2 challengers, 1 incumbent leading in Ki-Be school board races

The Kiona-Benton City School Board likely will have two new faces, with incumbents Tim Cook and Wayne Elston trailing by substantial margins in the vote count Tuesday.

A third board member, Tawny Garrett, was leading in her race.

Julie Rheinschmidt had 682 votes to Cook’s 380, or 64 percent of the vote, Tuesday night. Dale Thornton had 638 votes to Elston’s 416, or almost 61 percent of the vote.

In the third race, Garrett had 607 votes to Mikey Brady Raap’s 439, or 58 percent of the vote.

Rheinschmidt, a teacher in the Kennewick School District, said before the election that the board had not set strategic academic goals nor provided appropriate resources to teachers. She is a member of the Professional Development Committee in the Kennewick district. She teaches middle school math and science and Lego robotics.

Thornton, a plant engineer at Hanford, said the district needs a professional educator in the superintendent’s position and criticized the board for being too involved in day-to-day operations. His opponent, Elston, was among those who voted to remove former superintendent Rom Castilleja in 2014 and give the job to Wade Haun, a former board member, despite Haun having no training as an educator.

Garrett, who said in the voter pamphlet that she had coordinated volunteer projects with hundreds of volunteers, said the board could improve its communication. She said she would work to “ensure the most healthy and responsible school possible.”

This story was originally published November 3, 2015 at 8:29 PM with the headline "2 challengers, 1 incumbent leading in Ki-Be school board races."