Two candidates are both trying to get into their first elected positions as they run for the Pe Ell School Board district No. 3 position.
Trevor Kaech and Ed Petersen will both appear on the Nov. 7 ballot. Both of the candidates said they are running because they want to give back to their local community.
Kaech, a 2006 graduate of Pe Ell, works as a forest engineer for Weyerhaeuser.
“I just want to become more involved in the community I grew up in,” he said. “My wife and I have chosen to raise our children here and so I would just like to be a representative for the community’s values and beliefs.”
Kaech said he would like to see the school provide the students more math and science options so they are ready for college level classes, reducing the need for remedial courses that can be redundant and cost-prohibitive for families.
He would also like to see personal finance education courses offered to graduates and students so they can learn how to efficiently manage their future earnings.
In his current job, Kaech helps develop and manage multimillion dollar budgets and negotiate contracts. He believes those skills could be beneficial if he was elected to the school board seat.
“I want to get my hand in how that’s being handled and see what we have going on there exactly to see if we can make improvements,” he said.
His ultimate goal is to see Pe Ell graduates succeed and reach their desired career or trade. If elected, he would be a younger voice on the board, which he believes could bring a different perspective.
Petersen, a 1998 graduate of Pe Ell, currently works as the communications and public relations coordinator for the Centralia School District.
He said the expertise his current job provides could be beneficial for the school district.
“In what I do for work I see the challenges facing the school districts,” he said. “I want to help Pe Ell get through those times and continue to be an awesome school district.”
The major issue facing the district, according to Petersen, is to figure out how to navigate the Legislature’s McCleary decision fix, which changed the way rural school districts collect levy funds.
“That’s going to take creative thought and it’s going to take a lot of hard work,” he said.
His goals are to help with negotiations between teachers and other bargaining units to come up with a solution that benefits everyone.
“I’m running because I want to be active in my community,” Petersen said. “I’m not running because I think anything is wrong with the education system. We have great teachers who have great experience.”
Petersen did say he would like to modernize the district to include more science, technology, engineering and mathematics courses, as well as career and technical education classes.
“My primary concern is for the district to have someone a little bit involved and aware of what’s going on with McCleary and everything else because it’s going to be a challenge for people that don’t do it for a living,” he said.
Two other school board positions will be on the ballot, but both are uncontested. Jessi Cox is running for director district 1, while Colin (Wolverine) Newell is running for director district 2.
