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2008
Endorsed
Candidates
The League of Education Voters has
identified
candidates
whose victory will advance education on our state’s
public agenda.
We
need your help and financial support
to elect these outstanding
candidates who will be partners in
our effort to provide a quality
education for all students in
Washington State.
 Gov. Chris Gregoire
Washington’s children have made
tremendous progress in academic
achievement during Gov. Gregoire’s
four years in office. She has
chaired an effort to reform
and fully fund
our
state’s education system and charged
a state task force with developing a
new finance system. Her commitment
to building a public education
system from early learning through
post-secondary education will help
prepare more of our citizens for
today’s competitive economy.
NO on 985
Initiative 985 is not good for
transportation, nor is it good for
education.
The initiative would take away more
than $100 million a year from the
state’s general fund, the primary
funding source for public
education. Instead, the initiative
would spend that money on
transportation. Currently, user
fees such as the gas tax and tolls
pay for highway projects.
Don’t let I-985 threaten funding for
all-day kindergarten, lower class
sizes, and new enrollments at our
state’s colleges and universities.
The Washington State PTA,
Association of Washington Business,
Boeing, Microsoft, Spokane Chamber
of Commerce, and the League of
Education Voters all urge a
NO vote on I-985.
House and Senate Leaders
 House Speaker
Frank Chopp
(D-Seattle)
Strong, persistent
leadership to make sure education and investments in kids
are top legislative priorities.
 Senate
Majority Leader
Lisa Brown
(D-Spokane)
Education advocates rely on Sen. Brown's
effective leadership in the Senate to strengthen our public schools.
She was crucial in passing simple majority for school levies in 2007 and for
providing much needed funding for school libraries this year. She is
also a key member of the Basic
Education Finance Task Force.
1st
Legislative District
 Sen. Rosemary
McAuliffe (D-Bothell)
The Chair of the
Senate Early Learning & K-12 Committee, Sen. McAuliffe passed legislation to
provide tutors and reading specialists to help students meet graduation
standards.
4th
Legislative District
 Judi
Owens for State Senate
(D-Liberty
Lake)
As a seven-year council member for the City of Liberty Lake, Judi Owens
understands the priorities of her community. She fought to lower taxes and
support programs to promote economic development.
With nearly two decades of experience working in the Central Valley School
District, Judi knows firsthand the importance of strong schools for a
vibrant community. She worked with the League of Education Voters in her
community to pass Initiative 728 to lower class sizes. She also serves as
the state vice president for Public School Employees. In the Legislature,
she will be a strong voice for demanding a quality education for every
child.
6th
Legislative District
 Rep. Don Barlow
(D-Spokane)
Don Barlow has lived in Spokane for more than 30 years. He's been a
community leader in public education, higher education, and mental health.
He understands that education is the key to strong families and a strong
economy.
In the Legislature, Rep. Barlow has made education his top priority. A
former school counselor and school board member, Rep. Barlow requested and
received a seat on the House Education Committee. In his first term, he
passed legislation to provide bonuses to attract and retain high quality
teachers in schools with high numbers of students in poverty.
 John
Driscoll for State House
(D-Spokane)
John Driscoll, a third generation
Spokane native and father of three adult children, has devoted his
professional career to health care management in both the private and
non-profit sectors. As a successful business manager and more recently as
director of a non-profit community health care provider, John understands
the importance of health care in the economy of Spokane and the lives of
families.
John knows firsthand that people choose to live in Spokane because of
quality schools and safe neighborhoods. In Olympia, John will work for high
caliber education opportunities, new family wage jobs, and accessible,
quality health care.
8th
Legislative District
Rep. Larry
Haler (R-Richland)
Rep. Larry Haler is the Ranking
Member of the House Early Learning
and Children’s Services Committee.
His leadership in the Republican
caucus on early childhood education
issues ensured bipartisan support of
the child care quality rating and
improvement system and collective
bargaining authority for child care
center directors and workers. He was
also a leader in the successful
expansion of WSU Tri-Cities to a
full four-year university. Send this
champion for children back to
Olympia to continue his good work.
