Math, the future take center stage in race for Lake Washington School District Director

Revamping how math is taught to students and better preparing high-school students heading straight for the workplace are among the issues raised by two candidates vying for Lake Washington School District's Director District 2 position.

Lake Washington voters will chose between Chris Carlson, a parent advocating for change in math curriculum, and Matt Gregory, who wants the district to better serve students who don't plan to go on to college. Also up for re-election is Ravi Shahani, who is running unopposed for his second term for Director District 5.

Carlson became involved with the school district after one of his sons began struggling with math. He said he was surprised to find that students had to be adept in reading and writing to answer many math problems because questions often called for students to explain their answers.

The curriculum isn't teaching basic math facts, he said, or giving a solid foundation for learning higher-level math later on.

"This is like asking children to go straight to improvisation when you are teaching them to play an instrument," Carlson said. "You have to learn the basic pieces and be able to call on it without thinking about it."

Carlson, a member of the statewide parent group "Where's the Math?" that lobbies for a back-to-basics change in math curriculum, said math is one area where the board isn't listening to parents or taking their concerns to heart. The board needs to improve communication and make sure parents have up-to-date information about everything from school-bus changes to subjects in jeopardy of being dropped from the curriculum, he said. "I think they [the school board] are ignoring parents," Carlson said. "Our parents are a tremendous resource, and the district is sidelining them."

Carlson said he has a stake in how the district performs because his three sons will be attending Lake Washington schools over the next 16 years. Gregory, appointed to the board in June after Bob Hughes resigned, said he is aware of the concerns voiced by parents and the "Where's the Math?" group, but isn't ready to make prejudgments about the math curriculum.

He wants to be part of the board's upcoming math-curriculum review and remain impartial until he has more information, he said.

Gregory said he wants all students to come out of high school prepared for their next step in life, whether that be college, vocational school or the workforce. His son had struggles in high school and did not graduate, he said.

"We need to reach out more to students who don't take the higher-education path when they leave high school," he said.

He would like to see the district offer a wider variety of life-skills classes to prepare students to live on their own.

Because students learn in different ways, the district needs to make sure all teachers have access to supplemental materials to help students struggling with a subject, he said.

Gregory cites his ties to the teaching community, including his mother, who was a longtime teacher; his son-in-law, who is a math teacher in Spokane; and his wife, Linda (Benson) Gregory, who was a teacher in Lake Washington schools for 38 years before her death in December. His son and daughter attended Lake Washington schools.

A member of the Kirkland Planning Commission, Gregory said he has consulted with the city and the district about his intention to remain in that role and was told there was no inherent conflict, although he may have to recuse himself if a school issue comes up.