The Municipal League of King County

810 Third Avenue, Suite 224

Seattle, WA 98104

 

2005 Board of Trustees

 

Rita Brogan, Chair

Mark Troxel, Vice Chair

Beth M. Arman, Secretary

Harold Taniguchi, Treasurer

 

Putnam Barber, Executive Alliance

Vaughnetta J. Barton, community volunteer

Jill D. Bowman, Stoel Rives

Patricia Bowman, human resources manager (ret.)

Bruce Carter, judge pro tem, Seattle Municipal Court

Kevin Carter, Safeco

Stephanie Cirkovich, Pike Place Market PDA

Peter Coates, Building and Construction Trades Council

Chris Cooper, CHHIP

Paul Demitriades, Medina City Council (ret.)

Sandra Driscoll, City Attorney (ret)

Deborah Eddy, Consultant

Keven Franklin, King County

Mary Gates, Consultant

Norma Jean Hanson, Norma Jean Hanson Paralegal Services

Robert Klein, McNaul, Ebel, Nawrot, and Helgren

Eric Laschever, Stoel Rives

Steve Marshall, Snohomish PUD

Rob Neate, Puget Sound Energy

Jennifer Piccolo, citizen activist

Charles Redell, Reporter

Tami Ritoch, Fireside Homes Real Estate Associate

R. Todd Slind, CH2MHill

Lucy Steers, public participation consultant

Harold Taniguchi, King County Department of Transportation

Rashelle Tanner, CRISTA Ministries

David Tarshes, Davis Wright Tremaine

Kate Tate, Weyerhauser

Philip Thompson, Perkins Coie

Mark Troxel, City of Seattle

Wes Uhlman, Wes Uhlman & Associates

Rich White, Boeing

2005 CANDIDATE BACKGROUND QUESTIONNAIRE
FOR NON-JUDICIAL CANDIDATES

 

The Municipal League of King County requests every candidate who participates in the candidate evaluation process to submit background information prior to his/her interview with a candidate evaluation committee.  The questionnaire is the basis of the League’s research and interview process.  The League’s ratings are non-partisan; they are based on standards of Involvement, Effectiveness, Character, and Knowledge, all of which have been developed and refined over the past 90 years.

 

A printed version of the questionnaire is available for candidates who prefer to use the traditional format.  To obtain a hard copy, please contact the League office.  A copy of this questionnaire will be provided to Candidate Evaluation Committee members to help them prepare for your interview.  Candidate responses, except the confidential section, will be available to the general public at the League website. 

 

The Municipal League requests the following materials from candidates.  Please check to make certain you have sent in your:

 

      Candidate Questionnaire

          Sent by:         Email             US Mail          Fax            Not Sending

      Resume (education, employment, and professional activities)

          Sent by:         Email             US Mail          Fax            Not Sending

               Check here if you DO NOT want your resume posted on the Municipal

                   League website

      Campaign Materials

          Sent by:         Email             US Mail          Fax            Not Sending

      Constituent Newsletters and other publications

          Sent by:         Email             US Mail          Fax            Not Sending

      Photograph

          Sent by:         Email             US Mail          Fax            Not Sending

 

Note: Electronically submitted questionnaires are strongly preferred. All materials can be emailed to rebecca@munileague.org.  They can be processed and made available on-line far more rapidly than handwritten or typed submissions.

 

For non-electronic submissions, please print clearly and legibly and return the application as soon as possible in order to allow the committee the greatest amount of time to prepare a complete report on your skills and experience.

 

If you have not yet been contacted to schedule an interview, or if you have questions about the candidate evaluation program, please contact the League office at 206-264-1070.

 

If you have a disability and require accommodation to participate in the candidate evaluation process, please contact Rebecca Cooper at the League office.

2005 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

Jane

     

Fellner

 

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

 

Seattle School Board, Director District 5

 

3.   Are you the incumbent?                  Yes              No

 

 

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

 

1978

 

5.   How long have you resided in King County?

 

1978

 

6.   Is the office sought partisan or nonpartisan?         Partisan      Nonpartisan         

                                                                                                                       

7.   If partisan, please indicate party:       

 

CAMPAIGN CONTACTS

 

 

Campaign Name:

 

Jane Fellner for School Board

 

Address:

 

1234 19th Ave East

 

City/State/Zip:

 

Seattle, WA 98112

 

Campaign Phone:

 

206-329-6588

 

 

Campaign Fax:

 

     

 

 

Campaign E-mail:

 

janefellner2005@comcast.net

 

 

Campaign Website:

 

www.janefellner.com

 

 

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)

Highly Capable Review Committee, Seattle Public Schools

 

appointed

 

9/00-5/02

 

     

 

Advanced Learning Steering Committee, Seattle Public Schools

 

appointed

 

9/02-9/04

 

     

 

Advisory Committee for the Superintendent Search, Seattle Public Schools

 

appointed

 

6/03-10/03

 

     

 

 

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

 

Office Title

Year of Run

     

 

     

 

     

 

     

 

     

 

     

 


 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 because the current Board has failed to deliver the leadership we need.  Our Seattle schools must provide a challenging education for every student, and we must do so with less money than is now being spent. The school board has not made the difficult decisions that will allow us to live within our means while maintaining excellence.

 

Many of our schools and children are struggling without realistic plans for improvement. We can do a better job allocating limited resources equitably so all students can have an excellent education.

 

I am a practicing physician, administrator, and parent of three teenage sons, all students in Seattle Public Schools. I have been deeply involved in the Seattle Public Schools during the past 10 years and have witnessed budget cuts, service reductions, and changes in administration. I have spent countless hours volunteering in classrooms, attending PTA  and School Board meetings, and serving on School District committees.

