Four candidates running for Washington school board

WASHINGTON — Four candidates are running for as many seats in this year’s Washington school board election on Tuesday, Nov. 7. While none face challengers for the four-year term, each brings a different perspective, level of experience and background to the table as they prepare to take office.

Troy Suchan

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A Washington resident since 1998 with 14 years of school board experience already under his belt, current school board President Troy Suchan is the only incumbent on the ballot in this election.

Suchan has long held a plan to bow out if he deems a competitor for District 3 to be a “good candidate.” That has yet to happen, but he said 2023 was the last time he planned to throw his name in the hat.

“I figure, hopefully before that term is up, we’ll be able to find somebody that’s interested in my ward,” he said. “In the past, we’ve had board members come on that … have a one-item agenda to get on the board, and then once that’s worked through, they have almost no interest in being there. I want to make sure it’s somebody that has the kids’ interests in mind first.”

Suchan said he expected the board’s top priorities over the next term to include oversight of big construction projects and management of the budget, but said the number one challenge would be addressing students’ mental health needs.

He said that could be handled by continuing to support staff like behavioral interventionists and special ed teachers.

“It’s almost become a buzzword, it seems overused, but it is mental health, it honestly is,” he said. “I would invite anyone who does not believe that to spend a day volunteering in our schools. The behaviors and whatnot are not something that you would have seen in a school building 25 years ago. School districts have been tasked with dealing with things that, in the past, a medical professional would have dealt with.”

Kara Williams

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Kara Williams, a Washington native and a director of health care at UP Home, is running for the District 1 spot on the school board.

The mother of a middle schooler, Williams said she’d seen a lot of changes to the educational system over the last few years. She said she hoped to address — or at least better understand — the reasoning for those changes during her term.

“With the grading system, that’s been the hardest thing for me,” Williams said. “We used to get A through F, and she gets zero through three. So watching how that system enhances, or maybe for some kids, makes it harder to be in school, I kind of feel like we, (in) my opinion, kind of pass kids through with this grading system, and I would like to have some effect on changing that.”

Williams said her number one goal for the district was to ensure it prepared students for adulthood by looking at curriculum expectations and teacher resources.

“College hasn’t really changed, it’s hard,” she said. “I don’t think we’re preparing the kids for that. So how do we fix that, my answer is probably, ‘I’m not sure.’ However, I’m hoping being a part of the school board and understanding how a lot of the school board and the teachers work, that maybe we can come up with a plan to better suit the kids.”

Brendan DeLong

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Brendan DeLong, while lacking a history in education, is an established public servant in town. A former Washington City Council member of five years, DeLong resigned from that office to change hats and become the city’s fire chief. He’s also a project manager at DeLong Construction.

DeLong said he hoped to see the district prioritize staffing in its next four years, while noting that budget management in light of statewide tax rollbacks was top of mind as well.

He said good decision-making would require a careful balance of smart finances and adequate pay for educators.

“We need to focus on maintaining our current certified teachers, and maintain our current standard of education,” he said. “And just make sure we’re providing the best service and the best education that we can to the future generation of this town and this community.”

Like other on the ballot, DeLong cited oversight of the district’s many ongoing facility improvements as another priority for the next term.

“I want to see that through,” he said. “I want to make sure that we provide them nice buildings, and nice facilities and fields and soccer fields, and baseball. Everything like that, I want to make sure we’re keeping up on those so we don’t get into a situation where we have to act. I like to be proactive.”

Diana Rich

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Diana Rich, yet another Washington native, is the marketing director for Continuum Ag, and is a highly involved community member as the Y’s board president, president of the Lincoln Elementary parent-teacher group, and a member of several UP Church boards.

She said a handful of people had contacted her to ask about her interest in running. She ultimately said yes.

“I’m from Washington, I have kids in the school district,” she said. “And I care, so I thought it would be a good opportunity to get involved, learn more about what’s going on in the school, and have a voice.”

Asked about the board of education’s challenges and ideal priorities, Rich said she wasn’t familiar enough with its intricacies to give a confident answer. Still, she said she had an idea of what success for the school district looked like.

“I’m honestly going in with an open mind,” she said. “The most important thing to do if I get elected is to listen and to learn … the obvious things are building positive relationships throughout the district, connecting within the community, monitoring progress using data with the teachers, and building a good environment for teachers to work and students to learn.”

Comments: Kalen.McCain@southeastiowaunion.com