10th
Legislative District
 Tim
Knue for State House
(D-Mount
Vernon)
Tim Knue is committed to representing the values of
small towns and rural ways of life in the Legislature. Tim will work to
fight for farms and open space, improve traffic and ferry service, and make
sure new growth reflects the character of his local communities.
An award-winning teacher, Tim has dedicated more than
three decades in the classroom. He understands that good schools are the
foundation of a strong community. As a high school teacher of agricultural
education, Tim has helped prepare hundreds of students to succeed in life.
We need Tim’s voice in the Legislature to advocate for adequate funding of
basic education so schools in small towns can continue to support thriving
rural economies.
Patricia Terry
for State House
(D-Camano Island)
Patricia Terry
will bring over 30 years of
experience as a critical care nurse
and health care professional to the
legislature. After earning her
Master’s in Public Administration at
Seattle University, Patricia
specialized in ensuring quality care
oversight for individual patients in
large health care systems.
Committed to
affordable, quality health care for
all, as a right, she sees a direct
correlation between a well educated
community and a healthy community.
In the next legislative session,
when legislators will be called upon
to make hard choices, citizens can
count on Patricia to be a thoughtful
and independent voice for balance
and common sense solutions.
14th
Legislative District
 Sen.
Curtis King (R-Yakima)
A successful businessman, Sen. King
is well-known for his leadership
skills and for bringing people
together. He has chaired the Yakima
Chamber of Commerce, United Way, and
Yakima Regional Hospital.
After winning the election to fill
the last year of Sen. Alex Deccio’s
term, Sen. King distinguished
himself as a thoughtful, responsive
member of the State Senate. He
worked with early learning advocates
and the Bill and Melinda Gates
Foundation on funding for the East
Yakima Early Learning Demonstration
Project. Sen. King will continue to
be an important partner for early
childhood education in Olympia.
 Vickie Ybarra
for State House
(D-Yakima)
Vickie Ybarra has a record of accomplishment creating
jobs, increasing access to healthcare, and strengthening schools in her
community. As a mother, nurse, and President of the Yakima School Board, she
understands the values and priorities of families.
As school board president, she has seen first-hand the
challenges many schools face in meeting the new high standards of education
reform. In Olympia, she will make improving academic achievement for every
child and helping students pursue their goals after high school a top
priority.
16th
Legislative District
Rep. Maureen Walsh
(R-College Place) Rep.
Maureen Walsh is a leader in the Republican caucus on children’s issues. Her
support led to the strong, bipartisan passage of the child care quality
rating and improvement system (QRIS) last year. Last session, she supported
collective bargaining authority to empower child care center directors and
workers to seek higher wages and standards (HB 2449).
17th
Legislative District
 Rep. Deb Wallace
(D-Vancouver)
The Chair of the House Higher Education Committee, Rep.
Wallace understands the struggle many young people face who want to continue
their education beyond high school. In these tough economic times, she will
continue to lower the cost of higher education through financial aid and
scholarship programs. She will work to expand opportunities for adults to
pursue job training, especially in high demand fields, at our state's
community colleges.
 Tim
Probst for State House
(D-Vancouver)
As CEO of the Washington Workforce Association, Tim
Probst makes education more relevant for students by helping them connect
their coursework to career pathways. He created scholarship programs that
have changed the lives of more than 100 at-risk youth who now work in
skilled jobs at local businesses. Tim will call for effective reforms to
improve the quality of education for our children and he will be a strong
advocate for making college affordable.
21st
Legislative District
 Rep.
Marko Liias (D-Mukilteo)
In his
first session, Rep. Liias distinguished himself as a bright, promising new
member of the State House. On the House Education Committee, he
focused on expanding career education opportunities for students and
professional development opportunities for certificated staff.
25th
Legislative District
 Rob
Cerqui for State House (D-Fife)
Small business
owner and Fife Mayor Pro Tem, Rob
Cerqui knows that economic
development and good schools are the
keys to strong communities and our
quality of life. A graduate of
Puyallup High School, Rob worked his
way through Pierce Community College
and then UW-Tacoma, all while
managing the family farm.
