Orcas Island School District, Washington, elections

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Orcas Island School District
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District details
School board members: 5
Next election: November 4, 2025
Students: 701 (2022-2023)
Schools: 6 (2022-2023)
Website: Link

Orcas Island School District is a school district in Washington (San Juan County). During the 2023 school year, 701 students attended one of the district's six schools.

This page provides information regarding school board members, election rules, finances, academics, policies, and more details about the district.

Elections

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Orcas Island School District school board District 1

General election

The general election will occur on November 4, 2025.

General election for Orcas Island School District school board District 1

Pamela Dobie Key is running in the general election for Orcas Island School District school board District 1 on November 4, 2025.

Candidate
Pamela Dobie Key (Nonpartisan)

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Orcas Island School District school board District 2

General election

The general election will occur on November 4, 2025.

General election for Orcas Island School District school board District 2

Michael Alperin and Bob Eagan are running in the general election for Orcas Island School District school board District 2 on November 4, 2025.

Candidate
Michael Alperin (Nonpartisan)
Bob Eagan (Nonpartisan)

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Orcas Island School District school board District 3

General election

The general election will occur on November 4, 2025.

General election for Orcas Island School District school board District 3

Stefan Maxfield is running in the general election for Orcas Island School District school board District 3 on November 4, 2025.

Candidate
Stefan Maxfield (Nonpartisan)

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Orcas Island School District school board District 4

General election

The general election will occur on November 4, 2025.

Special general election for Orcas Island School District school board District 4

Ady Kenady is running in the special general election for Orcas Island School District school board District 4 on November 4, 2025.

Candidate
Ady Kenady (Nonpartisan)

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Orcas Island School District school board District 4

General election

The general election will occur on November 4, 2025.

General election for Orcas Island School District school board District 4

Woody Ciskowski is running in the general election for Orcas Island School District school board District 4 on November 4, 2025.

Candidate
Woody Ciskowski (Nonpartisan)

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Orcas Island School District school board District 5

General election

The general election will occur on November 4, 2025.

General election for Orcas Island School District school board District 5

Deborah Heffley Jones is running in the general election for Orcas Island School District school board District 5 on November 4, 2025.

Candidate
Deborah Heffley Jones (Nonpartisan)

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Per our coverage scope, Ballotpedia does not provide election results for this particular race. Check your city or county government's election website for vote totals.

Orcas Island School District school board District 4

General election

General election for Orcas Island School District school board District 4

Michele Rodriguez ran in the general election for Orcas Island School District school board District 4 on November 7, 2023.

Candidate
Michele Rodriguez (Nonpartisan)

Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Per our coverage scope, Ballotpedia does not provide election results for this particular race. Check your city or county government's election website for vote totals.

Orcas Island School District school board District 5

General election

General election for Orcas Island School District school board District 5

Greg White ran in the general election for Orcas Island School District school board District 5 on November 7, 2023.

Candidate
Greg White (Nonpartisan)

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Election rules

 

Election dates and frequency

See also: Rules governing school board election dates and timing

School board nonpartisan primary elections in Washington are held on the first Tuesday in August every two years in odd-numbered years. School board primary elections are only held if more than two candidates file to run for a school board member seat. If only two candidates run, the primary is canceled and both candidates advance to the general election.

School board general elections in Washington are held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November every two years in odd-numbered years.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Washington Statute RCW 29A.52.220 and RCW 29A.04.311 and Washington Statute RCW 29A.04.330

Recent or upcoming election dates for all public school districts in the state

Below are the recent/upcoming dates for all public school districts in the state. There may be exceptions to these dates for specific districts because of local charters and district-specific exceptions and carve-outs.

  • Filing deadline date: May 16, 2025
  • Primary election date: August 5, 2025
  • General election date: November 4, 2025

Election system

School board members in Washington are elected through a system of a nonpartisan primary election and a nonpartisan general election. School board primary elections are only held if more than two candidates file to run for a school board member seat. If only two candidates run, the primary is canceled and both candidates advance to the general election.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Washington Statute RCW 29A.52.220 and RCW 29A.52.210

Party labels on the ballot

See also: Rules governing party labels in school board elections

School board elections in Washington are nonpartisan, which means party labels do not appear on the ballot for school board candidates. Washington statute specifies partisan and nonpartisan offices. Washington has a top-two primary system, which means all candidates appear on the same primary ballot regardless of party affiliation. The top-two candidates advance to the general. For partisan races, candidates can but do not have to express a preference for a political party. If they do, the ballot specifies their party preference. For nonpartisan races, candidates cannot express a party preference. RCW 28A.343.330 states that, "the positions of school directors and the candidates therefor shall appear separately on the nonpartisan ballot."

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Washington Statute RCW 29A.52.210 and RCW 28A.343.330

Winning an election

The school board candidate that receives the largest number of votes in the general election is elected to office.

