Webster-Martinson returns to the North Kitsap School Board

Appointed to position vacated by Bill Webb, who resigned in December

POULSBO — The North Kitsap School Board appointed Cindy Webster-Martinson to the board’s District 5 position Jan. 25. She will serve the remainder of the term, which expires in December 2019.

The position was vacated by Bill Webb, who resigned in December.

Webster-Martinson, a Kingston resident, was one of two candidates for appointment to the position; the other was Stacy Mills of Hansville, a board member of the non-profit Kingston Cares and manager of the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe’s Family Assistance Program.

Webster-Martinson will be sworn in at the board meeting on Feb. 8.

Webster-Martinson is Suquamish and is an elementary program interventionist with the Suquamish Tribe Education Department. She served on the school board from 2013-17 and is believed to be the first Native American elected to public office (outside of Tribal government) in Kitsap. She had moved out of director District 4 and could not run for reelection in November. When the position in District 5, where she now lives, became available the following month, she applied for appointment.

“I have enjoyed my four years of board service,” she wrote in her application for appointment. “I have invested a lot of time and effort in professional development. I feel that I have worked cooperatively with and contributed positively to the board and would like to provide my experience to move the work of the board through these challenging and transitional times.”

Asked what she sees as the role of board member in the operation of the school district, Webster-Martinson wrote, “School boards are a link between public schools and the communities they serve … The central role and responsibility of school boards is continuous improvement in student achievement through various means: hiring and evaluating the superintendent, allocating resources, approving the budget and other financial needs, providing for school facilities, setting instructional policy, determining policies for student services and discipline, and approval of staffing and personnel recommendations.”