The North Kitsap Herald believes the following candidates have the best vision for the North Kitsap School Board, and we encourage residents to vote for them on Nov. 3. The Herald bases these endorsements each candidate’s experience, profiles, responses at forums and on Q&As, and interviews by the Herald’s Community Advisory Board.

NORTH KITSAP SCHOOL BOARD, DISTRICT 2: Jim Almond. It’s disingenuous for Almond’s opponents to say they can’t find any information about him when he has participated in Q&As with the League of Women Voters and the Kitsap Sun (he missed the Oct. 5 League forum because he had a prior commitment with a youth group), has been interviewed by the North Kitsap Herald, and is, as he says, always available by phone. “I like to talk to people,” he said. Fair enough.

Almond is a Poulsbo real estate agent whose wife teaches history and Parent Assisted Learning at Kingston High School. He has good, reasonable views regarding budget management and review, student testing, improving the on-time graduation rate, and addressing bullying and making the district more proactive in preventing student suicides. He supports civics education testing – “Students should be able to pass the same citizenship test that immigrants take,” he says.

Almond stepped up to the plate as a candidate at the beginning of the campaign season. Appointed incumbent Bruce Christen only filed as a write-in less than three weeks ago. Vote for Almond on Nov. 3.

NORTH KITSAP SCHOOL BOARD, DISTRICT 4: Scott Henden. We’ve seen a lot of growth in Henden since he took office four years ago. He’s more open-minded. He’s softened on some issues (he said he’s sorry for comments he made regarding Tribal sovereignty in 2013). And, of the two candidates for this position, he articulated better ideas on how to expand vocational training to ensure students graduate from high school prepared for careers as well as college. He’s been a consistent voice on the board for transparent government and fiscal responsibility. He wants the board to set clearer, measurable goals for the superintendent and district, with regular evaluation to measure progress on those goals. Every district needs checks and balances, and Henden contributes to that.

NORTH KITSAP SCHOOL BOARD, DISTRICT 5: Deborah Simon. Simon would bring a good perspective to the school board: She’s been a teacher, and she’s served on district committees related to finance and gifted students. She’s the mother of two children who she now schools at home because, as she explains it, “Our daughters’ academic and emotional needs aren’t consistent with what the district can offer at this time,” and she wants to change that to make sure other students don’t fall through the cracks. “I believe that I have a more complete picture of the entire student population and a strong reason to help this district serve all students, having been an educator of the typical learner and a parent of atypical learners,” she wrote on a Q&A on her website.

Simon would bring a parent and teacher’s perspective to alternative education, improving resident-district engagement, retaining teachers and students, and improving communication between the school board and the superintendent. Vote for Simon.

About the school board: School board members are elected to four-year terms and are not paid. The school board’s legal responsibilities, as outlined on the district website, are to establish general policy for the school district; adopt and revise the annual operating budget; select and evaluate the superintendent; employ school personnel upon the recommendation of the superintendent; exercise the power to administer schools conferred by the Legislature; and keep the public informed on the needs and progress of the education system.