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My name is Richard Potter and I ask for your vote for Shoreline School District, position 5 in the upcoming election. |
In recent years the Shoreline School District has lurched from one financial crisis to another. Neighborhood schools are being shuttered. Families are abandoning the district. Meanwhile the School Board ignores community input as they pursue their personal agendas. It is time for a change! A Brief Candidate Introduction for The Enterprise, submitted June 11, 2007:Name: Richard Potter Position running for: Shoreline School District #412 - Director District #5 Current job/career: Boeing Associate Technical Fellow Children in district schools - which schools: One attends North City, relocating to Ridgecrest. One attends Kellogg, heading to Shorecrest. Experience: B.S. Economics; M.S. Industrial Technology; Graduate School Teaching Assistant; Experienced in Industrial Engineering, project management, business case development; budget and systems analysis; Taught computer programming 5 years for Boeing; Community and school volunteer. Why do you want to run for the position: I have lived in Shoreline for 24 years. When I moved here, Shoreline was considered a highly desirable school district. Sadly that is no longer the case. The teachers are still great, but the administration and the School Board have lost sight of the primary purpose of public schools - educating students. Incumbents Jacobs, Mann and Leigh have presided over the destruction of all that was good in the district. The budget is a shambles, students are leaving the district, and even teachers and principals are abandoning ship due to the loss of focus on education and shabby treatment by the District Administration. The City of Shoreline is blessed with many highly skilled professionals who presented many ideas to address the District's problems. The Board arrogantly ignored all community input, poisoning their relationship with the community while continuing to aim the ship toward the rocks. This caused groups like Save Shoreline Schools and NC-CAN to dig deeper to discover what is really going on. This ultimately led to a recall petition that was temporarily held on a timing technicality, though the court observed "the issues are serious" and "legitimately brought before the court." What do you hope to see happen if you are elected: We must clean up the budget fiasco and put independent audit controls in place. I will work to restore mutual openness and respect between the community and the Board. I will promote transparency in our District's decision-making process. These are OUR schools and OUR tax dollars. Unlike the current Board, I will welcome community input and feedback. Together, we can turn things around. You can contact me, Richard Potter, at:18400 15th PL NE, Shoreline, WA 98155
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