Rob Cerqui
knows first-hand what it’s like for
young people trying to navigate
their way through our community
college and branch campus systems.
At a time when we all agree our
economy depends on graduating more
workers with post-secondary job
training, AA and BA degrees, Rob
will bring to the legislature his
personal example, and a passion for
creating opportunities for others.
Citizens can
count on Rob to continue working for
the same priorities he demonstrated
as a city councilmember: holding the
line on taxes; making developers pay
their fair share of the costs of
schools, roads and public safety;
and investing wisely in economic
infrastructure and education.
26th
Legislative District
 Rep.
Larry Seaquist
(D-Gig Harbor)
Rep. Seaquist
brings more than three decades of
leadership experience to Olympia. As
a Navy captain, Rep. Seaquist
tackled challenges head on. In his
first term in the Legislature, Rep.
Seaquist took on some of our state’s
toughest challenges. He made
reforming health care, overhauling
the ferry system, and building a
stronger public education system his
priorities.
Rep. Seaquist
knows our schools must continue to
improve so all our kids graduate
from high school ready for career
training, college, or work. As a key
member of a House education budget
committee, Rep. Seaquist asks tough
questions to ensure we are investing
in education programs that are
actually improving academic
achievement. He has also fought to
expand higher education
opportunities for students on the
Kitsap and Olympic peninsula. We
need to send Rep. Seaquist back to
Olympia to continue the fight for
school reform.
 Kim
Abel for State House
(D-Port
Orchard)
Kim Abel is
running for the open seat vacated by
retiring House veteran Pat Lantz.
Kim and her husband Bob, an Olympic
College teacher in the Shipyard
Apprentice program, guided their two
sons through Port Orchard public
schools, where she served as a
leader in her local PTA.
A successful
former mayor of Port Orchard and
respected regional leader on
economic development, transportation
and education, Kim Abel will be a
voice for good jobs and a strong
local economy in the legislature.
She'll work to create more
comprehensive high school programs
that encourage career and technical
training and to create partnerships
between local employers and
community colleges to help train
local workers for local jobs.
As the mother
of recent high school grads, Kim
understands how important it is to
provide more opportunities for young
people and adults to pursue BA
degrees while living and working in
the community. She will make
expanding near-by, affordable BA
opportunities one of her top
priorities.
28th
Legislative District
Debi Srail for
State Senate
(D-University Place)
A long-time
teacher and education leader, Debi
Srail will bring to the Senate a
lifetime’s experience working and
raising a family in University
Place. Debi and her husband John, an
Army veteran, educated each of their
three children in University Place
public schools. Debi earned master’s
degrees in both teaching and public
administration, and now specializes
in teaching students in alternative
programs at Curtis Junior High &
High School.
Debi Srail has
the expertise to get results on
education reform in Olympia. She
will fight for the state to fulfill
its Constitutional responsibility
for public education -- and reduce
reliance on local property tax
levies.
30th
Legislative District
 Rep. Skip Priest
(R-Federal Way)
A strong champion for early
learning, K-12, vocational
education, and higher education,
Rep. Priest is a critical partner in
reforming our public education
finance system. He has joined other
key legislators on the Basic
Education Finance Task Force in
putting forth a thoughtful proposal
to reform and fully fund
Washington’s schools. Visit
whatittakesforkids.com to view
the proposal.
Rep. Priest will continue to work on
reducing the dropout rate by
advocating for more career and
technical education pathways for
students. The Washington Association
of Career and Technical Education
has named Rep. Priest "Legislator of
the Year" for each of the last four
years.
32nd
Legislative District
 Rep. Ruth Kagi
(D-Lake Forest Park)
The Chair of the House Early Learning & Children’s Services Committee,
Rep. Kagi sponsored legislation to improve the quality of early learning
care and provide more home visitation services for Washington’s young
children.
34th
Legislative District
Sen. Joe
McDermott (D-Seattle)
As a member of the State House,
Joe McDermott took a leading role in legislation
to reform the State Board of Education. That legislation transformed the
State Board into a force for raising standards for all students and for
holding schools accountable. He also championed efforts to eliminate the
co-pay for students who qualify for free or reduced price meals. Appointed
to the State Senate this year, this is Joe’s first
fun for Senate. We need his energy and commitment in the Senate.
