CV Schools Critic Winning Seat
A man who heavily criticized Central Valley schools was winning a seat on the district’s school board Tuesday night, defeating an active community volunteer.
“One of my basic premises is I’m going to be looking out for the taxpayer and not the school administrators,” said George Springer, who espoused back-to-basics views. “I feel the current board says yes to everything.”
Springer advocates competency tests for teachers and hiring a Spokane-area person as CV’s new superintendent. Nine-year superintendent Dick Sovde left this summer for another job.
Board members have a tough year coming up with the superintendent search and an effort to pass a $23 million bond for school construction.
Incumbents were winning in two of the other three school board races in Spokane County’s second largest school district. Four of the five seats were open and contested.
Only incumbent Cheryl Knighton was falling to challenger Craig Holmes.
Holmes ran a tireless campaign, knocking on thousands of Spokane Valley doors. He called for increased parental involvement, local control of school districts and a return to basics.
“I think I came across as a moderate person, just a person that wants to be involved in the community,” Holmes said.
Quincy Edmonds, defeated by eight-year board member Cynthia McMullen, ran a campaign focusing on individual responsibility, saying schools are taking on too much of a social service role today. McMullen led him 60 percent to 40 percent most of the night.
Board president Kay Bryant held her seat against Matt Hawkins.
Bryant campaigned on a theme of “lifelong learning” and meeting the needs of all students. She railed against the phrase “back to the basics,” saying basics have changed.
Marie Francis and Donald Glaser were running neck and neck late Tuesday in the one contested position on the East Valley School Board.
In the Liberty School District, an effort to pass a bond was winning, but did not have the necessary 60 percent of the vote late Tuesday.
, DataTimes