Scott Clifthorne
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Scott Clifthorne is the District 5 representative on the Olympia School District school board in Washington. Clifthorne won a first term in the by-district general election on November 7, 2017.
Biography
Clifthorne's professional experience includes owning a small business. He has also served as the president of the parent teacher organization at Lincoln Elementary School. He earned his master's degree in political science from the University of California at San Diego and his bachelor's degree in international political economy from the University of Puget Sound. Clifthorne graduated from Mt. Rainer High School.[1][2]
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.[3]
Results
| Olympia School District, District 5 General Election, 4-year term, 2017 |
||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Scott Clifthorne |
53.75% | 8,919 |
| Mark Campeau Incumbent | 46.25% | 7,675 |
| Total Votes | 16,594 | |
| Source: Thurston County, "November 7, 2017 General Election," accessed November 30, 2017 | ||
| Olympia School District, District 5 Primary Election, 4-year term, 2017 |
||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Scott Clifthorne |
47.50% | 5,419 |
| Mark Campeau Incumbent |
38.85% | 4,432 |
| Rebecca Cornelius | 13.65% | 1,557 |
| Total Votes | 11,408 | |
| Source: Thurston County, "August 1, 2017 Primary," accessed August 15, 2017 | ||
Funding
Clifthorne reported $8,223.71 in contributions and $4,812.05 in expenditures to the Washington Public Disclosure Commission, leaving his campaign with $3,411.66 on hand as of October 12, 2017.[4]
Endorsements
Clifthorne received official endorsements from Washington Sen. Sam Hunt (D), Washington Rep. Beth Doglio (D), Griffin School Board Director Brandon Anderson, the Thurston County Democrats and Thurston County Young Democrats, the Washington State Labor Council, Fuse Washington, Equal Rights Washington, and the Thurston-Lewis-Mason Central Labor Council.[5][6]
Campaign themes
2017
Ballotpedia survey responses
Scott Clifthorne participated in Ballotpedia's 2017 survey of school board candidates.[7] In response to the question "What do you hope to achieve if elected to the school board?" the candidate stated on June 7, 2017:
| “ | I look forward to working collaboratively with fellow board members, administrators, and educators to prioritize community engagement, educational options, implementing equity strategies, and making our schools great places to work.[8][9] | ” |
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 | |
| Expanding school choice options | |
| Improving education for special needs students | |
| Expanding arts education | |
| Improving post-secondary readiness | |
| Improving relations with teachers | |
| Balancing or maintaining the district's budget | |
| “ | I believe closing the achievement gap requires expanding "options" programs & services within our existing public schools (read: NOT privatization/charters/vouchers) that help address the diverse ways in which all students learn.[9] | ” |
| —Scott Clifthorne (June 7, 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| Should the state give money to private schools through a voucher system or scholarship program? |
| No. Public schools can & do achieve the same or better academic results by promoting options and alternative programs within our public schools. |
| How should expulsion be used in the district? |
| Only in instances that involve weapons. We should support expelled students with intensive, 1:1 interventions with skilled social workers and other community-based supports. |
| What's the most important factor for success in the classroom: student-teacher ratio, the curriculum, teachers, parent involvement or school administration? |
| Teachers |
Voters' guide statement
Clifthorne submitted the statement below to the Thurston County voters' guide:[10]
| “ | I am excited and ready to serve on Olympia’s School Board. My wife and I have three amazing kids: a preschooler and two current Olympia School District students. I currently serve as President of the parent-teacher organization at Lincoln Elementary School, and own a small business. I am also the proud son of a paraprofessional educator with 32 years of service in the Highline School District.
As a School Board Director, I will prioritize community engagement and the expansion of educational options for families. I am committed to implementing equity strategies to make high quality education available for all, and making Olympia School District an employer of choice in our region. Over the past 15 years I have worked as an advocate, negotiator, and union organizer for educators, students, researchers, and other public employees throughout Washington, Oregon and California. I am ready to put these skills to work here at home in support of Olympia schools, students, and families. Learn more about my priorities, and share your ideas for our schools at www.facebook.com/ClifthorneForSchools There are challenges and opportunities ahead for our schools. With your support, I look forward to tackling these challenges together![9] |
” |
| —Scott Clifthorne (2017)[10] | ||
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Clifthorne for Olympia School Board, "Meet Scott," accessed June 26, 2017
- ↑ 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
- ↑ Elisabeth Moore, "Email exchange with Scott Clifthorne," November 2, 2017]
- ↑ Scott Clifthorne for Olympia School Board, "Endorsements," accessed June 26, 2017
- ↑ Note: The candidate's answers have been reproduced here verbatim without edits or corrections by Ballotpedia.
- ↑ Ballotpedia School Board Candidate Survey, 2017, "Scott Clifthorne's responses," June 7, 2017
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Thurston County, "Voters' Guide," 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? |