35th
Legislative District
 Rep.
Kathy Haigh (D-Shelton)
The Chair of the House
Appropriations Subcommittee on
Education, Rep. Haigh leads a
committee that examines each item in
the education budget to ensure we
invest wisely for Washington’s
students. Rep. Haigh is also
following the work of the Basic
Education Finance Task Force as an
alternate member.
37th
Legislative District
 Rep. Sharon Tomiko
Santos (D-Seattle)
For consistent advocacy
to provide adequate resources and opportunity for students to succeed in
school and for programs to close the achievement gap.
39th
Legislative District
Fred Walser
for State Senate (D-Monroe)
Former police
chief for the City of Sultan, Fred
Walser is running to champion public
education, improve public safety,
and ensure that transportation needs
are met in Snohomish, Skagit, and
Whatcom Counties. Fred and his wife,
Donetta, a retired school teacher,
raised their two sons in Monroe.
They have both been active members
and leaders in the community for
more than 35 years.
As police
chief, Fred Walser worked closely
with Sultan middle schools to reduce
truancy. He tells citizens at the
door that well-funded schools are a
better long-term investment than
building jails. Fred will bring a
unique perspective on what it will
take to reduce our dropout rate and
keep children on track to succeed in
school and life.
40th
Legislative District
Kevin Ranker for
State Senate
(D-Friday Harbor)
Winner of a
contested Democratic primary, Kevin
Ranker is running to replace
retiring Senator Harriet Spanel. As
elected San Juan County
Commissioner, Kevin has worked
tirelessly with local leaders and
citizens to promote healthy
shoreline communities while
protecting the environment. Father
of a young daughter, Kevin promises
to bring that same kind of
energetic, forward thinking
leadership to education issues in
the Senate. Kevin knows that a
strong education system is the
foundation of a strong economy.
Specifically, he will work to see
that our public schools are fully
funded through regular and
dependable sources, instead of
relying on local excess property tax
levies.
 Rep.
Dave Quall (D-Mount Vernon)
Rep. Quall
brings nearly four decades of
experience as a teacher, counselor
and coach to the Legislature. As
Chair of the House Education
Committee, he’s committed to making
the high school diploma more
meaningful than ever and helping
public schools meet the new high
standards of education reform. He’s
also been a champion for
apprenticeship programs and skills
centers that make education more
relevant for today’s young people.
41st
Legislative District
 Fred
Jarrett for State Senate
(D-Mercer
Island)
A long-time, highly respected member
of the State House, Rep. Fred
Jarrett will continue to be a strong
voice for higher education and a
passionate advocate for K-12 funding
reform in the State Senate. Rep.
Jarrett has joined a bipartisan team
of fellow legislators on the Basic
Education Finance Task Force to
develop a bold proposal to reform
and fully fund Washington’s schools.
It’s called the Model Schools
Proposal and is available at
www.whatittakesforkids.com. An
engineer by training, Rep. Jarrett
is well known for his thoughtful,
independent approach to problem
solving, as well as for his warm,
self-effacing personal style. Rep.
Jarrett will be a key leader for
education on day one in the Senate.
 Marcie Maxwell
for State House
(D-Renton)
Successful business owner, past
Rotary president, PTA leader and
current member of the Renton School
Board, Marcie Maxwell has a
distinguished record of community
service and leadership. As a school
board member, she has delivered
results for children. She led
efforts to build six new schools and
improve academic standards. Today,
test scores are on the rise. A
long-time ally of the League of
Education Voters, Marcie helped
campaign for the simple majority
measure and the smaller-class size
and better teacher pay initiatives.
Parents, educators and citizens can
depend on Marcie to always put the
best interests of children first.
44th
Legislative District
 Rep. Hans Dunshee
(D-Snohomish)
Rep. Dunshee is respected by all for
his independence and straight
forward approach. He is recognized
as a fair negotiator with a solid
track record of working with his
Republican colleagues.
