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Two contc,'nd for school board se
(Continued from page 27.)
he said. "We have shown improve-
ment over the last few years."
The statewide tests are a re-
port card on the local school sys-
tem, DeMiero said. "There's a lot
of' pressure on kids and teachers
as well. It's good for everyone. It's
a benchmark for the schools," he
said, adding he wouldn't change
it.
If a new elementary school is
built, :; has been proposed, in the
planned Peacock Ridge develop-
ment, DeMiero wonders what will
happen to that school when the
students move on to other schools.
Mountain View, Olympic Middle
School, Oakland :Bay Junior High
and Shelton High School are all
close by.
Donating five acres for a school
is an excellent "sell" for the devel-
opers, he said, adding he'd prefer
the school district put more money
into rebuilding Mountain View in-
stead.
"I'D MUCH RATHER redo
Mountain View. The kids can bus
to school. Their parents can drive
them," he said of elementary stu-
dents in the Peacock Ridge devel-
opment, which is planned to be
built just east of Olympic College
Shelton.
As a board member, DeMiero
said, he would be responsive when
people call, adding he wants peo-
ple to call and visit him to discuss
school district issues. "The people
you're responsible for need to know
Band minstrels to sing
at their Medieval thing
Hear Ye! Hear Ye! All lords,
ladies, knights and damsels of
the shire of' Shelton are invited
to attend an evening of merry-
making at the ninth annual Me-
dieval Feast hosted by the local
roving minstrels better known
as the Shelton High School Band
and Color Guard.
Evenings offYolic, food and fun
will be presented on November
9 and 10 in the Student Union
Building at 3737 Shelton Springs
Road. Doors ()pen at 6 pro. A
ticket includes a medieval-style
dinner and live entertainment
provided by band members.
Tickets are on sale now. Ad-
vance ticket prices are $12 and
can be purchased from band
members, at Verle's, Lynch
Creek Floral and at the door.
Tickets sold at the door cost
$15. Proceeds from the Medieval
Feast go to support the band's
many activities throughout the
year.
Senior center
plans bazaar
The Mason County Senior Ac-
tivities Center will host its an-
nual holiday bazaar next week-
end. Featuring crafts, handmade
quilts, "white elephant" and "re-
gifting" tables, the bazaar will also
include a lunch of home-style soup
and sandwiches. Lunch will run
from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., while the
entire event will last from 10 a.m.
to 3 p.m. on Saturday, November
3. Festivities will take place at 826
Railroad Avenue in Shelton. More
infi)rmation is available by calling
426-7374.
your name, your phone number,"
he said.
He said he wants to be a team-
player and a problem-solver. "I've
been preparing myself on the
PTSO board for the last six years
and I'm ready to take the next
step. This isn't Steve against Sue,"
he said.
McCausland, 52, was elected to
a four-year term in 2003 and says
being a board member involves a
learning process. "Things change
all the time," she said, adding she
thinks a person can be on a school
board for 25 years without being
a seasoned veteran because things
change so fast.
"AM I MORE seasoned than
when I started? Uh, huh," she
said.
McCausland, who is married
to Shelton High School teacher
Roger McCausland, grew up in
Spokane and graduated from Spo-
kane Community College with
associate's degrees in landscape
design and floral design. While a
student, she served for four years
on the statewide Advisory Council
for Vocational Education. The Mc-
Causlands have two children, one
a freshman at Pacific Lutheran
University, the second a junior at
Shelton High School.
The top issue to her is the gen-
eral election ballot measure call-
ing for a 50-percent majority for
levy and bond issues. She said she
doesn't think that issue will come
up again in her lifetime.
"It's for all Washingtonians,
but it's important for our school
district," McCausland said. Last
spring, the Shelton School Dis-
trict's $1.3-million school bus levy
lost narrowly, getting just over 59
percent "yes" votes.
"THERE'S NOT AN equal
standing (with the 60 percent "su-
permajority" requirement). Each
vote should be equal," she said. "I'll
never understand why it was put
into place. In my opinion all votes
should be 50 percent plus one. To
me, it keeps things simple."
Another issue facing the school
district is residential growth and
the speed of the growth that's
planned, McCausland said. "It's
not just houses coming in that af-
fects the schools, growth affects
roads, schools, hospitals."
Local governmental agencies
need to be aware of what's hap-
pening to each other and work
together to have the community
understand what growth means to
it, she added.
Her job, as a board member, is
to make sure the board is
to all the facts before
quick decisions, she said,
she has to be res
well informed and make
well prepared.
A THIRD ISSUE is 1
standing state funding and
works, McCausland said.
transportation and special
she added..
