Paul Schneider

A candidate for School Board, Position 4, Spokane Public Schools in the 2015 Nov. 3 Washington General Election

Age: 50

City: Spokane, WA

Occupation: University High School teacher

His words: “If I’m elected I’ll be the first ever (active) public school practitioner in the board’s history. I think what I can bring is very practical experience.”

His pitch: Says growing up in a family of educators gives him an inside perspective on the school district, he said. A teacher himself, Schneider said he’s most concerned with the roughly 15 percent of students who are dropping out of Spokane Public Schools. Specifically he advocates for earlier childhood intervention.

“We know these kids and we know what kind of trauma they’re dealing with,” he said.

Notable experience: He’s taught in public schools for 18 years, including one year at Shadle Park High and the last 11 years at University High School.

Education: Graduated from Gonzaga Preparatory School in 1993. Earned a bachelor’s from Western Washington University and a master’s in curriculum and instruction from the University of Washington.