Wahluke School Board members discuss state of the district at forum

MATTAWA — The South Grant County Chamber of Commerce’s Oct. 25 candidate forum at Wahluke High School featured a discussion between candidates for the Wahluke School Board and Superintendent Andrew Harlow about what is going on at the district. 

Candidates Seth Weeks and Craig Sabin were in attendance and Maybeline Pantaleon spoke to the Columbia Basin Herald after the event. All three candidates are unopposed.

During the forum, Weeks and Sabin did not speak to their motivation for serving on the board. Weeks said he has served on the board for 12 years and Sabin said he has served for 14 years. 

Growth

Sabin spoke about the school district’s growth over the years.

“We've grown a lot, and I was on the high school committee to see if we could get our first high school, and the state told us, ‘You guys will never grow,’” Sabin said. “But now we have over 2500 students. We have some nice facilities. Over the years, I mean years go by so fast, some of the buildings are getting old now.”

Harlow said the growth has caught up with the district and that in 2022 the district had to cut 27 positions to become leaner and endure the district’s financial situation. He addressed the fact that some members of the public may be concerned that the tax revenue will be used for things other than the proposed projects and that those projects may not get done.

“We live in this community. If those things don't happen, it's going to be really hard for me to come to you in three or four years and say, ‘Hey, we need more money for this,’” Harlow said. “So the commitment is these projects will get done. They're going to be long-term investments in our kids.”

Staffing

Another issue discussed at the forum was staff retention in the district moving forward.

“Our job, my job, whether it was at the Junior High as a principal or here, and I think the board feels this way, and I think the board has showed this, is to financially give a package that’s appealing to come to Wahluke,” Harlow said. “We have some of the highest-paid teachers in our area, to recruit and maintain them. So (the board has) stepped up and done their part. Now the principals and the Superintendent need to do our part, and that is create a climate and culture that (staff) don't want to leave.”

Moving forward

At the end of the school board portion of the forum, Sabin spoke about what he wanted to see moving forward with the district. 

“Since we’re focusing on youth a lot, I’d like to see more parents get involved. It helps a lot,” Sabin said. “A lot of these people that are doing this volunteer coaching, they really don't have the time but they're doing it anyway."

Pantaleon introduced herself and her focus as a school board member.

“What I would really like to do for the kiddos is be able to have things for them to do,” Pantaleon said. “We're a small community, obviously there's not a lot for them to do, but having sports for them and being able to have activities and things like that, I think is extremely beneficial. It keeps the kids out of out of trouble.”

Pantaleon, who said she has been on the board for years, elaborated on why she is involved with the district.

“Ultimately at the end of the day, I do it for the kids. I do it for them. This is my community. This is where I grew up,” Pantaleon said. “I just want to show, you know, the little kids and everybody else that, ‘Hey, you can do it, you can get there too.’ My parents started working in the orchard and they didn't want that life for me, even though at one point I thought, you know what, that's what I'm going to do…I know that the parents work super hard and they want the best for their kids, just like I want the best for them too.”

    Wahluke School District Superintendent Andrew Harlow spoke during the South Grant County candidate forum in Mattawa Wednesday about the district and its finances.