The Vice Chair of the House
Appropriations Committee, Rep.
Dunshee has the experience to help
guide our economy through tough
times. He understands investments in
education are needed to help people
find living wage jobs and receive
job training. He is also one of our
state’s strongest leaders for
children and schools. As past Chair
of the House Capital Budget, he
boosted state funding for school
construction so children can learn
in safe and modern classrooms.
 Rep.
Liz Loomis (D-Snohomish)
Former mayor of Snohomish and small
business owner, Rep. Loomis focused
in her first term on getting the
state’s economy back on track. She
sponsored legislation to streamline
regulations and cut taxes for
Washington businesses and provide
small businesses with access to
affordable health care for
employees.
Rep. Loomis proved to be an equally
strong champion for public
education. She supported all-day
kindergarten, better teacher pay,
and stronger math standards to start
kids off right. Committed to
providing people of all ages with
opportunities, Rep. Loomis fought
successfully to expand skills
centers, where high school students
can get hands-on training for high
demand jobs, and she worked to pave
the way for a new four-year
university in Snohomish County.
45th
Legislative District
 Rep. Roger Goodman
(D-Kirkland)
In his first term in the
Legislature, Rep. Goodman fought for
tough new laws to improve public
safety and promote the well-being of
children. He sponsored and passed
stronger DUI laws, projected to save
100 lives a year, secured funding
for drug prevention, and expanded
early childhood education.
Rep. Goodman passed legislation to
create a new Washington Head Start
Program designed to improve the
quality of early learning and help
more young children start school
ready to learn. He also secured
funding for Lake Washington
Technical College to offer four-year
programs in applied science. We need
to send this champion for early
learning and schools back to
Olympia.
46th
Legislative District
 Rep. Phyllis
Kenney (D-Seattle)
The Chair of the House
Community & Economic Development & Trade Committee, Rep. Kenney passed
legislation to create the Opportunity Grant Program for low-income adults to
learn job skills for high-wage, high-demand career pathways.
47th
Legislative District
Rep. Geoff
Simpson (D-Kent)
A career firefighter and former city
councilmember, Rep. Simpson has
served four terms in the
legislature. As chair of the Local
Government Committee, he has focused
on improved public safety and open
government. He has demonstrated
consistent support for children and
public education with his votes for
children’s health, education reform,
better school funding and increased
post-secondary education
opportunities. Families can count on
Rep. Simpson to fight for what
matters most: affordable health
care, good jobs, a strong economy
and an excellent public education
system.
 Rep. Pat Sullivan
(D-Covington)
As a former mayor, father, youth
sports coach, and PTA volunteer,
Rep. Sullivan has a proven record of
accomplishment and leadership. He
has joined a bipartisan team of
legislators on the Basic Education
Finance Task Force to develop a bold
proposal to reform and fully fund
Washington’s schools. It’s called
the Model Schools Proposal and is
available at
www.whatittakesforkids.com.
Parents, teachers and school
advocates seek out Rep. Sullivan
because he has a track record of
listening carefully and bringing
people together to work on the
priorities of his community and
state.
48th
Legislative District
 Rep. Ross Hunter
(D-Medina)
The Chair of the House Finance
Committee, Rep. Hunter is an instrumental member of the Basic Education
Finance Task Force, a state task force charged with redesigning our
education finance system for the 21st century.
49th
Legislative District
Sen. Craig
Pridemore (D-Vancouver)
Bringing six years of experience as
a Clark County Commissioner, Sen.
Pridemore distinguished himself in
his first term as one of the
Senate’s most promising new
leaders. Sen. Pridemore spearheaded
efforts in the Senate to make WSU -
Vancouver into a four-year
institution, providing Clark County
residents more opportunities to earn
their BAs.
As vice-chair of the Ways & Means
Committee, Sen. Pridemore
demonstrated his passionate support
for early learning, K-12 and
community colleges through his
budget priorities. An environmental
leader and a fiscal moderate, Sen.
Pridemore is known for aggressively
pursuing the facts, and for fighting
on behalf of women and children, and
those with mental illnesses or
disabilities.
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