2003 Candidate Questionnaire

 

SECTION I               

 

BASIC CANDIDATE INFORMATION

 

1.      Name as it will appear on the ballot

 

First Name

Middle Initial or Nick Name

Last Name

Barbara

Schlag

Peterson

 

2.   Office sought (include office, jurisdiction, position/district number):

 

     

 

3.   Are you the incumbent?                  Yes              

 

 

4.   How long have you resided in this district/city?

 

nearly 56 years

 

5.   How long have you resided in King County?

 

nearly 56 years

 

6.   Is the office sought partisan or nonpartisan?               Nonpartisan         

                                                                                                                       

7.   If partisan, please indicate party:       

 

CAMPAIGN CONTACTS

 

Campaign Name:

Barbara Peterson Campaign

 

Address:

 

11556 23rd Ave. NE

 

City/State/Zip:

 

Seattle, WA  98125

 

Campaign Phone:

 

206-364-8767

 

 

Campaign Fax:

 

206-364-8767 (call first)

 

 

Campaign E-mail:

 

peterson4board@aol.com

 

 

Campaign Website:

 

     

 

 

POLITICAL BACKGROUND

 

1.   Beginning with the most recent position, please list public offices which you have held.  Include positions on appointive Boards or Commissions.

 

Public Office

Elective or Appointive?

Dates Held

Leadership Role (if any)

Seattle School Board, District 1

 

Elected

 

1999-2003

 

Exec. Comm. Member-at-Large Audit & Finance Chr, 2001

 

Gvernor's Committee on Law and Justice

 

Appointed

 

1975-77

 

Subcommittee chair, Juvenile Justice Appeals Board

 

     

 

     

 

     

 

     

 

 

2.   If you ran for public office but were not elected, please list those races below:

 

Office Title

Year of Run

Freeholder, City of Seattle

 

1974

 

     

 

     

 

     

 

     

 


 


SECTION III

 

In this section, we are seeking responses that reflect the four ratings criteria: involvement, effectiveness, character, and knowledge.  These are defined as follows:

 

 

 

 

 

 

1.      In a page or less, why are you running for this office?  (Note: the interview committee will be given a copy of this statement before your interview; at the beginning of your interview you will have the opportunity to expand on this statement in any way you wish.)

 

    I am running for office to serve the children, families and citizens of Seattle by keeping Seattle Public Schools focused on improving educational success for all students. I want to build on the experience I brought to and gained during my term.

   I brought to the board experience as a high school math teacher, PTSA president, site council chair, parent of two Seattle Public Schools graduates, and preschool business administrator. Board member training at state and national levels has expanded my knowledge of the challenges and opportunities school districts face.  At the first Broad Institute for School Boards, I gained additional insights on increasing student achievement through improved school board governance.  Visiting schools, talking to principals/teachers/staff, and learning from parent/student experiences have deepened my understanding of the day-to-day operation of our schools.  I've spoken with taxpayers without a school connection about  their views as well.  To not offer to be re-elected would be to waste  the investment others have made in me, let alone the investment I have made in my first four years of service.

   Accountability is the other reason I’m running.

   First, there is unfinished work to re-establish District long-term financial health and sound business practices.  The discovery in the past year of mistakes, manipulations, and misguided processes that led to red ink last year and an out of balance budget this year took a real and emotional toll at all levels of the District.  The Board adopted reforms must be established and confidence restored. 

   Second, despite financial setbacks, we cannot lose sight of the goal of high academic achievement for all students.  My goal for every classroom is an effective teacher with high expectations for every student.  Our students must be challenged and supported.  We must set goals and align resources to meet them.  To be a productive, self-sufficient citizen in our democracy requires a quality education.  It is something that must be accomplished whether or not mandated by state or federal legislation.

   Third, the board needs to continually improve its own operation as the citizens’ representative oversight body.  I believe we need to improve how we  set goals for what we want the District to accomplish, establish limitations on how that might be done, and use data to monitor District efforts in all areas.  The Board and District should strive to improve communication around those efforts.

