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PeninsulaNorthwest
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2015
PENINSULA DAILY NEWS
Board hopefuls differ Clallam board hopefuls on PA school issues debate climate change BY PAUL GOTTLIEB PENINSULA DAILY NEWS
PORT ANGELES — A political forum Tuesday featured deep differences between Port Angeles School Board candidates Jerusha Henson and Susan Shotthafer. The forum before about two dozen people at the weekly Port Angeles Business Association breakfast meeting focused on such issues as a dress code, cellphones in classrooms and Head Start, the federally funded preschool program. Shotthafer, who will be 68 by Nov. 3, Election Day, has 21 years of classroom experience, including 11 as a substitute teacher in the Port Angeles and Sequim school districts. Henson, 35 by Nov. 3, is a stay-at-home mom and former national park ranger. They are vying for the Position 5 seat held by Steve Baxter, who is not running for re-election. Shotthafer, who spoke more than her opponent during the 35-minute forum, said more funding is not the answer to dropout rates and low classroom performance.
Head Start In her opening remarks, she criticized Head Start programs, saying they are ineffective in providing early childhood education for low-income children despite hefty federal spending for more than four decades. “Mountains of research� have shown that “trillions of dollars� are not the answer, Shotthafer said. “Cultural deficiencies, not funding deficiencies, impede students’ achievement.� Henson said in a later
interview that she supports Head Start. “In my own personal experience with my kids, I’ve seen it just does wonders,� she said. Shotthafer said a consistently enforced, districtwide dress code would improve student focus and performance. After being a substitute teacher, Shotthafer said she has seen too much inappropriate clothing, such as students wearing tails. In addition, she said some girls wear dresses that are “way too short� and clothing with necklines that are “way too low.� “If we want them to act more like scholars, shouldn’t we expect them to dress like scholars?� asked Shotthafer, adding she does not favor school uniforms. Henson disagreed. “Kids need to be able to express themselves in what they wear,� she said. “I do not see a problem, as long as they are not showing more skin than is good or dressing inappropriately.� In a later interview, Shotthafer said dresses should be “a couple inches� above the knee and collar lines “not more than an inch or so� below the collarbone. “You would have to have a presentation to show what is acceptable and what isn’t,� she added. School District Superintendent Marc Jackson, who attended the forum, said parents and guardians determine the dress and grooming standards of students. Jackson said students’ clothing and grooming must not disrupt, interfere with or disturb the school environment. He said parents and teachers have not raised concerns about inappropri-
ate student clothing. “It would be news to me,� Jackson said.
Cellphone use Shotthafer also said her experience substituting has shown her that cellphone use in classrooms is not sufficiently controlled. She said expectations of students can be raised by restricting all entertainment media, excluding that used for teacher-initiated instruction. Henson said later that the existing policy that bans personal cellphone use by students during class is effective. Jackson said cellphones can be temporarily taken away from students who violate the rule. “We always have kids that push the limits, and we have consequences for it, and that’s just what you have when you are dealing with youth,� he said. The candidates also were asked about accommodating lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students. Shotthafer said the LGBT population is so small that students’ needs could be accommodated without building new facilities. Henson said other than possibly building separate bathrooms, “we should treat [LGBT students] like any other students.� Shotthafer also said she supports merit pay for teachers and decried spending more money to reduce class sizes. “It’s the teacher that’s really important,� Shotthafer said. Henson said she “absolutely� believes in smaller classes because they allow for more one-on-one interaction with teachers.
PENINSULA DAILY NEWS
PORT ANGELES — It’s time to start planning for water shortages and other impacts of global climate change, Clallam County commissioner candidate Mark Ozias said during a forum. Incumbent District 1 Commissioner Jim McEntire told Port Angeles business leaders it is “wise to think ahead, but it is wisest to use data and not conjecture� when planning for the future. McEntire, 65, and Ozias, 45, sparred over climate change, sales taxes, leadership and other topics in a 45-minute candidates forum at the Port Angeles Regional Chamber of Commerce luncheon Monday.
