Letter to the Editor: Ghazel's Experience the Prime Qualifier for School Board

To The Editor:

It is my pleasure to write in support of Tony Ghazel’s candidacy for school board.  The best reason to vote for Tony in this election can be summed up in one word:  Experience.

Tony has served our community as a board member for 5 years.  New school board members have a steep learning curve.  They must come up to speed on a huge amount of information about budgeting, legislation, lobbying, personnel, curriculum, collective bargaining, and a host of other areas.  Not only must they assimilate and understand a lot of data, they must become savvy about local and state-level funding and politics.

It takes time to become an informed, effective leader and advocate for our students.  Tony has put in that time and is now is an excellent position to represent Orcas’s needs.  In addition to on-island duties, Tony has made productive contacts with school board members and legislators throughout Washington.  He has attended many sessions off-island to strategize and learn about efforts to increase state-level funding for education, as well as how we can use our resources most effectively.  This experience will be of paramount importance as Orcas and Washington grapple with crucial new funding models for public education.

Tony is has been an OISD parent for more than ten years.  Two of his sons have graduated and a third is in high school.  He knows our schools as a parent, as a very involved community member, and from the school board perspective.  In addition to experience, Tony brings wisdom, a professional perspective, financial expertise and personal involvement.

Please join me in supporting Tony Ghazel.

Moana Kutsche
Eastsound