The Northern Light asked Blaine School Board District 4 candidates why they are running for the seat in the November 7 general election. The District 4 position is a four-year term that represents a large section of Birch Bay and Point Whitehorn. The candidates provided written responses to the questions.
Derrick Bovenkamp
Derrick Bovenkamp works in healthcare information technology and has served as an adjunct professor at Bellingham Technical College. Bovenkamp is the parent of a Blaine student and has volunteered with Boy Scouts of America.
Q: If elected, what are your top three priorities for your first year and how will you work to accomplish those?
Declining state test scores – According to the Washington state numbers, our district looks to be at least 10 percent lower today than pre-Covid levels which already weren't great. We need to work with the administration, teachers, and parents to define clear and measurable standards and ideas for improving performance of our students then hold administration to improving those standards.
Forecasted budget deficit – See budget question.
Making sure the school board is accountable to the community – communication is key. We need to make sure it’s easy for parents to know what decisions are being made and when.
Q: Blaine school district’s 2022-23 budget forecast a $14 million deficit by 2026 if expenditures continued to outpace revenues. How would you like to see the district balance the budget?
We can't do things the way we've always done them any longer. With only 36 more students, the budget is up 83 percent over 10 years compared to a 30 percent increase on the consumer price index. This isn't a sustainable level of growth. We need to review the current budget and look for ways to become more efficient with the money we have. Every purchase or line item needs to stand on its own, don’t purchase things just because it was budgeted for unless it’s still the right thing to do. We need to change the culture on the budget.
Q: What do you believe are the top issues facing the school district, and how will you work as a school board member to address those?
Like I already said in the first question, declining state test scores and the forecasted budget deficit and the top two issues I’m looking to work on. The first steps are acknowledging the issues we have and working with the superintendent and other board members to devise possible solutions and define what measurable success looks like. We then need to seek input from teachers and parents, evaluate pros and cons and make the best decision with the students’ best interest in mind and provide leadership in that direction. Then we need to hold the administration accountable to that measurable success.
Ryan Ford
Ryan Ford attended Blaine schools and now manages a sales team in his family’s third-generation trucking and crane business. He has taught Blaine youth groups and has five children in Blaine.
Q: If elected, what are your top three priorities for your first year and how will you work to accomplish those?
Q: Blaine school district’s 2022-23 budget forecast a $14 million deficit by 2026 if expenditures continued to outpace revenues. How would you like to see the district balance the budget?
As mentioned above, finding out how did we get into the situation we are in and how can we be able to find other financial resources that we may not be currently utilizing, i.e. grants from both government and the private sector.
Q: What do you believe are the top issues facing the school district, and how will you work as a school board member to address those?
I already mentioned the budget but a close second I feel is district to student and community communication. I think if we all came together and had more community participation we would be much better off.
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