Oak Harbor School Board candidate Robert Hallahan doesn’t want to rock what he calls a smooth-sailing ship, but he does have some ideas.
The airline pilot is the only new name voters will see on the ballot this fall for the school board. All three positions up for a vote are uncontested.
Hallahan is a newcomer running for Christine Cribb’s seat — she left the school board to focus on her work as the Oak Harbor Chamber of Commerce director.
Board President Peter Hunt and Christine Abbott are each running for another term.
If elected, Hallahan said he would like to talk about school start times, and he’d like to see the district expand its natural science curriculum to include more outdoor, hands-on activities.
He’d like to discuss having the high school and perhaps the middle schools start later to accommodate recommendations by the American Academy of Pediatrics and other experts that say teenagers perform better academically if they can sleep a little later. Many other school districts nationwide are having the same discussions, including Seattle Public Schools.
“I understand this is a big adjustment, that there are concerns about activities and commuting and jobs,” he said. “But it’s a discussion that I think our community should have.”
Hallahan said he also is aware of one of the biggest challenges facing the district: finding enough classroom for the burgeoning student population. Oak Harbor schools are bursting at the seams.
This year, the district added two double portables at elementary schools and plans to add a third at Crescent Harbor Elementary.
Students in the area of Fort Nugent and Scenic Heights are underserved, while existing schools are bulging, he said.
“More growth is probably coming and there is limited ability to handle it with portables, because parking lots and gyms and lunchrooms can only handle so many,” he said.
“At some point we need to talk about adding a new elementary and/or a middle school.”
Hallahan is a retired Navy commander and the father of two children, ages 20 and 17. His children were educated at home.
Christine Abbott, a stay-at-home mom, said she’ll continue to bring the perspective of a Navy spouse with young children. She’s the only member with children in elementary and middle school.
“I can share with my fellow board members what it really looks like,” she said. “I am sitting at the dining room table helping my student complete the math assignment or reading lesson.”
“In a nutshell, I am the stakeholder to which we as a board so often refer.”
She grew up in a California school district so underfunded that career day was a field trip to Pizza Hut. Abbott said she’s seen firsthand what not supporting schools adequately looks like.
Abbott said she won’t let it happen here.
Peter Hunt also agreed finding space for students is the district’s most pressing concern. He’d also like to see the district’s career technology education program remain vibrant, since college is not the right path for every student. The same goes for the district’s programs aimed a nontraditional students, including a program for homeschool students.
He’s a retired airline pilot and published author. His two children both attended Oak Harbor schools and his son is a high school senior.
