also need policies and tools to help teachers manage student AI use. While it's important to teach students the tools of the future, we must also ensure they are learning to learn.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Given my background I want to make sure that we are making a smart use of technology. That when we give a student a laptop, they are using it to do their best work. We need smart cell phone policies that balance parent communication with learning time. Students must learn to use AI responsibly, and learn to learn. Digital safety is critical. Every child deserves access to technology regardless of income. This is about preparing our students for the future while protecting them today.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

I think ethics, communication and the ability to ask good questions are the most important principles that a school board member can have.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

I think it is important to make sure that you are showing up to meetings prepared to ask good questions and having reviewed the material. I think you need to be accessible and keep communication lines open. I think you should make an effort to attend events and training put on by the Washington State School Directors Associateion and be a voice for the district in Olympia.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

My first job was at Wendy's. I worked there from 15-18 and was a team leader when I left.

What is your favorite book? Why?

I love 1984 by George Orwell because it got so many things right about the future and many things wrong. It is very well written.

What is the primary job of a school board member in your view?

I think it is important to make sure that you are showing up to meetings prepared to ask good questions and having reviewed the material. I think you need to be accessible and keep communication lines open. I think you should make an effort to attend events and training put on by the Washington State School Directors Associateion and be a voice for the district in Olympia.

Who are your constituents?

I think the primary constituents are the school stakeholders, the superintendent, administration, teachers, staff, students and parents. I also think there are many people who are indirectly affected by the school district by things like property value. I think everyone in the school district whether they have a strong connection to the school district or not is a constituent.

How would you support the diverse needs of your district’s students, faculty, staff, and community?

I think it is important that we welcome every student to a Blaine school no matter who they are or how they get to school. I think we need to support individual paths to success and that success means something different for everyone. I think it is important that teachers and staff feel heard and have good two-way communication with everyone and that they feel like they can afford to live in our community.

How will you build relationships with members of the broader community? Which groups, organizations, stakeholders will you specifically target?

I think the biggest impact that the board can have is hiring a superintendent that makes it their mission to improve communication with everyone and that the board is accessible to the community.

What strategies or plans would you advance to ensure the schools are properly funded?

I would be active in communicating with our state and federal legislators and to be in Olympia about what the reality is on the ground in Blaine.

What principles drive your policies for safety in schools?

I think that we need to develop an environment where it is not dangerous to be different and that students have a base level of respect for each other, despite their differences. I think there should be a healthy relationship between the school and local public safety. We need to implement policy to combat bullying and we should not criminalize mistakes that children make unless it rises to a serious level. I think the school board needs to support policy that trusts administration and teachers and staff to handle safety incidents in evidence based and repeatable ways.

How might you support the mental health needs of students/faculty/staff?

I think it is important to support good mental health for students and staff to make sure that every student is unlocking their potential and to make sure that we are minimizing behavioral health issues that can grow into safety issues.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

Fairvote Washington, Whatcom Democrats, 42nd Legislative Democrats

Describe your ideal learning environment for students.

The ideal learning environment is an environment where students are able to unlock whatever it is that they want to do with their lives to become contributing members of society

What will you do to build a relationship with parents in the district?

I think the biggest impact that the board can have is hiring a superintendent that makes it their mission to improve communication with everyone and that the board is accessible to the community.

What role should artificial intelligence have in your school district?

I think AI should be a tool to search and learn about new things, but not a tool to replace a students work. Students should still learn about how to cite sources and identify facts.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Other survey responses

Ballotpedia identified the following surveys, interviews, and questionnaires Shaver completed for other organizations. If you are aware of a link that should be added, email us.

• VoteWA Profile

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Candidate

Blaine School District school board District 3

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