Vancouver resident Trevor Hayward shares his thoughts on the candidacy of Kyle Sproul for a seat on the Vancouver School District Board of Directors
Editor’s note: Opinions expressed in this letter to the editor are those of the author alone and do not reflect the editorial position of ClarkCountyToday.com.
I am writing this letter in response to the Mark Stoker Op-Ed piece published regarding the union conspiracy to take over school boards across the state. While that may be a valid concern, Mr. Stoker has erroneously included Kyle Sproul in the conspiracy.
Among other things, Mr. Stoker claims that Kyle Sproul has taken “union political action dollars to pay for campaign materials or activities.” Thus, he states that her “independence must also be questioned.”
That is factually incorrect. Kyle Sproul has taken no money from any union. She could have. She was offered $500 in the form of a check from the WEP-PAC. However, she returned that check last August because she was concerned it would compromise her independence.
Kyle Sproul reports her contributions and expenditures to the PDC on a weekly basis. That information is available online for public inspection. Mr. Stoker could have avoided this factual error by reading those reports. If he had done so, he would have learned that the union has not contributed to Kyle Sproul’s campaign.
It should also be noted that Kyle Sproul’s opponent does not seem to report expenditures or contributions. According to reports filed with the PDC, he has spent a total of $6.85 to date. However, the county is littered with hundreds of his campaign signs. These signs cost thousands of dollars. All unreported. I would encourage Mr. Rice to comply with Washington State Campaign Law and report his expenditures and contributions in a timely manner. He should also consider including his investment firm and list all his clients on the PDC F1 Financial Disclosure Statement form as required by law.
Kyle Sproul is running for VPS School Board Position 1 because she believes that the district has become stagnant and unable to keep up with changing demographics. She is concerned with the poor performance district-wide on standardized tests. She is even more concerned with the performance of students south of 78th Street – who significantly underperform their peers to the North. For example, approximately 85 percent of high school students south of 78th Street fail to meet the state standards on the 10th grade math assessment test. We can do better than that.
After 29 years on the board, Kyle Sproul’s opponent has become the face of this district and he has a very close relationship with the current administration.
On the other hand, Kyle Sproul has no ties to the administration or the union or other partisan groups. She is not seeking endorsements from any sitting board members. Nor does she think it is appropriate for sitting members to actively endorse and campaign for current school board candidates.
Kyle Sproul is the truly independent and fresh voice. She is a graduate of Georgetown University and has an MBA in Strategic Business Development. She has 19 years of business experience with small businesses and Fortune 500 companies. She is a mom of three current and future VPS students.
Kyle Sproul has the energy, independence, intelligence and motivation needed to move the district forward.
Thank you for your attention to this issue.
Trevor Hayward
Vancouver
