For the August 6, 2013, SVSD District 4 School Board primary election, Living Snoqualmie endorses current School Board President, Scott Hodgins.
While Living Snoqualmie also appreciates much of the platforms of Stephen Kangas and David Spring and Marci Busby’s years of service, along with understanding Busby’s support of the 2010 status quo plan of record for dealing with increasing student enrollment, it acknowledges that Scott Hodgins holds a more comprehensive plan for dealing with our facilities and educational programming issues – and has made strides to lead SVSD toward that plan.
Mr. Hodgins has a solid, long-term plan addressing the growing Snoqualmie Valley School District’s facilities and educational needs. 
His facilities plan, represented by proposed school bond option A, is a district-wide future vision confronting the needs of all SVSD grade levels .
That plan, one that utilizes existing buildings and adds new needed ones, includes a new 6th elementary school; bringing the district back to 3 middle schools by reinstating Snoqualmie Middle School; and modernizing/expanding Mount Si High School (a 60-year old, flood-prone structure) with the capacity to return freshmen to a traditional 9-12 comprehensive high school setting – one that expands programming opportunities for all high school students.
He has a track record of striving for programming enhancement, helping to create and approve a new educational policy that defines and communicates students’ coursework pathways through middle and high school. Hodgins was also vocal about accelerated courses for ready students, including the new opportunity for high school students to take biology in 9th vs. 10th grade, a program that begins this September.
Hodgins has volunteered with SVSD for nearly 20 years. During that time, he chaired two successful school bond campaigns, including co-chairing the 2003 campaign that built Cascade View Elementary and Twin Falls Middle School.
Hodgins has a sustainable plan for the future of this growing school district, a plan he is not shying away from out of fear that a cheaper bond is all our Valley can pass. Hodgins acknowledges that a cheaper, Band-Aid type bond leads to more expensive future bonds to attain the same result. He appears not willing to compromise on a well-rounded, long-term plan for the Snoqualmie Valley School District.
Scott Hodgins seems ready to lead and respect his board role as a representative of the community – its children, parents and taxpayers. He’s proven he can work with the administration, while at the same time not being a voice for it, but rather a voice for the community.
To read more about each candidate visit the Living Snoqualmie homepage for a series of Q&A stories that ran during the past 10 days.