 


 

2.      Describe your most important personal characteristics or traits as they relate to the office you seek.

 

I believe that…

I am an honest person who acts with integrity and with civility in my personal and public roles.

I am a good listener who genuinely attempts to understand the views and concerns of those with whom I speak.

I like to strategize for positive, win-win outcomes that meet the needs of peoples and groups involved.  I’ve come to recognize that this can be difficult to achieve and that hard decisions can create real or perceived winners and losers.

I am dedicated to the role in which I serve, am reliable and follow-through on efforts I undertake.

I’m available to most things that need to be done in my board work as I have a relatively flexible part-time job.

I attend to details and often fill that role among my colleagues.

I can be persistent or resistant, as circumstances require.

I have high expectations of myself and others.

 

3.      Please describe in sufficient detail, one to three accomplishments or contributions of which you are most proud.  These examples should illustrate effective skills and capabilities you think apply to the office you are seeking.  These accomplishments may have occurred at any time in your personal, professional, or public life. 

 

   Creating playgrounds where children can play and parents connect is one accomplishment of which I’m proud.  I engaged in three such development efforts: Montlake Tot Lot on the NW edge of the Arboretum while president/past president of Montlake Community Club, Lake City Playground behind the former Lake City School as Save Our School Playground co-founder and member Lake City Playground Advisory Committee , and playscape at Sacajawea Elementary School (project chair).  These endeavors involved working with the UW, Arboretum, Seattle Parks Department, and the Seattle School District.  Fundraising, negotiating, working collaboratively, advocating a need, sustaining a multi-year focus, dealing with planners/designers/contractors, and resolving disputes were part of some or all of these projects.

   Raising two daughters to adulthood…one a college senior, the other an employed college graduate… has contributed experiences and perspective useful for board work.  I know the education system from preschool through college, the social environment of schools, and the expectations employers have of young adults.  My being an active participant at each level of their education has given me insight into school community, school operations, teacher and principal effectiveness, and classroom challenges.  They attended schools serving a diverse population of students so I know first hand the variability of support and circumstances that surround Seattle’s children.

   In the past two years, I have worked with two school communities in which parents and staff had a significant concern about a situation of importance to their school.  I worked with each assisting them to clarify their issue, giving advice on how to approach the problem, giving them perspective on concerns/limitations at the District administration level, and empowering them to be their own advocates in a constructive way. Both had positive results.


 

4.      Please list or describe your current and past activities in the community in which you have acquired skills that relate to the office you seek.  Include your role in the activity and the year(s) in which you were involved.  Involvement consists of many areas such as family, neighborhood, community, employment, or public life.

 

Mathematics Teacher, Lake Washington High School, 8 years

Business Administrator, Lake Union Preschool, 1985 - present

President, Sacajawea Elementary PTA, 1988-90

Member, (Seattle School) Board Budget Review Committee, 1990, 1991

Elementary Co-Vice President, Seattle Council PTSA, 1991-92

Chair, Sacajawea Site Council, 1992-93

Vice President/committee chair,  Eckstein Middle School PTSA, 1992-1996

President, Nathan Hale High School PTSA, 1998-99

Member, Bias Committee for Washington Assessment of Student

    Learning (WASL) 8th & 10th grade science tests, 1999

Director, Nathan Hale High School Foundation, 2000-

President, Mortar Board Alumni Association, 1979-80

Treasurer, University of Washington Chi Omega Corporation Board, 1979-83

President, Montlake Community Club, 1980-81

Secretary, Eastlake & Lake City Community Councils, 1974 &1985-87, respectively

Founder & Secretary, Lake City Playground Advisory Committee, 1987-91

   (community effort creating city playground behind old Lake City School)

Elder/Trustee, University Presbyterian Church, 1995-98

Member, Investment Committee, Mortar Board/Tolo Assoc. Foundation, 1990-present,

(supports higher education access with $40,000 UW scholarship program)

Member, University Presbyterian Church Foundation Committee, 1997-

 

 

  1. Please describe the duties of the office you seek.  Which are the most important duties and why?

 

   The duties of a school board member are:  hire and evaluate the superintendent, set policy, approve a budget, and monitor all aspects of District efforts  - academic, operational, and capital.  Additionally, advocacy on behalf of student and district needs and community/constituent liaison are necessary.  Without question, being prepared for and attending board meetings is a board member’s duty.