"Ample funding is the
mount duty of the state.
it's being funded now is not I
for basic education," she
As for the WASL
said schools and school
need to be accountable.
need to come to school
learn, '; she added. "It's not
pen in hand; it's having a
spirit."
The WASL'has already
modified. It keeps being
and simplified, she said.
She said she's proud ofthei
district and the programs it €
"From home school to
placement students, there's
thing for them
"We have maintained our
budget responsibly. We
had to do (reductions in
offs)."
Best, Crater seeking electio
(Continued from page 27.)
GENE CRATER RETIRED
in 2000 after a 31-year career in
the Shelton School District as a
middle-school physical education
teacher and middle- and high-
school coach. Currently, he has a
part-time job at a Christian school
in Olympia.
Crater, 65, and his wife, Susan,
have four grown children. He has
a bachelor's degree in physical ed-
ucation from Central Washington
University.
"Coaching, to me, was the great-
est thing that ever happened to
me," he said. He coached football,
wrestling and baseball at Shel-
ton High School and football and
wrestling at what was then Shel-
ton Middle School.
The top issue to Crater is one
voters will decide in the general
election, and that is whether to do
away with the 60 percent "super-
majority" requirement to pass lev-
ies and require a simple majority
for passing them.
"PEOPLE RAVE GOT to un-
derstand it takes money to run
a school system," he said. "The
first thing you have to look at is
finances." If the measure calling
for a simple majority on funding
issues doesn't pass next month, it
probably won't come up again, he
added.
Crater was at one time presi-
dent of the Shelton Education As-
sociation, the local teachers union,
and was its head negotiator dur-
ing talks with the school district.
He said he has training in the bud-
get.
"Sometimes. there isn't money
being spent correctly," he said,
adding, what are the facts? Is it
a new program? Maybe a grant
needs to be added to pay for it.
"We need to communicate bet-
ter so people will understand," he
said, adding that he will commu-
nicate. "Kids are my life and I love
them."
ALL FOUR OF his children
went through the Shelton School
District and graduated from col-
lege. 'There's a return on the mon-
ey. What an investment. What a
reward," he said.
He said his job as a board mem-
ber is to make children the focus
of the district and to communicate
with the other board members.
"I'm retired. I'm going to be a com-
municator and will visit schools. I
will be available," he said.
He also talked about growth.
"You have to plan ahead. We need
to look at growth. Where are we
going to put new schools, a new
high school?" he said. The district
needs to look at a long-term plan
for growth and involve the resi-
dents on committees. "I don't want
the board to do it. I want the town
to do it," he said.
Crater envisions the outgrowth
of that effort will be a study with a
full range of purposes. "It's a guide
that will help the district and the
public," he said. "I believe we really
need to open up the doors of com-
munication." He suggests there be
coffee nights and m
nights for people to come to
informal basis.
MAINTENANCE IS a
issue of importance to
"They're doing a I
me wrong," he said. "I re
maintenance is important,
we maintain our schools to a
high level."
He wants to give a boost
maintenance in the
get it up a little higher.
we've got the new schools,
maintain them at a hi
added.
Being a board member haS]
a long-term goal of Crater's.
an honor for me to run for
board. If I don't get it, I
honor to run for office and do
good," he said. "You're not
ting a rookie. I'm coming in
an understanding of it and
I'm a good communicator
communicate what m going
always be there for
How MANY
BUTTONS ARE IN
GRANDMA'S
BUTTON JAR?
Correct answer wins an
Autumn Flower Arrangement
t): i i I i,
Lynch Creek Tloral
Gifts and Espresso
4th and Railroad 426-8615
Coi%.0000 # ¢:00!
Shelton Health & Rehab Center
-, 153 Johns Court
(corner of 13th & Johns Prairie Road)
(360) 427-2575
HALLOWEEN
Drop by until 5:30 for
Trick or Treating
and see our
. frightfully great
jewelry values too!
S
1st &
426-5811
Suite 108 " F G,Tt q4&apping
• One year Interest FgcJEE
w/qutmd Mtnimum qtr.fut O.A.C.
I 0:00-5:30 Sattwday 10:00-2:00
! Don't let anything
keep you away from our
SPECIAL HALLOWEEN DOOR
Knock for Treats from 6-8pro
))
HA! i I Y HALLOWEEN
Come visit and discover the rich living experiences
we create every day for our residents.
New House of Horr°rs
Cake Walk
Fish in a Cauldron
Face Painting
Cookies & Punch
and ...
Trick or Treating
for children 12 & under
every *20 purchasel
FIR
We are asking for donations of candy or money for all the
who will be trick or treating down our halls and going to the
help is greatly appreciated. Please contact Teresa at 426-1651,
Thank you. -- Fir Lane Residents and Staff
Page 32 - Shelton-Mason County Journal - Thursday, October 25, 2007
Two contc,'nd for school board se
(Continued from page 27.)
he said. "We have shown improve-
ment over the last few years."
