Robert Franklin (Kennewick School District school board Position 1, Washington, candidate 2025)

Robert Franklin

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Nonpartisan

Candidate, Kennewick School District school board Position 1

Elections and appointments

Last election

August 5, 2025

Education

Graduate

Washington State University, 2014

Personal

Birthplace

Anchorage, Alaska

Religion

Unitarian Universalist

Profession

Historian

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Personal LinkedIn

Robert Franklin is running for election to the Kennewick School District school board to represent Position 1 in Washington. He is on the ballot in the general election on November 4, 2025.^[source] He was on the ballot in the primary on August 5, 2025.^[source]

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

Biography

Robert Franklin provided the following biographical information via Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey on June 19, 2025:

• Birth date: October 6, 1981
• Birth place: Anchorage, Alaska
• High school: Palmer High School (Palmer, AK)
• Graduate: Washington State University, 2014
• Bachelor's: University of Hawaii Hilo, 2011
• Gender: Male
• Religion: Unitarian Universalist
• Profession: Historian
• Incumbent officeholder: No
• Campaign slogan: Access and Opportunity for EVERY Student!
• Campaign website

Elections

General election

General election for Kennewick School District school board Position 1

Robert Franklin and Micah Valentine are running in the general election for Kennewick School District school board Position 1 on November 4, 2025.

		Candidate
	Submit photo	Robert Franklin (Nonpartisan)
	Submit photo	Micah Valentine (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.

Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Kennewick School District school board Position 1

Robert Franklin, Mike Luzzo, and Micah Valentine ran in the primary for Kennewick School District school board Position 1 on August 5, 2025.

		Candidate
	Submit photo	Robert Franklin (Nonpartisan)
	Submit photo	Mike Luzzo (Nonpartisan)
	Submit photo	Micah Valentine (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

Franklin received the following endorsements. To send us additional endorsements, click here.

• Moms Demand Action
• WEA-PAC
• Washington Education Association PAC

Pledges

Franklin 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

Robert Franklin completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Franklin'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 am a historian, a university professor, a husband, and a proud father of two, one in pre-school and one heading into 1st grade in the fall. I am running to make a difference in my community and to bring a non-partisan voice to the KSB. I am guided by my three core values of knowledge, empathy, and service and strive to lead with those values in my personal and professional life. I will work to ensure that students, faculty, and staff are properly equipped with the resources and programs they need while also making parents feel heard in matters regarding their children's education. I trust that we can balance doing what is best for our children with evidence based practices and programs.

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?

• ALL students in KSD should feel safe, known, and valued.
• Students need a variety of supports (mental health) and programs (athletics and non-athletic extra curricular) that enhance their sense of belonging and school performance. Proper support and programs increase retention and graduation rates while preparing students for engage citizenship. Money doesn't grow on trees but our children and schools should have the resources they need to thrive.
• Politics and the "culture war" do not belong in non-partisan positions like the school board.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

As a history professor I am passionate about education and curriculum reform and adoption. I am also passionate about preparing students for post-secondary education or trade education - I want students to embrace a lifetime of learning whether they go to college or not. I am also passionate around areas of student belonging in the classroom and in ensuring equitable resources and brought to bear in our classrooms.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

I look up to my parents. They weren't perfect, but they were hardworking people who valued knowledge, friendship, and service. In retrospect they instilled in me a value system that I treasure.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

Wisdom Sits in Places by Keith Basso. It is an academic book yes (I am a historian) that nevertheless has a sense of "spiritual exploration" into the role of language and space in our lives.

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

Honesty, willingness to listen to diverse perspectives, and an understanding that public service means serving the entire community. An elected official cannot be everything to everyone, but they should strive listen with kindness and act with integrity.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I believe that my study of history, my training to look for multiple causes and diverse perspectives, makes me an excellent candidate because I want to hear multiple opinions and balance those perspectives in decision-making.

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

To be non-partisan, to listen to teachers and other professionals about what schools need while balancing the questions and concerns of parents, and to stick to the specific duties of the board.

What legacy would you like to leave?

One where knowledge and empathy are in abundance.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

Exxon Valdez Oil Spill, I was 8 years old.

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

To work with teachers, staff, and students to ensure that Kennewick schools are healthy working and learning spaces. More specifically: to set the vision, goals, and "tone" of the school district, to establish performance criteria for KSD staff, evaluate teaching materials, and to communicate information about KSD to the community and to take community feedback and concerns under consideration when doing the above. In short, following the letter of Title 28 RCW and guided by our values.

Who are your constituents?

Students, teachers, staff, and the parents of the Kennewick School District

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

By advocating for evidence-based practices that improve student belonging and academic success. This is crucial.

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

The entire community is involved in our children's education. That being said, we should equitably target historically underserved populations who may not have been served with clear communication in the past.

What constitutes good teaching? How will you measure this? How will you support advanced teaching approaches?

Good teaching is active and engaged learning, with opportunities for students to try and question new concepts. Resources need to be devoted to assessment and professional development.

In what areas would you like to expand curriculum? For example, do you see a need for advanced technical training or apprenticeships? What sort of innovative programming would you advance if given the opportunity?

We need to recognize that students, after leaving High School, generally need additional skills to build a stable career that can support them and their families. Honors programs, college prep, advanced technical training (Tri-Tech), and extracurriculars all need devoted resources in order to function best for students.

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

Identifying mechanisms of support (lobbying) for local and state funding is crucial. No one likes more taxes but we will like underfunded schools even worse.

What principles drive your policies for safety in schools?

The safety of our schools from violence - whether gun violence or disruptive students - is something I worry about constantly. My principles of compassion and concern drive my approach to make schools as safe as possible. While we cannot control all of the world outside the school we can do our best to make students feel safe by supporting mental health and counseling services.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

Washington Education Association

Describe your ideal learning environment for students.

One where students are safe, known, and valued. One where mental health and counseling support guides students through the challenges of learning and growing.

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

Making sure each parent receives information about important school board decisions through multiple channels, making good use of translation and interpretation services to reach underserved communities, and organize (and attend) family engagement activities.

What are your preferred strategies for faculty, staff, and administration recruitment?

Competitive pay and benefits attract good candidates.

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

Financial transparency and government accountability are crucial for trust in government and we should demand this from all elected officials.

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 Franklin completed for other organizations. If you are aware of a link that should be added, email us.

• VoteWA Profile

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