   The most important board duty relates to the hiring of a superintendent.  That is the individual the board entrusts to implement its vision, fulfill its goals, be accountable for the education of students and operations of the school district.

   Evaluation of the superintendent is a key board duty.  Through its monitoring and assessment of all district endeavors relative to established goals, the superintendent’s success is measured and goals/priorities for the coming year are established.

   Policy setting and budget approval are critical board duties as they establish the framework in which the District operates.  They give context to board vision and goals.

   All board work requires knowledge and understanding of the issues, reflection, and participation in decision-making.  Engaging those who are served or support education is an equally important role.


EDUCATION BACKGROUND SUMMARY

FOR PUBLICATION IN CANDIDATE EVALUATION REPORT

 

The Municipal League’s Candidate Evaluation Report is distributed to voters in print and/or on our website.  It includes a summary of the candidate’s education.  Please summarize your education in 120 characters (letters, punctuation, and space all combined).  The League will delete material that exceeds the space limit by beginning with the last entry.  Suggested order is (degree)  (subject)  (school)  (year, if desired). 

 

Note: If this question is left blank the League will not include education information in your candidate profile.

 

Diploma, Nathan Hale H.S.

B.A. Mathematics, University of Washington, magna cum laude

M.B.A., University of Washington

 

CIVIC INVOLVEMENT SUMMARY

FOR PUBLICATION IN CANDIDATE EVALUATION REPORT

 

The Municipal League’s Candidate Evaluation Report also includes a summary of each candidate’s civic involvement.  Please summarize your civic involvement in the space below.  We will make every attempt to include the information in the Candidate Evaluation Report as submitted.  Due to space restrictions in the Report, your response is limited to 500 characters (letters, punctuation, and spaces all combined).  It is important that you list your involvement beginning with the most important and ending with the least important.  If you exceed the length of response permitted, or if the League should find it necessary to shorten responses for publication purposes,  deletions will be made beginning with the last item listed. 

 

Note: This information will appear verbatim on the League’s Candidate Evaluation Report.  If this question is left blank, the Municipal League will not include information on your civic involvement in the Report.

 

  Check here if you would like the Municipal League to copy the first 500 characters from Question 4 to paste into this section.

 

President, Nathan Hale H. S. PTSA, 1998-99

Chair, Sacajawea Site Council, 1992-93

President, Sacajawea Elementary PTA, 1988-90

President, Mortar Board Alumni Assoc., 1979-80

Investment Committee, Mortar Board/Tolo Foundation, 1990 -

Founder, Secretary, Lake City Playground Advisory Committee, 1987-91

President, Montlake Community Club, 1980-81

Treasurer, UW Chi O Corp. Board, 1979-83

Secretary, Eastlake & Lake City Community Councils, 1974 &1985-87, resp.

Elder, University Presbyterian Church, 1995-98

 

Finished!

If at all possible, send your response to the Municipal League electronically as an attachment, or insert it into an e-mail message (rebecca@munileague.org).  Mail and fax numbers are listed below.  If the League has not contacted you to schedule an interview, please call the League office at your earliest convenience.

 

Don’t forget to send the following to the Municipal League:  a resume, a photo, campaign literature, and, if you are an incumbent, constituent newsletters and other materials.  Please use the check-off list on the cover sheet of this packet to indicate which items you have sent.

 

THANK YOU FOR YOUR COOPERATION AND GOOD LUCK IN YOUR CAMPAIGN!

 

THE MUNICIPAL LEAGUE OF KING COUNTY

 

Candidate Evaluation Coordinator:  Rebecca Cooper

 

810 Third Avenue, Suite 224                  Phone: 206-622-8333                Email: rebecca@munileague.org

Seattle, WA 98104-1614                        Fax: 425-671-0506                        Website: www.munileague.org