H. George Lundburg of Eastsound is one of four people statewide who have filed declarations of candidacy for Position 4 on the State Board of Education. The position will be voted on this fall by school board members in Western Washington.
In addition to Lundburg, those who filed by the Aug. 1 deadline are Robert (Bob) Hughes of Kirkland, Linda W. Lamb of Olympia, and Holly J. Williams of Vancouver.
Position 4, currently held by Lamb, is one of five elective positions on the State Board and the only one up for election this year. The election is for a four-year term starting in January 2009.
The position will be voted on by school directors in the Western Region, which is comprised of Clallam, Clark, Cowlitz, Grays Harbor, Island, Jefferson, King, Kitsap, Lewis, Mason, Pacific, Pierce, San Juan, Skagit, Skamania, Snohomish, Thurston, Wahkiakum and Whatcom counties.
According to OSPI, which administers the election, ballots will be mailed Oct. 31. Completed ballots will be due by Nov. 26, with results announced on Dec. 3. If a runoff is necessary, it will be conducted in December.
The OSPI ballot mailing will include information regarding the candidates. Washington State School Directors’ Association (WSSDA) will also prepare a voters guide and distribute information to school directors in Western Washington.
In his candidate statement submitted to the OSPI website, Lundburg states that he holds degrees in biology and counseling and has completed other graduate work in English and clinical psychology. He has had a variety of work experiences, from oil field roughneck, to high school teacher and counselor, to alternate energy research director, beekeeper and tax practitioner. He has also served in the United States Marine Corps, from 1960 to 1966.
Lundburg states, “I have been in and around a lot of organizations, experienced many cultures and places. What works on a small scale works on a large scale and vice versa.”
He emphasized, “I am very upset that my own district board chose to fire the library position to save money: Things aren’t going well, so I’d like to help.”
For more information about the election process, contact Charles Schreck, director, Office of Professional Practices, OSPI, at 360/725-6130, or his assistant, Penny Coker, at 360/725-6133.
