Familiar faces run for Medical Lake School Board

Medical Lake residents can expect a few familiar faces to return to the school board.

Current board members Rod Von Lehe, Ron Cooper and Felicia Jensen are running unopposed in the Nov. 3 election.

Von Lehe, who did not respond to interview requests, is a farmer who represents District 2 NS has served on the school board since 1999. His wife Valerie Von Lehe was a teacher in the Medical Lake School District.

Cooper, who represents District 4, said he was excited about the board's work and welcomed the opportunity to serve another term. During his last term he met legislators and encouraged them to fully fund education. He was also excited when the school began offering all-day kindergarten.

Jensen, who represents District 3, ran for election because she wanted to continue giving back to the school district. Like Cooper, she has enjoyed her time on the board and advocated for funding education mandates.

"As a parent and as a community member, I see first-hand how much time, work and dedication our teachers and staff have to ensure the kids are getting the best education possible," Jensen said. "That dedication, their professionalism and positive attitude makes it easy to want to give back."

Being the board's Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) represenative, Cooper said he is impressed with the number of students who put their time into extracurricular activities. With high school football garnering some negative attention due to safety, Cooper said football can be a dangerous sport, but the schools do a good job of preparing the athletes and making sure students are healthy.

"I know the coaches receive continuous training on how to use proper equipment and recognize injury symptoms in an effort to minimize serious injury," Cooper said. "I do not think high school football should be banned. However, I do think that we need to be vigilant in looking for ways to keep our players as safe as possible."

One of the ways he hopes to encourage community members to be involved with the school is to communicate with the schools directly. Having had children and grandchildren who went through Medical Lake, he always felt the schools welcomed his input.

"One person can make a difference in our schools if they choose to make that connection and become involved," Cooper said.

Both Cooper and Jensen have seen positive changes in the district in the last couple of years, including the implementation of all-day kindergarten at Hallett and Michael Anderson elementary schools and more professional development opportunities for staff.

Two challenges Jensen sees the district facing are time and resources to address the needs of Washington State Learning Standards and testing requirements.

"The good news is that our teachers have embraced these requirements and use all of the available resources to them as well as their own personal time to meet this challenge," Jensen said.

Cooper said he would like to see the state fully fund education during this next term on the board.

"When I first became a school board member, it was during an economic downturn and funds were being cut," Cooper said. "Now that educational spending is being increased, it is nice to see those dollars being used for educators and to help students realize their potential."

As for Jensen, her goals are the same as ones the board adopted for the 2015-16 school year, which include ensuring all students are provided with information and resources to help them achieve their career and college goals and developing a high understanding for the 2015-16 district's multiple initiatives.

"I'm proud to be part of this community, I really enjoy serving on the school board and hope that they know that I have our students, teachers, and staff best interest at heart," Jensen said.

Al Stover can be reached at al@cheneyfreepress.com.