Editor,

Over the past couple weeks, I’ve attended two non-partisan forums for candidates running for the state House and Senate in the 10th Legislative District. The forums, one in-person and one on-line, were a good opportunity for me to learn more about the candidates and their positions and priorities.

Schools were a major topic. While all the candidates generally agreed on the importance of public education and school funding, there were some interesting differences. Senate candidate Janet St Clair said that one issue she hears from parents and teachers is their intense concern about school safety. And one of the Republican house candidates, Yvonne Gallardo-Orman, said she supports parents who choose to pull their kids out of public schools, sounding like she’s OK with taxpayer dollars going to private and charter schools.

But it was school funding that was the real focus. St. Clair, a former teacher herself, emphasized how the current state funding formula has not kept pace with inflation and that it particularly hurts rural and remote schools. Her priority is to modernize school funding strategies to equitably invest in all schools and all children. Her Republican opponent, Ron Muzzall, whose campaign ads tout his “bipartisanship,” repeatedly blamed the “majority party” for failing our schools but he offered no solutions, nor did he cite any work he has done as a legislator to help solve the school funding problem.

For me, a quality public education system and healthy and safe schools are an absolute priority. What good is it to have an incumbent senator who says ‘“yeah, we have a problem” but who does nothing to fix the problem. I think the Democrats have a better track record, stronger community values, and a vision for an educational system that will serve all of our children. I will be voting for Janet St. Clair for state senator.

Kim Drury

Langley