PORT TOWNSEND — In contested races, Amanda Grace and Naomi Stern won elections to the Port Townsend and Quilcene school boards, respectively.
Grace received more than 73 percent of the vote and was elected as director at large, position No. 4, to the Port Townsend School Board.
As a graduate of the Port Townsend School District and a parent of recent graduates, Grace said she has a close perspective of the district, according to her candidate statement.
“Our greatest strength is our sense of community — the way our teachers, families, and students know and care for one another,” Grace wrote in an email.
She is a former head-start and kindergarten teacher and former director of the YMCA childcare center. Also, she has a bachelor of science degree in early childhood multicultural education.
Grace named updating facilities, staff retention and improving student achievement in areas like math among the near-future challenges the district faces, noting the district likely will need to pass a bond soon to improve safety and modernize.
Grace’s opponent, Timothy Hawley, who won more than 17 percent of the vote, said he would continue to contribute to the school system through his nonprofit, Deeper Learning & Development Associates. If the opportunity arises, he may run again in the future, he said.
Stern, who was elected with almost 52 percent of the vote, became interested in what was happening with the Quilcene School District when she learned that the school board was banning books, she wrote in an email.
She decided she needed to become involved when she learned that the board passed a resolution relating to the participation of transgender athletes in sports, in spite of the action potentially putting state funding in jeopardy.
“It became abundantly clear as time went on that the current board was attempting to leverage their position to push through a personal political and religious agenda in the setting of our public school,” she said. “I saw the need for someone to step in who could clearly separate their personal beliefs from the role of school board director and could help bring balance back to Quilcene’s school board.”
Moving forward, Stern sees that funding cuts and challenges to families outside of schools, like cuts to SNAP, are among the biggest obstacles the board will face.
Stern named a level head, a compassionate heart and a background in finance as strengths she expects to utilize for the job.
“I want to serve as a respectful steward of our resources, a good ambassador for our community, and to give back to this community — and these kids — who have my heart,” she said.
Jon Cooke, the incumbent, collected almost 42 percent of the vote. A retired Kitsap County teacher, Cooke said his time on the board was interesting and educational. He learned that many of the local institutions are heavily controlled by state-level decisions.
Cooke said he is proud of the work the board accomplished, particularly the installation of superintendent Ron Moag.
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Reporter Elijah Sussman can be reached by email at elijah.sussman @peninsuladailynews.com.
