Candidate Says Education Is Too Important To Sit On The Sidelines Now

Yakima realtor Ryan Beckett says it's time to come off the sidelines and get involved in education in the Yakima School District.

District Overview

In case you didn't know, the district profile from the website is:

The Yakima School District is located primarily within the boundaries of the City of Yakima. Serving a diverse population of nearly 16,000 students, Yakima is the 20th largest district in Washington, the fourth largest in Eastern Washington, and the 2nd largest Latino-majority district in the state.

"Every elementary school in the District provides full-day, daily kindergarten classes; International Baccalaureate and Advanced Placement programs at two high schools attract students from out-of-district; an already strong vocational program is growing every day with a state-of-the-art skills center; and alternative offerings include Stanton Academy, Yakima Online! and various satellite programs

The Primary Points To Beckett

So, it's a big district and a big job. A job currently held by Beckett's opponent, encumbent Don Davis Jr.  Davis Jr. was invited to appear on the KIT Morning News radio show and he agreed to a Wednesday morning interview but he cancelled in an email Tuesday saying he had a meeting in Seattle.

In the August primary, Beckett won by 606 votes. A third candidate in the Primary race, KateAshley Clarke, received 1,999 votes and I would say her politics are more in line with Beckett than with Davis Jr. but theoretically there should be significantly more votes in next week's general election so it's hard to predict a winner.

Beckett knows the district has challenges but he also says it's important to point out the success too.  Here is our interview with Ryan Beckett, candidate for Position2 on the Yakima School Board.