Along with candidates who are running for Battle Ground City Council positions, those running for positions on the Battle Ground School District Board of Directors participated in an Oct. 6 candidate forum sponsored by the Battle Ground Chamber of Commerce and the Clark County League of Women Voters.
All candidates running for positions on the school board were also asked the same two questions during the forum. The first question was: Is it the best decision to let students sleep in and start school later with the arrival of iPods, texting and television which makes them stay up later? The second question was: What kind of a relationship should the school district and the board members have with its parents and community members?
Ken Root
BG School District
Director, District No. 2
After Battle Ground School Board member Karen Lehman left her position in March, Venersborg resident Ken Root was appointed to the position a month later. Root said he has lived in the area for the past 14 years and he is committed to the idea that students come first.
In his candidate statement, Root stated that he truly believes that the school board members have a responsibility to students to make the best decisions they can for them based on fact and fiscal realities.
Regarding the decision to begin school 1/2 hour later at all Battle Ground School District schools, Root said most of the studies that have been completed were done on high school students and all were extremely positive that tests results are better when students get more sleep. He said it was not an easy task to schedule everything this year 1/2 an hour later, but he believes it was best for the students.
“We’ll find out the effects after we see the test results later this year,” Root said. “We are trying to do the best we can for our children.”
Root said he feels it’s very important for the school board members to rely on a specific system when it comes to their relationships with parents, teachers and students. He said he intends to be out in the community as much as possible.
“We need to listen to the community,” Root said. “When a parent or student has a concern, it has to go through the process of going to the principal first and so forth. If not, we aren’t giving them the ability to do what they are there for. We need to let our system work.”
Amy Wheaton
BG School District
Director, District No. 2
A mother of three children who are all currently attending school in the Battle Ground School District, Amy Wheaton said she decided to run for a school board position because she has been impressed with the administrators, teachers and staff, and would like the opportunity to be a part of that. Wheaton also applied for the school board position when school board member Karen Lehman left in March.
In her candidate statement, Wheaton wrote that she works in the community and also volunteers in her children’s classrooms. She is also on the board of the PTO as treasurer and an active member of the PTA. Wheaton said she will be accountable to all parents in the school district and will work hard to do what is best for the children.
Wheaton, who doesn’t have any children in high school yet, said she isn’t sure how the new school start time is affecting high school students. She said she would like to see the test results when they are available, however, to see how the change is affecting the children.
“One thing I do know, your job is not going to change your hours because you’re tired,” Wheaton said. “How are these kids going to function when they get out into the real world?”
Wheaton said she believes board members need to be incredibly accessible to the public and that being there as a part of the community is important. She said board members should be out in the community working, volunteering and spending time with the people they represent.
“Board members should be out listening to concern, listening to what people are proud of and talking with people,” Wheaton said. “It’s about being accessible and being there in the community.”
Mavis Nickels
BG School District
Director, District No. 4
After a vacancy was left on the Battle Ground School Board after member Sam Kim resigned in April, retired teacher Mavis Nickels was appointed to the position. A former teacher, Nickels said she has “13,000 reasons” why she is seeking the position, alluding to the 13,000 students in the school district.
In her candidate statement, Nickels wrote that she will continue to focus on providing the tools that each student needs to perform to their highest capacity. She said her more than 20 years of teaching give her a perspective of what ideas and innovations are possible, practical, applicable and needed.
Nickels said that it has been her experience in the classroom that when students come to school at 7:30 a.m., they are not awake and ready to learn. She said she found the same thing was true with her children and grandchildren, so she feels like 1/2 hour late start is the best for students.
“Kids are sleeping with their phones beside them and they are getting calls and text messages well into the night,” Nickels said. “They are not getting enough sleep and we need to do everything we can to provide the best.”
Nickels said she agreed with both Root and Wheaton that transparency and accessibility are key when school board members develop relationships with parents, students and teachers. She said people should read the newspaper, visit the school district’s website and call and ask questions.
“I believe we can build a good open relationship,” she said.
Chris Webber
BG School District
Director, District No. 4
Chris Webber was not present at the Oct. 6 candidate forum.
His candidate statement in the voter’s pamphlet states, “A vote for me is a vote for dollar stretching, student accountability and common sense.”
A phone number for Webber is not listed in the pamphlet.
