Wendy Smith
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Wendy Smith is an at-large Position 3 representative on the Vancouver Public Schools school board in Washington. Smith won a first term in the at-large general election on November 7, 2017.
Elections
2017
Two of the five seats on the Vancouver Public Schools school board in Washington were up for at-large general election on November 7, 2017. A primary election for the Position 2 seat was held on August 1, 2017, because more than two candidates filed for the seat.
In the Position 2 general, incumbent Mark Stoker defeated challenger Anthony Licerio. They moved on to the general by defeating Shantel Okorie in the primary. Newcomer Wendy Smith defeated Heather Christiansen in the race for the open Position 3 seat in the general.[1]
Results
| Vancouver Public Schools, Position 3 General Election, 4-year term, 2017 |
||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Wendy Smith |
57.24% | 14,633 |
| Heather Christiansen | 42.76% | 10,930 |
| Total Votes | 25,563 | |
| Source: Clark County, Washington, "November 7, 2017 General Election," accessed December 1, 2017 | ||
Funding
Smith opted for mini reporting in this election, according to the Washington Public Disclosure Commission.[2] Candidates who opted for this had to keep a record of their contributors and expenditures, but were not required to report them. If they raised and spent more than $5,000 in aggregate or received more than $500 from any one contributor, including themselves, they would have had to switch their filing status from mini to full reporting.[3]
Endorsements
Smith received an official endorsement from the Washington Education Association.[4]
Campaign themes
2017
Smith posted the following statement on her campaign website:[5]
| “ | I’m a mother, a product of Vancouver Public Schools, and a classroom teacher of 13 years. I know from firsthand experience that our students and community do better when strong local school boards use their leadership and initiative to make decisions that best serve the needs of all children.
My family always made school a priority, but it was my experience as a student at Felida Elementary School, Jason Lee Middle School, and Columbia River High School that shaped and inspired my life, giving me the opportunity to be the first in my family to graduate from college, earning two degrees at the University of Washington, and a Master’s Degree in education from Washington State University, Vancouver. It was also in those Vancouver Public Schools that I discovered my love for history and civics, the subjects I teach today. I believe strongly in the power of representative government and the importance of an educated, engaged citizenry. At the start of each school year, I tell my students, “We citizens have a choice. We can have a government that is done with us, or one that is done to us.” That idea is at the heart of every lesson I teach as a social studies teacher at Heritage High School in the Evergreen district. After spending over a decade encouraging my students to be participatory citizens, I’m putting my lessons into practice by running for Vancouver School Board, Position #3. While I am a proud history and civics teacher, my most important job is that of mother. My daughter is a second grader at Sarah J. Anderson Elementary, and my four-year-old son will start kindergarten in 2018. As the parent of an elementary school aged child, as well as a teacher, I bring a much-needed perspective to the Vancouver School Board. As a parent, I know my daughter’s experience in our school system will guide her future, as it did for me. And as a teacher, I know the day-to-day realities of the classroom, and what is needed to provide the highest quality education for our children. As a parent and a teacher, I know the importance of educating the whole child and meeting the needs of our diverse population. Any teacher will tell you (and any parent too!) that children are different: different strengths, different needs, different interests, different backgrounds. I am proud of our Vancouver Public Schools and the many ways the district has attempted to meet all those differences. Our district, through its poverty initiatives, magnet programs, dual language programs, and more, has shown that educating the whole child AND every child is a priority. At a time when Olympia continues to debate how to appropriately fund our schools, however, and the Federal Department of Education is led by someone with no experience in public education, the future of our public schools feels uncertain. It is too easy for politicians, with no personal connection to our community’s schools, to lose sight of what is most important: our children and their future. Let me as a teacher, someone who works daily with students of all kinds, fight for your child and mine, to continue the quality work the Vancouver School Board is currently doing and to push it even further in laying the foundation upon which our children’s lives and the well-being of our community will rest. I want to partner with you to make our community stronger by providing the highest quality education possible to the leaders of tomorrow. Will you partner with me to make sure our teachers and staff have the right tools to educate our children? Will you partner with me to make sure we educate the whole child and not just teach to a test? Will you partner with me to make sure all students are given opportunities to build a promising future? Will you partner with me to make sure our schools are a safe and welcoming place for our students? Will you partner with me to keep our public schools public? Will you partner with me to protect the good work that has already been done by our school board and strive to improve upon it? If so, I ask for your vote, your endorsement, and your support. Thank you![6] |
” |
| —Wendy Smith (2017)[5] | ||
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Clark County, Washington, "2017 Candidates Who Have Filed," accessed May 22, 2017
- ↑ Washington Public Disclosure Commission, "Local Candidates," accessed October 16, 2017
- ↑ Washington State Public Disclosure Commission, "New Candidates," accessed June 22, 2017
- ↑ Washington Education Association, "2017 WEA-PAC Election Endorsements," accessed November 6, 2017
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Wendy Smith for Vancouver School Board, "Home," accessed June 27, 2017
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
| Vancouver Public Schools elections in 2017 | |
| Clark County, Washington | |
| Election date: | Primary: August 1, 2017 General: November 7, 2017 |
| Candidates: | Position 2: Incumbent, Mark Stoker • Anthony Licerio • Shantel Okorie Position 3: Heather Christiansen • Wendy Smith |
| Important information: | What was at stake? |