 

I practiced medicine at the Seattle Indian Health Board for 10 years, and am currently physician and Associate Director at the UW student health center. My work depends on analytic skills, flexible thinking, the ability to make decisions and to work cooperatively with colleagues.  I would bring these attributes to the School Board, which must work collaboratively with fellow Board members, District staff, and the community to balance our budget and improve our schools.  I am well qualified and prepared to help the Seattle Public Schools to do this work.

 

 

 


 

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

 

I am intelligent, well organized, a careful thinker and able to see many sides of a problem.   My work as a physician has developed my skills as a listener;  I have worked extensively on committees in both my professional and community work, as participant and leader.  I work collaboratively.  I am capable of synthesizing multiple strands of information to develop a recommendation.  I am able to make decisions.    I have immersed myself in Seattle School District policy for 10 years, and am acutely aware of the issues we face.  I am passionate about providing the best possible education for every child.      

 

 

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. 

 

Educational:  Leadership of Accelerated Progress Program Task Force  (APP TF).

Professional: Implemented electronic medical record

Personal: Raising three sons

 

When I started attending APP TF meetings 11 years ago, it was a small group that met monthly, circulated paper minutes to a group of 30 participants, and produced a quarterly newsletter.  During my eight-year tenure as Chair, I developed and maintained a 400-family email distribution list, involved myself in broader School District politics, and provided advocacy for gifted programs during turbulent times. I have provided strong leadership for the APP program, and have helped to educate families of gifted students about the broader issues facing the school district.  I have served as a liaison and sometimes mediator between the parent community and the District; I have worked with teachers and building administrators to strengthen services for all students.  I have grown through this process, from advocacy for gifted students to advocacy for all students of Seattle Public Schools. 

 

In my work at the University of Washington student health center (Hall Health), I took on the responsibility for the implementation of an electronic medical record.  I gave up some of my clinical responsibilities to manage this large project, providing leadership on technical, logistical, and personnel issues.  I acquired multiple new areas of expertise.  Several years later I managed a much larger implementation of a more sophisticated product, including registration, appointment, referral, and billing components.  I worked collaboratively with colleagues in the UW clinic groups. I am particularly proud of my ability to train and support a busy clinical staff through the challenging transition.

 

Finally, I am proud of my ability to balance a personally satisfying professional career and a committed leadership role in the school community with the deeply rewarding parenting role I share with my spouse.  The skills and capabilities involved here are applicable to all situations in life: responsibility, humor, flexibility, firmness, honesty, respect, and fairness. I would rely on all that as a member of the Seattle School Board.

 


 

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.

 

Seattle Public Schools Activities

 

Classroom volunteer, Seattle Public Schools 1993 – present

Treasurer, PTSA Kindergarten Aide Project, Stevens Elementary School, 1995-96

Trainee, Junior Great Books, spring 1996

PTSA member: Stevens Elementary 1993-98, Madrona Elementary 1994-97, Lowell Elementary     1997-03, Washington Middle School 1999-present, Garfield High School 2002-present.

Recipient of two Golden Acorn Awards for service to the PTA – Lowell and Washington.

 

Chair, Accelerated Progress Program Task Force of the Seattle Public Schools 1/97 – 6/05

 

Lowell/APP Transition Committee Seattle Public Schools 2/97-6/97

Member, Highly Capable Review Committee Seattle Public Schools  9/00-5/02

Member, Advanced Learning Steering Committee Seattle Public Schools  9/02 – 9/04

Member, Advisory Committee for the Superintendent Search, Seattle Public Schools, 6/03 – 10/03

 

Professional Activities

 

Executive Committee, UW Hall Health Primary Care Clinic (HHPCC)

Implementation and management of HHPCC Electronic Medical Record system

Chair HHPCC Health Information Committee

HH HIPAA Privacy Official and UW Medicine HIPAA Executive Sponsor

UW Medicine Corporate Compliance Officer for HHPCC

 

 

 

 

 

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

 

A Seattle School Board Director is responsible for oversight of the District.  The Board provides a vision and mission for the Seattle Schools. The Board makes policy, oversees the budget, and hires the superintendent.  The Board is accountable to the public for the academic success of the District’s students.  The Board advocates for the school system in the community, and at the local and state governments.

 

Fiscal responsibility is essential, as is excellent collaborative communication with the schools, the community, and government.

 

Perhaps the most important duty is the commitment to work towards maximizing educational opportunity for all students.  Making sure that every child succeeds is crucial for the success of the child, the family, and ultimately our community.  The school board must be the steward of excellence and equity.


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.

 

NYC and Pittsburgh public schools; BS Yale College;  MD Hershey Medical School; UW Family Practice Residency

 

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.

 

Classroom volunteer, SPS 1993 – 05

Treasurer, PTSA K’garten Aide Project, Stevens School, 1995-6

Trainee, Jr Great Books, 1996

PTSA: Stevens 1993-8, Madrona 1994-7, Lowell 1997-03, WMS 1999-05, Garfield 2002-5

Two Golden Acorn Awards for service to PTA

Chair, Accelerated Progress Program Task Force SPS 1/97–6/05

Lowell/APP Transition Committee SPS 2-6/97

Highly Capable Review Committee SPS  9/00-5/02

Advanced Learning Steering Committee SPS  9/02–9/04

Advisory Committee, Supt Search SPS, 6-10/03

 

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: 206-264-1070                Email: rebecca@munileague.org

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