A 25-year incumbent and a speech language pathologist are both running for Riverside School Board

An incumbent who’s been on the school board for the past 25 years and a first-time candidate  are  the choices voters have for a seat on the Riverside School Board .

Gary Vanderholm, 72, started serving on the board in 2000 because he felt like it was important to give back to his community, just like someone close once did for him: His dad served on the same board for about 10 years while he went to school.

Sarah Ramsden, 48, is a speech language pathologist at Mt. Spokane High School and mother of four. Three of her four kids have either already graduated from or are about to graduate from Riverside High School. She said she’s running to provide a fresh voice and unique perspective to the board.

Both candidates’ biggest priority revolves around ensuring that school spaces are safe and healthy places for students to learn. A five-year , $18 million capital levy on the ballot for November would charge residents of the district $1.45 per $1,000 of assessed property value. If passed, the proposition would upgrade safety and technology. Most of the money, just over $16 million, would be devoted to replacing the outdated HVAC system.

Vanderholm said the HVAC issue has been a problem across all the schools in the district since he joined the school board. The HVAC system has been troublesome recently, as temperatures reached upwards of 85 degrees in some classrooms. The Wednesday, Thursday and Friday following Labor Day were half days because of the high temperatures inside classrooms.

Both candidates say they believe learning is hard when it’s hot. Ramsden added her biggest focus moving forward is to make the buildings in the district conducive to being a learning environment. Even if the levy doesn’t pass, Ramsden said, she will pour her heart into determining innovative means of ensuring students in the district get to learn in a safe, healthy and comfortable environment.

Vanderholm said he’s familiar with the challenge of garnering support for such a levy.

“It’s very hard to get(voters) to approve bonds and levies,” Vanderholm said. “A lot of them say the state funds it all, so why should we have to pay for a levy or a bond? The state claims they pay for all the education for every child. Well, having been on the school board, I found out that’s the biggest crock of baloney that’s ever been said.”

Ramsden said she would like to improve communication channels between the district and students’ parents. If community members and stakeholders better understood the state of many of the buildings in the district, she said, people would be more inclined to vote for levies like the one on the ballot in November. Ramsden would like to see the district make more of an effort to disperse information through social media so as to better connect with younger parents in the district. She also would like the district to review their curriculum to make sure the schools are teaching effective, up-to-date material that keeps Riverside competitive with other districts in the area.

Vanderholm has eight children, 36 grandchildren and one great grandson. Many of his grandchildren go to school in the Riverside School District. He said part of his motivation to continue serving on the board stems from his desire to ensure his family has a decent environment and the best possible education they can get.

Ramsden’s two oldest children graduated from Riverside High School in 2017 and 2021 respectively. Her third oldest is currently a senior at Riverside, while completing the Running Start program at Spokane Community College. Her youngest child went to Riverside until middle school and then transferred to the Mead School District to be closer to her mother once she got a job as a speech-language pathologist.

Before coming to Mt. Spokane High School, Ramsden was a speech language pathologist in the Riverside School District for about seven years starting in 2013. She taught preschool, elementary and middle school as one of two speech language pathologists in the district. The Mead School District has 23.

As a speech-language pathologist, much of Ramsden’s day is helping kids with articulation, language, voice and fluency issues. She said her perspective as an educator and a parent puts her in a position to easily communicate with parents in the district and gives her intrinsic motivation to be the best school board member to be her best.

“I have to be very willing to put my own agenda aside sometimes, and be flexible and hear everybody out and to hear all sides of whatever situation may be in front of me,” Ramsden said. “Communication is really front and center of what I do.”

Ramsden describes her three priorities as ensuring a commitment to fiscal responsibility, promoting educational excellence and fostering community pride.

Vanderholm said his priorities include pushing for the expansion of educational classes for blue collar workers, while simultaneously increasing the number of college classes available . He said he would also love to see Riverside become a first choice for neurodivergent children and the special education community by increasing personnel, equipment, tools and educator training within the district.

A 1971 graduate from Riverside, Vanderholm when to Rick’s College in southern Idaho after returning from a mission in northern England. He was only there for a year before he met his wife, Thelma. The pair married in 1976 and then returned to the Chattaroy area to raise their kids.

Vanderholm opened the Deer Park Feed and Seed store where he sold agricultural items needed for growing to farmers in the area. He opened called Newport Feed and Seed not long after and spent time working for other feed stores to tide his family over.

A little over 15 years ago, Vanderholm was forced to retire because of shoulder issues and a back injury that occurred when he fell off a ladder in his barn. Vanderholm said his tenure and experience on the school board, coupled with his rich family history in the area that stretches five generations, lends itself to folks in the community typically listening to what he has to say on district issues .

On many issues, Ramsden and Vanderholm share similar opinions. They both believe that, because there isn’t really a city or town in the Riverside School District, the schools often act as a community base. They both pledge to spend tax money transparently and wisely.

Ramsden and Vanderholm said they do not approve of transgender athletes playing in girl’s sports. Ramsden said transgender athletes have a place, but they need their own way of navigating sports. Vanderholm said he would never ridicule or exclude anyone from anything, but he stressed he would go “berserk” if biological boys wanted to use the same locker room as his granddaughters.

Ramsden said if she were to be elected, she would have big shoes to fill. She praised Vanderholm’s commitment and love for the community. Her hope, if she’s elected, is to provide Riverside with the same “help-your-neighbor” mindset that she sees in all of her peers. She pointed to the Oregon Road fire in 2023 as evidence of the community showing up during a time of crisis.

“Riverside’s motto – rise as one – is more than just words,” Ramsden said. “To me, it represents the way our teachers, families and our community members can work together toward a common goal, ensuring that every student has the opportunity to succeed.”

For Vanderholm, if he’s re-elected, he hopes to continue to do what he’s been doing for the last 25 years.

“It’s people that make it great,” Vanderholm said. “We get the right people in place, and things go so smoothly, and even though you have your bumps along the way, they turn out more so to be mole hills rather than mountains.”