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Larry Ishmael entered politics by running for the local school board following a divisive 2002 teachers' strike. Although initially the underdog in a race against two highly competent and equally concerned opponents, the voters recognized his potential for leadership, and Larry won the seat. He is proud that in the years that have followed, those same two opponents have come to support his candidacy for Congress.
The challenges to a School Board Director are many, varied, and unending. After being elected, Larry's first action was to meet and work with local and community leaders to cooperatively craft a plan of action. Their goal was to develop a definitive list of tasks for Larry to accomplish which when completed would visibly demonstrate to the parents and public his attention to the duties he had assumed. The working list of tasks to be accomplished was significant. At the end of his term, Larry had accomplished the following:
Restoring a Positive Environment
- Larry immediately set to work on the task of healing the relational rift between the numerous and often competitive stakeholder groups. Through Larry's leadership, the School Board was able to orchestrate a 70%+ voter approval of the February 2006 bond and levy ballot offerings.
Teacher's Strike Prevention
- Larry worked directly with the teacher's unions to improve relations. In 2004, Larry's leadership lead to the signing of three-year contracts, thereby avoiding emotionally charged strikes.
School Funding
- In order to secure sufficient funding for our schools, Larry traveled repeatedly to Olympia, testifying in multiple hearings and meeting personally with legislators, which is critically important to getting specific funding. Larry also became a member of the prestigious Federal Relations Network and lobbied the US Congress (specifically with Senator Patty Murray (D) and Dave Reichert (R)) for more money for our schools and to stop unfunded mandates.
Special Education Program Improvement
- The relationship between the school district and the parents of students involved in special education programs was strained. Larry successfully worked to develop new forums to enhance the dialog between parents of special-needs children and the schools.
Complete Transparency
- A school district, as with any government agency, must operate openly and honestly with both the public and the media. Larry ensured that the press releases and public statements were straightforward and not misleading. He also encouraged parents and interested parties to attend school board meetings by moving the meetings into the community, and he removed the time limit for speakers during public comment.
Academic Achievement
- During his term on the School Board, the district achieved the highest SAT scores in the history of the state. They also produced some of the highest WASL scores in the state with both reading and writing scores passing by 95% of the students. His commitment to funding the classroom teacher and then establish accountability standards for students, teachers, and administrators was the key to these accomplishments. Larry also voted to gradually increase graduation requirements for more math and science to stress that important competency in a global workplace.
Policy Governance Model
- While Board President and demonstrating his innovative style, Larry searched the country for the best consultants to help find a viable method for working with policy governance. Through this effort the board was able to develop the best possible vision statement for the district. The Board’s work and vision statement have been acclaimed by experts as the best in the country for recognizing that our children need to be fully prepared for a globally competitive world.
Keeping His Campaign Promise
- When Larry campaigned for his seat, he promised to serve only one term. He kept that promise and worked hard to engage quality individuals in the affairs of the school district and to develop very qualified individuals to follow on after him.
When you send Larry Ishmael to Congress, you'll be sending an accomplished and recognized leader. You'll get the kind of representation you want and deserve. You'll earn someone in touch with the everyday concerns of Northwest families and a leader able to stand up for your common-sense values. |
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