The top two school board candidates with the most votes in the nonpartisan primary advance to the general election. If only two candidates file for the primary election, the primary will be canceled and they will automatically advance to the general election. School board primary elections are only held if more than two candidates file to run for a school board member seat.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Washington Statute RCW 28A.343.010 and Washington Statute RCW 29A.04.127

Term length and staggering

Elected school board members in Washington have four-year terms, except for school districts classified as first-class school districts containing a city of the first-class in a county with a population of two hundred ten thousand or more, can have their board of directors serving six-year terms. As of 2022, only Spokane, Tacoma, and Everett School Districts serve 6-year terms.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Washington Statute RCW 28A.343.300 and RCW 29A.04.340

Washington school districts have staggered elections based on the rule that not more than a majority of board members can be elected at any election. This means that for all districts with four-year board member terms, as close to half of board members as possible are elected every two years. Four years is the default board member term length. As of 2022, Spokane, Tacoma, and Everett school district board members serve six-year terms with as close to one-third of board members up for election every two years.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Washington Statute RCW 28A.343.300 and 28A.343.600

Representation: at large vs. by sub-district

School board members are elected at large, by district, or through a combination of the two, depending on the classification of the school district. Any school district in the state that has a student enrollment in its public schools of two thousand pupils or more is a school district of the first class. Any other school district is a school district of the second class.

Most school districts classified as First Class Districts can elect their school board members either entirely at large or entirely by sub-districts.

School districts classified as Second Class Districts must elect their school board members either at large or by director districts (sub-district). Districts opting for a combination of board members elected by sub-district and at large generally must have three members elected from sub-districts and two members elected at large.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Washington Statute 28A.343.02028A.343.680, and 28A.300.065 and Washington Statute 28A.343.020 and 28A.343.680 and Washington Statute 28A.343.680

Filing deadlines and swearing-in dates

The school board candidate filing deadline is on the Friday following the Monday that is two weeks before Memorial Day. This means the filing deadline is 74 days before the August primary and 172 days before the November general election.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Washington Statute RCW 29A.24.050

School board candidates cannot submit declarations of candidacy until the filling window opens on Monday two weeks before Memorial Day. This means the filing window opens 78 days before the August primary and 176 days before the November general election.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Washington Statute RCW 29A.24.050

Newly elected school board members officially take office at the first board of directors meeting taking place after the results of the election have been certified.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Washington Statute RCW 28A.343.360

 


About the district

School board

The Orcas Island School District consists of five members serving four-year terms. To find information about school board meetings, click here.

List of school board members
NameYear assumed officeYear term ends
Greg White2027
Bridget Broderick2025
Pamela Dobie Key2025
Ady Kenady2025
Stefan Maxfield2025

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District map

Overlapping state house districts

Orcas Island School District
Office NameCurrent OfficeholderParty% School District Covered% Other District Covered
Washington House of Representatives District 40-Position 1Debra LekanoffDemocratic Party 100% 23%
Washington House of Representatives District 40-Position 2Alex RamelDemocratic Party 100% 23%

The table was limited to the lower chamber because it provides the most granularity. State house districts tend to be more numerous and therefore smaller than state senate or U.S. House districts. This provides an impression of the partisan affiliations in the area.

Budget

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[1]

Revenue, 2020-2021
SOURCE AMOUNT AMOUNT PER STUDENT PERCENT
Federal: $546,000 $697 4%
Local: $4,261,000 $5,442 31%
State: $8,972,000 $11,458 65%
Total: $13,779,000 $17,598
Expenditures, 2020-2021
TYPE AMOUNT AMOUNT PER STUDENT PERCENT
Total Expenditures: $12,902,000 $16,477
Total Current Expenditures: $11,977,000 $15,296
Instructional Expenditures: $7,417,000 $9,472 57%
Student and Staff Support: $1,121,000 $1,431 9%
Administration: $2,127,000 $2,716 16%
Operations, Food Service, Other: $1,312,000 $1,675 10%
Total Capital Outlay: $302,000 $385
Construction: $69,000 $88
Total Non El-Sec Education & Other: $0 $0
Interest on Debt: $623,000 $795

Academic performance

Each year, state and local education agencies use tests and other standards to assess student proficiency. Although the data below was published by the U.S. Department of Education, proficiency measurements are established by the states. As a result, proficiency levels are not comparable between different states and year-over-year proficiency levels within a district may not be comparable because states may change their proficiency measurements. To protect student privacy, percentages are reported as ranges for groups of 300 students or fewer. If five or fewer students were included in a data set, the data will display as "PS."[2]

The following table shows the percentage of district students who scored at or above the proficiency level each school year:

