Responsiveness issue in Bellevue school-board race

Responsiveness to community concerns is one of the issues in the election to fill District 5 on the Bellevue School Board.

Board member Paul Mills is running on his experience and the importance of continuity during lean economic times. He's being challenged by Patti Mann, a Seattle firefighter and paramedic, who says the board is not open to community input.

Board President Chris Marks, appointed to fill the position in 2004 and elected to her first four-year term in 2005, will remain on the board for another four years because no one filed to run against her in the primary.

Mills, on the board two terms, said he wants an additional four years to see through recent changes, including working with the district's new superintendent, Amalia Cudeiro, who started this summer.

"We have a brand-new superintendent, so it's a real advantage for her to have a stable, controlled board," Mills said. He said he supports Cudeiro's ideas, which include making schools more individualized to suit the needs of their populations.

Mills said he is concerned about the district's budget woes. Earlier this year, the board cut $5 million from its budget, eliminating the equivalent of 60 full-time teaching positions.

Many experts believe another round of cuts is likely next year. Mills said he's well-prepared to make decisions on future cuts.

He counts as his accomplishments working with previous superintendents and the staff to create a unified curriculum, so that students in every school cover the same material in each grade, and making progress on helping children falling behind.

Mann believes the board has not been open to community feedback. For example, she said, it did not keep complete meeting minutes online until recently.

She said she was dismayed by some of the budget cuts, especially a decision to reassign secondary-school librarians to the classroom. Mann said she was upset by the way the librarians were treated at board meetings and believes there could have been a way to preserve those positions.

She thinks the board needs to be stronger at setting direction, rather than relying on the superintendent to set that course. Mann believes the district followed "in lock-step" with former Superintendent Mike Riley, and as a result, grew to rely on the staff to set the district's agenda.

"We have a great school district here, but there are always ways you can improve."

Katherine Long: 206-464-2219 or klong@seattletimes.com