School‑board candidates back universal public education, call for more parent engagement and clearer budget transparency
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Summary
Mount Vernon School District board candidates at a League of Women Voters forum supported state law providing education regardless of immigration status, proposed goals for the superintendent (literacy/dual‑language and graduation rate improvements), and suggested more transparent, accessible communication about levy and tax dollars.
Candidates for Mount Vernon School District board seats affirmed support for Washington law requiring public education for all children in the state, discussed proposed priorities for the superintendent and recommended steps to increase transparency and public engagement.
All candidates who responded said they support the state mandate to provide education to children regardless of immigration or citizenship status. James Stewart called education “foundational” and urged universal access. Wendy Ragusa and others said schools should be safe, welcoming places and noted district programs—such as a recently hired equity director—that support immigrant and multilingual students.
Candidates proposed accountability goals for the superintendent that included strengthening dual‑language programs and raising outcomes for students who are not meeting graduation or college‑readiness benchmarks. Christopher Gujrer Raines said he would track dual‑language performance and the roughly 14–15% of students not graduating at the district’s target rate, using internal conversations with principals and data to assess progress.
On financial transparency, candidates proposed practical steps: public patron tours of bond‑funded facilities, making audit results and budget information accessible, and creating interactive visualizations of where tax and levy dollars go. James Stewart proposed an interactive, web‑based visualization to explain complex funding streams; Christopher suggested tours to show taxpayers funded projects.
Candidates also described strategies for protecting intellectual freedom while acknowledging schools’ responsibility to shield minors from hate speech and inappropriate content. They advocated relying on librarians, curriculum committees and community input to balance access to materials with age‑appropriateness.
The forum also included closing statements and reminders about voting timelines and ballot drop‑box rules. No formal school‑board votes occurred at the event.