The statewide tests are a re-
port card on the local school sys-
tem, DeMiero said. "There's a lot
of' pressure on kids and teachers
as well. It's good for everyone. It's
a benchmark for the schools," he
said, adding he wouldn't change
it.
If a new elementary school is
built, :; has been proposed, in the
planned Peacock Ridge develop-
ment, DeMiero wonders what will
happen to that school when the
students move on to other schools.
Mountain View, Olympic Middle
School, Oakland :Bay Junior High
and Shelton High School are all
close by.
Donating five acres for a school
is an excellent "sell" for the devel-
opers, he said, adding he'd prefer
the school district put more money
into rebuilding Mountain View in-
stead.
"I'D MUCH RATHER redo
Mountain View. The kids can bus
to school. Their parents can drive
them," he said of elementary stu-
dents in the Peacock Ridge devel-
opment, which is planned to be
built just east of Olympic College
Shelton.
As a board member, DeMiero
said, he would be responsive when
people call, adding he wants peo-
ple to call and visit him to discuss
school district issues. "The people
you're responsible for need to know
Band minstrels to sing
at their Medieval thing
Hear Ye! Hear Ye! All lords,
ladies, knights and damsels of
the shire of' Shelton are invited
to attend an evening of merry-
making at the ninth annual Me-
dieval Feast hosted by the local
roving minstrels better known
as the Shelton High School Band
and Color Guard.
Evenings offYolic, food and fun
will be presented on November
9 and 10 in the Student Union
Building at 3737 Shelton Springs
Road. Doors ()pen at 6 pro. A
ticket includes a medieval-style
dinner and live entertainment
provided by band members.
Tickets are on sale now. Ad-
vance ticket prices are $12 and
can be purchased from band
members, at Verle's, Lynch
Creek Floral and at the door.
Tickets sold at the door cost
$15. Proceeds from the Medieval
Feast go to support the band's
many activities throughout the
year.
Senior center
plans bazaar
The Mason County Senior Ac-
tivities Center will host its an-
nual holiday bazaar next week-
end. Featuring crafts, handmade
quilts, "white elephant" and "re-
gifting" tables, the bazaar will also
include a lunch of home-style soup
and sandwiches. Lunch will run
from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., while the
entire event will last from 10 a.m.
to 3 p.m. on Saturday, November
3. Festivities will take place at 826
Railroad Avenue in Shelton. More
infi)rmation is available by calling
426-7374.
your name, your phone number,"
he said.
He said he wants to be a team-
player and a problem-solver. "I've
been preparing myself on the
PTSO board for the last six years
and I'm ready to take the next
step. This isn't Steve against Sue,"
he said.
McCausland, 52, was elected to
a four-year term in 2003 and says
being a board member involves a
learning process. "Things change
all the time," she said, adding she
thinks a person can be on a school
board for 25 years without being
a seasoned veteran because things
change so fast.
"AM I MORE seasoned than
when I started? Uh, huh," she
said.
McCausland, who is married
to Shelton High School teacher
Roger McCausland, grew up in
Spokane and graduated from Spo-
kane Community College with
associate's degrees in landscape
design and floral design. While a
student, she served for four years
on the statewide Advisory Council
for Vocational Education. The Mc-
Causlands have two children, one
a freshman at Pacific Lutheran
University, the second a junior at
Shelton High School.
The top issue to her is the gen-
eral election ballot measure call-
ing for a 50-percent majority for
levy and bond issues. She said she
doesn't think that issue will come
up again in her lifetime.
"It's for all Washingtonians,
but it's important for our school
district," McCausland said. Last
spring, the Shelton School Dis-
trict's $1.3-million school bus levy
lost narrowly, getting just over 59
percent "yes" votes.
"THERE'S NOT AN equal
standing (with the 60 percent "su-
permajority" requirement). Each
vote should be equal," she said. "I'll
never understand why it was put
into place. In my opinion all votes
should be 50 percent plus one. To
me, it keeps things simple."
Another issue facing the school
district is residential growth and
the speed of the growth that's
planned, McCausland said. "It's
not just houses coming in that af-
fects the schools, growth affects
roads, schools, hospitals."
Local governmental agencies
need to be aware of what's hap-
pening to each other and work
together to have the community
understand what growth means to
it, she added.
Her job, as a board member, is
to make sure the board is
to all the facts before
quick decisions, she said,
she has to be res
well informed and make
well prepared.
A THIRD ISSUE is 1
standing state funding and
works, McCausland said.
transportation and special
she added..
