With the Nov. 4 general election a little over a month away, incumbent Debbie Edwards and challenger Ryan Jewell each made their cases to voters in separate interviews with the Nisqually Valley News, with both explaining why they should be elected to the Yelm Community Schools (YCS) Board of Directors for District 4.
Incumbent Debbie Edwards
Edwards, who began her initial term as YCS director on Nov. 15, 1984, told the Nisqually Valley News on Monday, Sept. 22, that she’s just as passionate about kids now as she was when she was elected over 40 years ago.
“I’m not done yet. I thought about it for a long time. In a sense, I feel like my work isn’t finished yet,” Edwards said. “With the difficult times we’re in, I still think I have a lot to offer with my commitment and dedication and care for the community. I want what’s best for all kids. I’ve always believed that the kids are 30% of our population and 100% of the future.”
The longtime school board director added that despite the tough times YCS is currently experiencing, she’s ready to move forward through the challenges at hand. Though Edwards is only one-fifth of the school board, she said that all five members have a collective goal and passion to represent all kids.
“I’ll give you an honest answer. It’s been very challenging, very stressful and very difficult (since the levy failures began). Yet, the board we have right now, we have five different personalities, and collectively we listen, we read and we try to gain all of the information from both sides. We can’t go backwards. We have to move forward,” Edwards said. “In 40 years, I’ve seen where we were when I got on the board. I’ve seen us move forward by thinking outside the box and by having the community back us. We have a great community, and we have a wonderful school district.”
Edwards also highlighted the importance of local control, despite influences from throughout the state. She noted Yelm isn’t Seattle, Tacoma nor Olympia, and that its policies should not reflect those bigger cities but focus on the needs of the YCS community.
“Local control is very critical. When we make a decision, the board, we have to listen to each other, but we make the decisions on what’s best for our kids that live and work here. We don’t do it from what the state mandates. Yes, we have to abide by the law, but the policies are sometimes what’s best for our community. I believe in protecting those values,” Edwards said. “We have mandates from the state, knowing they don’t give us the support through the monies for the things we need. We still try to do what’s best with less. We want to find what works for our community. I think it’s been challenging. I’ve read more literature and been to more meetings than ever before. The silver lining is when you see the kids graduate, walk across the stage, and we can’t lose sight of the good things we’ve done.”
Additionally, Edwards wants community members to approach her and other board members with questions. She believes face-to-face conversations are the most effective for dialogue around facts on YCS as a whole, and on the levy.
“If you have a question, ask us. The change that I’ve seen over the years is people spoke face-to-face to you. They asked you questions. You got to discuss different things, and we tried to have them see. It’s hard for anybody to understand. We take an oath. We have to abide by the law. We have policies and procedures, and there’s a lot that people are unaware of. All in all, we still move forward to do what’s best for the kids,” Edwards said. “We all have issues. We’re not the only ones. Yes, we’re the only district in the state with a triple levy failure, but we’re still educating. We’re still trying to get these kids ready for the future and give them opportunities. I know it’s hard with the tax base. It is on the shoulders of property taxes and property owners. But we still have to do what we think, as a board, district and community, to move forward.”
The longtime school board member also applauded all of the candidates who chose to run for respective YCS board of directors positions. At the end of the day, Edwards said, all involved in elections have the ultimate goal of giving back to local students.
Candidate Ryan Jewell
Jewell, a fifth-generation Yelm resident, said he feels a deeply rooted connection to the Yelm community and a call to serve due to the educational climate around the state.
“My great-great grandma came out here with the Edwardses and the Longmires way back when. I love the town. It was a couple years ago now, but I was talking with my wife, and like many other people frustrated with the culture and direction our state is going, I was ready to pack up and head to a state that’s more friendly with our views. After talking with my wife last January, I said I’d like to go to Olympia and get involved. I’m either going to do something, or we can get out of here. But I’m not going to complain anymore without getting involved.”
He added that being elected to the YCS Board of Directors would provide him the opportunity to further invest in local kids and students within the district. Like Edwards, the challenger argued the importance of local control and basing policy on what fits Yelm.
“This is a spot where I can invest in the kids in our community. I think small communities are one of the biggest places we can really bring effective change in our current culture. I think the levy is a hot topic, and it brought me a lot of interest in getting involved. I think the community at large, not just Yelm but the state in general, we’re looking at test scores and the cost to educate. They’re in conflict with one another, and it does not seem sustainable on the trajectory we’re heading right now,” Jewell said on Monday, Sept. 22. “I think there’s a fear and a feeling that in this state, if we don’t agree with the policies and processes that are handed down from Olympia and Seattle, that we could get in trouble. I also feel like it’s our responsibility to create policy that fits our community. We’re not Seattle. We’re not Olympia. We have a job to educate our kids, but we also have a job to protect them and defend them from outside influences that are harmful. Looking at kids, we have some big challenges ahead of us.”
Jewell said that he spent a lot of time in Olympia at the state Capitol during the last legislative session, where he listened to debates relating to state policy and the legislative process. He believes influence comes from education in communities, and due to “the direction the state has been moving in,” he believes the YCS board of directors is a good place to get involved.
“Listening to Chris Woods, in some of the levy conversations when they were meeting at the different schools, he said kids aren’t coming ready to learn. I didn’t know what it meant then, but we have some kids who are in some hard places. I’d like to be a conduit in order to get the community involved. There’s needs that kids have, which I think the community would be happy to serve,” Jewell said. “I think the church is a place to help in that process, and I think the community would help in that process. At the end of the day, some of the biggest things I’d like to see is an honest conversation about the cost of education, and then separating that from the cost of all the other wonderful things the schools are providing.”
He added that there are basic student needs that aren’t being met at home, and that schools are picking up the burden. Jewell said the cost of education includes things which, he believes, aren’t the responsibility of the state or the education system but are still a need of the local community.
He also spoke very highly of the incumbent, Edwards, and described her as someone who has served the local community selflessly alongside her husband Gary for decades.
“I love Debbie Edwards. I think she’s a dear woman, and she’s served our community selflessly — her and her husband Gary both. If there’s things the community likes about Yelm, there’s a strong likelihood that Debbie and Gary had something to do with it. For all the people who would complain, for all the voices who have been negative in her direction, I want to make it abundantly clear that she has a very thankless job. It is not a paid position, and she’s not benefitting in any way other than she loves the kids and loves the community,” Jewell said. “She’s been serving the community for 40 years, and I’d love the opportunity to carry the torch and step in and pick up where they left off. I’m looking forward to taking on the challenges that are present right now. I know she’s filled the gap and has been instrumental in trying to set policy that fits us well. That is an ever growing challenge, and I feel equal to the task in taking on the battles that exist today.”
