PROSSER -- Incumbent Timothy Rankin is vying against newcomer Kit Watson to keep his seat on the Prosser School Board.
The election is Nov. 3. Ballots already have been mailed.
Rankin, an orthopedic surgeon who was appointed to the board in 2007, said the money crunch felt by districts across Washington because of reduced state funding is a key issue in Prosser schools.
Despite budget challenges, he wants to preserve top notch academics and doesn't want to lose professional development for staff or see the gang prevention work the district has done lose momentum, he said.
He said a priority in the next few years will be making progress on a new Prosser High School. The existing school is aging and too small to hold all the students, he said.
Rankin said he brings to the board leadership experience, integrity and a willingness to see both sides of an argument.
"I think in order to be successful you have to keep an open mind and continue to do what's best," he said. "Change is inevitable. You have to accept the challenges as they come and change with it."
Rankin has three daughters who attend Prosser schools. He resigned briefly from the board earlier this year because he wasn't registered to vote when he took his oath of office. But he re-applied for the position and was re-appointed.
Watson, a Washington State University graduate, said in a statement in Benton County's online voters guide that he sees education as "the gateway to opportunity." He did not return three phone calls from the Herald over the past week and a half.
His statement said he wants "to build partnerships and policies that make our educational system more effective" and that he wants to use his experience and professional training to represent the people of Prosser.
"A new person on the board would bring fresh ideas and approaches to solutions that look beyond complacency. We can work together in unity while respecting the diversity that exists among us," the statement said.
w For more election coverage, go to tricityherald.com/election
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