School year All (%) Asian/Pacific Islander (%) Black (%) Hispanic (%) Native American (%) Two or More Races (%) White (%)
2018-2019 48 <50 20-24 PS 40-59 54
2017-2018 45 <50 20-29 PS 40-59 45-49
2016-2017 48 <50 PS 20-29 PS 40-59 50-54
2015-2016 51 >=50 PS 20-29 PS 60-79 50-54
2014-2015 57 >=50 PS 21-39 PS >=50 55-59
2013-2014 60-64 PS PS <50 65-69
2012-2013 63 >=50 PS 21-39 PS PS 65-69
2011-2012 65 >=50 PS <50 PS PS 65-69
2010-2011 71 PS PS <50 PS 70-74

The following table shows the percentage of district students who scored at or above the proficiency level each school year:

School year All (%) Asian/Pacific Islander (%) Black (%) Hispanic (%) Native American (%) Two or More Races (%) White (%)
2018-2019 63 >=50 30-39 PS 40-59 69
2017-2018 66 >=50 40-49 PS 60-79 70-74
2016-2017 68 >=50 PS 30-39 PS 60-79 70-74
2015-2016 72 >=50 PS 40-49 PS 60-79 75-79
2014-2015 70 >=50 PS 21-39 PS >=50 70-74
2013-2014 80-84 PS PS >=50 80-84
2012-2013 79 >=50 PS <50 PS PS 80-84
2011-2012 76 >=50 PS <50 PS PS 75-79
2010-2011 81 PS PS <50 PS 80-84

The following table shows the graduation rate of district students each school year:

School year All (%) Asian/Pacific Islander (%) Black (%) Hispanic (%) Native American (%) Two or More Races (%) White (%)
2019-2020 70-79 >=50 PS 60-69
2018-2019 80-89 PS PS PS PS >=80
2017-2018 >=80 PS PS PS >=80
2016-2017 >=80 PS PS >=80
2015-2016 80-89 PS PS PS >=90
2014-2015 >=80 >=80
2013-2014 >=80 PS PS PS >=80
2012-2013 <=10 PS PS PS PS <=10
2011-2012 60-79 PS PS 60-79
2010-2011 70-79 PS PS 70-79

Students

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[3]

Year Enrollment Year-to-year change (%)
2022-2023 701 -5.8
2021-2022 742 -5.5
2020-2021 783 -5.5
2019-2020 826 0.1
2018-2019 825 7.0
2017-2018 767 -3.8
2016-2017 796 -5.9
2015-2016 843 -5.6
2014-2015 890 2.4
2013-2014 869 17.4
2012-2013 718 4.7
2011-2012 684 -3.7
2010-2011 709 29.5
2009-2010 500 4.8
2008-2009 476 -1.5
2007-2008 483 -2.9
2006-2007 497 -9.1
2005-2006 542 5.2
2004-2005 514 -0.2
2003-2004 515 -4.3
2002-2003 537 -3.7
2001-2002 557 7.2
2000-2001 517 -7.5
1999-2000 556 0.0
Racial Demographics, 2022-2023
RACE Orcas Island School District (%) Washington K-12 STUDENTS (%)
American Indian/Alaska Native 0.6 1.1
Asian or Asian/Pacific Islander 0.7 8.7
Black 0.6 4.8
Hispanic 18.7 25.6
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander 0.3 1.4
Two or More Races 8.1 8.8
White 71.0 49.1

Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

Staff

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[4]

As of the 2022-2023 school year, Orcas Island School District had 40.19 full-time classroom teachers. The student-teacher ratio was 17.44.

Teachers, 2022-2023 school year
TYPE NUMBER OF TEACHERS
Prekindergarten: 0.00
Kindergarten: 1.68
Elementary: 19.27
Secondary: 19.24
Total: 40.19

Orcas Island School District employed 1.00 district administrators and 2.00 school administrators as of the 2022-2023 school year.

Administrators, 2022-2023 school year
TYPE NUMBER OF ADMINISTRATORS
District Administrators: 1.00
District Administrative Support: 2.50
School Administrators: 2.00
School Administrative Support: 4.26
Other staff, 2022-2023 school year
TYPE NUMBER OF OTHER STAFF
Instructional Aides: 11.89
Instruc. Coordinators & Supervisors: 0.00
Total Guidance Counselors: 1.06
Elementary Guidance Counselors: 0.00
Secondary Guidance Counselors: 1.06
Librarians/Media Specialists: 0.00
Library/Media Support: 0.00
Student Support Services: 2.45
Other Support Services: 15.14

Schools

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[5]

The Orcas Island School District operates six schools. They are listed below in alphabetical order.
List of schools
SCHOOL NAMENUMBER OF STUDENTSGRADES
Oasis K-12279KG-12
Orcas Island Elementary School133KG-5
Orcas Island High School1529-12
Orcas Island Middle School1076-8
Orcas Island Montessori Public231-3
Waldron Island School71-8

About school boards

Education legislation in Washington

Bills are monitored by BillTrack50 and sorted by action history.

See also

School Boards Education Policy Local Politics Washington
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External links

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  • Footnotes