Centralia-area voters have two candidates to choose from on the upcoming November ballot for position 4 on the Centralia School Board.
Incumbent Mandi McDougall is facing a challenge from Sarah Holmes.
The candidate who wins the election will serve a four-year term on the board.
The Chronicle sent each candidate the same five-question questionnaire with a request to keep their responses, printed below, to about 75 to 100 words per question.
Responses have been lightly edited for spelling and grammar.
Mandi McDougall
Can you talk about your background and how your experience qualifies you for this position?
A long-time Centralia resident, I have a bachelor's degree in children, youth and family studies from Trinity Lutheran College. My husband and I are raising our two children in Centralia. They are 9 and 13. I have owned and operated a photography studio in downtown Centralia for the last 12 years. I have extensive nonprofit and volunteer leadership experience; I run both the Lighted Tractor Parade and the Summerfest Parade, I served in leadership of Centralia Mothers of Preschoolers and was coordinator for two years, and I helped start the nonprofit Kiddin’ Around and currently serve as board president. I have served as a Centralia School Board director for the last four years, and am currently the vice chair of the board.
Why did you decide to run for this position?
I love living in Centralia and believe in our community. I want to see Centralia thrive, and a huge part of that is building success for our school district, our students and our families. Our district has made huge improvements in transparency and communication over the last four years, and I believe with Dr. Lisa Grant at our helm, we will continue working hard to meet our goals. I want to be a part of helping direct and support that work, so that all of our children have access to a quality education.
What, in your opinion, are the primary issues facing the Centralia School District and how do you intend to address them if you’re elected?
Our single most pressing issue currently as a district is getting our kids caught back up to grade level. We know they are behind, we know there are multiple reasons for this challenge, and now it’s time to do the work. We must address behavior so that our kids are safe in school and can focus on education. We have to support and offer ongoing training for our teachers and staff, and we must work cohesively with our families and community to make this happen.
What sets you apart from your opponent in this race?
I take very seriously the task I was elected to do by the community. Nothing is more important than the safety and education of our children, and I am always ready and listening when families and community members have concerns, comments and suggestions to share with me. I want to find more ways we can work together to support the good in Centralia, and work on the challenges we face.
Is there anything else that voters should know about you?
I am proud to be from Centralia — we have bright, courageous students, kind-hearted and hard working staff, a respectful and dedicated school board, and the most amazing superintendent who goes above and beyond every single day to serve our community. It has been a challenge, an incredible learning opportunity and a joy to serve on the Centralia School Board for the last four years, and I hope I will have your vote to work hard for the next four.
Sarah Holmes
Can you talk about your background and how your experience qualifies you for this position?
I was born and raised here in Lewis County. I know the values our community holds highest. I graduated from Onalaska High School and have an associate degree in medical administration from Centralia College. I am currently working on a bachelor’s degree in elementary education. I worked for Centralia School District as a paraprofessional for four-plus years. My husband and I own a business here in Centralia. With that comes experience with financial management, legal and regulatory compliance, adaptability and risk management. I have also held community service positions, including coaching, Girl Scouts, school volunteer/PTO, and elected precinct committee officer for the Lewis County Republican Party.
Why did you decide to run for this position?
Like many members of our community, I am dissatisfied with the lack of transparency. The budget issues our district is faced with is causing a loss of staff and students to other districts. We need financial responsibility to maintain programs that keep families here. I am extremely concerned with the safety issues that are across the district. The level of risk at the middle school is baffling. These students are in weekly lockdowns. There is absolutely no excuse to be living in a constant state of fight or flight. As a mom of two kids in the district, I need to know that my kids are safe when they walk through those doors.
What, in your opinion, are the primary issues facing the Centralia School District and how do you intend to address them, if you’re elected?
Safety is the primary issue facing Centralia. Ensuring the safety of our students and staff has always been my top priority because none of the other aspects of education matter if student/staff safety is at risk. Safety should be non-negotiable. This is a bare minimum to be able to teach or learn successfully. We can achieve safety and wellbeing with firm, effective policies and procedures. I will be focusing on student accountability as well as parent and staff accountability. It’s imperative we have full-time school resource officers in every school. It’s crucial that we don’t have a loss of learning caused by negative actions and behaviors. Transparency and responsible governance are also a primary issue. We need to rebuild trust and the relationship between the community and the district. We can do this by listening and representing the families in our community to be a voice for all, holding decision makers accountable, making informed and ethical choices, providing academic, science-based and age-appropriate curriculum, and having fiscal responsibility.
What sets you apart from your opponent in this race?
I am not bought and paid for by radical special interest groups like the teacher’s union. I will be prioritizing student and staff safety. I will have and encourage the hard conversations and look for the best solutions forward not the path of least resistance. The role of the school board is to ensure that the district is responsive and representative to the values, beliefs and priorities of the community. I will stay true to this role and bridge the gap between the district and the community.
Is there anything else that voters should know about you?
We can do better! Let’s work together to advocate for our children and provide a quality education with a success-proven curriculum. We need to support our teachers and students by freeing them from the toxic, divisive social ideologies that don’t belong in the classroom. It is crucial to work together to empower parents to be the primary stakeholders in their child’s upbringing, which includes their education.
We can make Centralia School District a place to be proud of.
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The 18-day voting period began on Oct. 20. Ballots are due by 8 p.m. on Nov. 7. Learn more at https://elections.lewiscountywa.gov.