"Ample funding is the
mount duty of the state.
it's being funded now is not I
for basic education," she
As for the WASL
said schools and school
need to be accountable.
need to come to school
learn, '; she added. "It's not
pen in hand; it's having a
spirit."
The WASL'has already
modified. It keeps being
and simplified, she said.
She said she's proud ofthei
district and the programs it €
"From home school to
placement students, there's
thing for them
"We have maintained our
budget responsibly. We
had to do (reductions in
offs)."
Best, Crater seeking electio
(Continued from page 27.)
GENE CRATER RETIRED
in 2000 after a 31-year career in
the Shelton School District as a
middle-school physical education
teacher and middle- and high-
school coach. Currently, he has a
part-time job at a Christian school
in Olympia.
Crater, 65, and his wife, Susan,
have four grown children. He has
a bachelor's degree in physical ed-
ucation from Central Washington
University.
"Coaching, to me, was the great-
est thing that ever happened to
me," he said. He coached football,
wrestling and baseball at Shel-
ton High School and football and
wrestling at what was then Shel-
ton Middle School.
The top issue to Crater is one
voters will decide in the general
election, and that is whether to do
away with the 60 percent "super-
majority" requirement to pass lev-
ies and require a simple majority
for passing them.
"PEOPLE RAVE GOT to un-
derstand it takes money to run
a school system," he said. "The
first thing you have to look at is
finances." If the measure calling
for a simple majority on funding
issues doesn't pass next month, it
probably won't come up again, he
added.
Crater was at one time presi-
dent of the Shelton Education As-
sociation, the local teachers union,
and was its head negotiator dur-
ing talks with the school district.
He said he has training in the bud-
get.
"Sometimes. there isn't money
being spent correctly," he said,
adding, what are the facts? Is it
a new program? Maybe a grant
needs to be added to pay for it.
"We need to communicate bet-
ter so people will understand," he
said, adding that he will commu-
nicate. "Kids are my life and I love
them."
ALL FOUR OF his children
went through the Shelton School
District and graduated from col-
lege. 'There's a return on the mon-
ey. What an investment. What a
reward," he said.
He said his job as a board mem-
ber is to make children the focus
of the district and to communicate
with the other board members.
"I'm retired. I'm going to be a com-
municator and will visit schools. I
will be available," he said.
He also talked about growth.
"You have to plan ahead. We need
to look at growth. Where are we
going to put new schools, a new
high school?" he said. The district
needs to look at a long-term plan
for growth and involve the resi-
dents on committees. "I don't want
the board to do it. I want the town
to do it," he said.
Crater envisions the outgrowth
of that effort will be a study with a
full range of purposes. "It's a guide
that will help the district and the
public," he said. "I believe we really
need to open up the doors of com-
munication." He suggests there be
coffee nights and m
nights for people to come to
informal basis.
MAINTENANCE IS a
issue of importance to
"They're doing a I
me wrong," he said. "I re
maintenance is important,
we maintain our schools to a
high level."
He wants to give a boost
maintenance in the
get it up a little higher.
we've got the new schools,
maintain them at a hi
added.
Being a board member haS]
a long-term goal of Crater's.
an honor for me to run for
board. If I don't get it, I
honor to run for office and do
good," he said. "You're not
ting a rookie. I'm coming in
an understanding of it and
I'm a good communicator
communicate what m going
always be there for
How MANY
BUTTONS ARE IN
GRANDMA'S
BUTTON JAR?
Correct answer wins an
Autumn Flower Arrangement
t): i i I i,
Lynch Creek Tloral
Gifts and Espresso
4th and Railroad 426-8615
Coi%.0000 # ¢:00!
Shelton Health & Rehab Center
-, 153 Johns Court
(corner of 13th & Johns Prairie Road)
(360) 427-2575
HALLOWEEN
Drop by until 5:30 for
Trick or Treating
and see our
. frightfully great
jewelry values too!
S
1st &
426-5811
Suite 108 " F G,Tt q4&apping
• One year Interest FgcJEE
w/qutmd Mtnimum qtr.fut O.A.C.
I 0:00-5:30 Sattwday 10:00-2:00
! Don't let anything
keep you away from our
SPECIAL HALLOWEEN DOOR
Knock for Treats from 6-8pro
))
HA! i I Y HALLOWEEN
Come visit and discover the rich living experiences
we create every day for our residents.
New House of Horr°rs
Cake Walk
Fish in a Cauldron
Face Painting
Cookies & Punch
and ...
Trick or Treating
for children 12 & under
every *20 purchasel
FIR
We are asking for donations of candy or money for all the
who will be trick or treating down our halls and going to the
help is greatly appreciated. Please contact Teresa at 426-1651,
Thank you. -- Fir Lane Residents and Staff
Page 32 - Shelton-Mason County Journal - Thursday, October 25, 2007