PORT ANGELES — Port Angeles School Board member Sarah Methner announced her intention to seek a second term Thursday.
Methner, 42, will file for her current position during the May 13-17 filing period, she said.
“I want to contribute to the vision and direction of our district,” Methner said.
“We are in the planning stages of some major and very exciting changes, and since education is my passion, I want to be part of it.”
No one else had announced for the position as of Thursday.
The primary will be Aug. 6, and the general election is Nov. 5.
Methner and her husband, insurance broker Steve Methner, have lived in Port Angeles since 1998 and have four children in the district, attending classes from elementary to high schools.
“We have a lot of skin in the game here,” Sarah Methner said, “and it’s important to me to have a connection and a voice.”
The current makeup of the School Board is varied, she said, and she feels that at least one board member should have children currently in school.
Methner said she believes deeply in the value of public education and that it is one of the underpinnings of American democracy.
“It is central to who we are. It’s in our American DNA,” she said.
Among the accomplishments she cites from her first term are helping the district navigate painful budget cuts while keeping curriculum and programs intact.
“All teacher layoffs were able to be averted,” Methner said.
Strategic plan
She also said she was central to the crafting of a new strategic plan for the district and often engaged with students, teachers and parents.
The district is undergoing a major long-range facilities redesign, Methner noted.
A facilities committee is working toward a plan to replace four district schools, and the School Board is designing schools to reflect what it believes education will look like in 10 to 15 years, she said.
She said she enjoys being in on the ground floor of that effort.
“I see schools as the central hub of the town. It’s not just the buildings; it’s revisioning,” she said.
‘Eager to carry on’
Methner said she feels it’s tough to master such a complex job in one four-year term, which is another major reason for her decision to run again.
“I’m eager to carry on with the work, and I look forward to working with my outstanding and dedicated fellow board members, and with a superb administration, for the next four years,” she said.
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Reporter Arwyn Rice can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5070, or at arwyn.rice@peninsuladailynews.com.