Ozias: Water big issue Ozias, the executive director of the Sequim Food Bank who is making his first run at political office, predicted that water will be the most significant longterm issue for the county. “We need to acknowledge that there might be a problem with having enough water in the future,� Ozias told about 50 forum attendees at the Port Angeles Red Lion Hotel. “We’re expecting that due to the impacts of global climate change, there’s going to be less snowpack. We’re going to have warmer winters. We’re hoping more people move to the Peninsula,� he said. “So when we put those factors together, we’ve got a limited resource that’s likely to be more limited in the future.� McEntire, a retired Coast Guard captain who is seeking a second four-year term as a county commissioner, acknowledged that “there is a climate and it does change.� He questioned the motivation of United Nations policymakers who make recommendations based on scientific reports. “Policymakers always have an agenda,� he said.
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McEntire cited two sentences from an executive summary found on page 743 of “Climate Change 2013: The Physical Science Basis,� which was produced by the U.N.’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. “Most simulations of the historical period do not reproduce the observed
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simple,� Ozias said. “I have the D after my name, but I consider myself a pragmatist, not a partisan.�
BY ROB OLLIKAINEN
Sales tax cut McEntire
Ozias
reduction in global mean surface warming trend over the last 10 to 15 years,� the summary on climate models reads. “Most, though not all, models overestimate the observed warming trend in the tropical troposphere over the last 30 years, and tend to underestimate the long-term lower stratospheric cooling trend.� “So in plain English,� McEntire said, “that means the surface temperature models don’t work as far as their predictive ability as against observed climate information, observed temperature data, over the last 10, 15 years or so. “So how can we plan with any certainty if the scientists say that their models don’t work about the central issue with this thing called climate change, or global warming, whichever you prefer?� Ozias said tribal villages on the West End are trying to move to higher ground because of sea level rise. “There’s shellfish farmers who are wondering what their future holds because the oceans are acidifying,� Ozias said. “And while nobody thinks this year’s drought is indicative of what’s going to happen every year from here on out, most people agree, most scientists agree, that we expect what’s coming. “I think it’s our job to do our best to prepare for the future that we most expect.�
Opening statements
Ozias questioned the Board of County Commissioners’ decision to lower the sales tax rate by 0.2 percent this year, saying the money could have restored full funding to the Washington State University Extension office. “While I think that that [tax break] might make a good election-year slogan, I question whether that really has a positive impact in terms of business and personal economics around the county,� Ozias said. McEntire disagreed. “Around a million dollars is not a trivial amount of money in my book to leave in family budgets or an individual citizen’s [budget],� McEntire said. “That money is theirs, and I believe that any government, county government in particular, should only burden the economy to the extent necessary for an effective government to do the kinds of things that county government is legally authorized to do.�
Sequim school bond Although county commissioners have no purview over public schools, the candidates were asked to weigh in on the proposed $49.3 million construction bond for the Sequim School District to replace aging facilities. “I am fully supportive of the Sequim school bond,� Ozias said. “Everybody in the county has a vested interest in strong schools.� Said McEntire: “I do support the capital needs of any of our school districts in Clallam County.� McEntire noted that Sequim-area voters have rejected school bonds and levies for the Sequim Aquatic Recreation Center in recent years. “I need to understand personally how running the same play is going to work this time when it didn’t last time,� McEntire said. “We cannot afford another levy failure. That’s a headline that we all don’t need to see.�
Each candidate was given 15 minutes to make an opening statement and five minutes to respond. McEntire, a Sequim Republican, touted his leadership experience, his record on the economy and his influence as the representative of 21 timber counties on the state Board of Natural Resources. Ozias, a Sequim Democrat, said he decided to run for office because he is concerned about the county’s ________ financial state and the values of its leaders. Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be “I’m running for commis- reached at 360-452-2345, ext. sioner because I think I can 5072, or at rollikainen@peninsula do a better job, pure and dailynews.com.
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