Voters in the Vancouver School District will cast ballots for either a long-tenured incumbent or a political newcomer in one school board race this primary election.
Anthony Licerio, a 28-year-old service agent, is running to unseat incumbent Mark Stoker on the Vancouver Public Schools board. Stoker, 59, is an attorney who has been on the school board for a decade. A third candidate, Shantel Okorie, said she is no longer running for the position but did not withdraw in time to have her name removed from the ballot.
The Columbian sent a questionnaire to all school board candidates which included reader-submitted questions from Clark Asks, our reader interaction software.
Licerio, who attended a small rally for a transgender student who was bullied at McLoughlin Middle School, told The Columbian Editorial Board recently that he was running to support the district’s diverse population of students. He believes not all student voices are being heard and noted incidents of bullying in his response to a Columbian survey, but did not provide specifics.
Licerio said the most significant challenge facing the district is the high rate of poverty at its campuses, adding that the district should provide free lunch for all students and improve health care access.
“These students are at risk of losing valuable resources that provide them with a quality of life they deserve but we can do better,” he said.
Stoker noted the district’s poverty level — 51 percent of students receive free or reduced-price lunch — is among the largest obstacles to student achievement. Student homelessness is another issue. When students move from school to school they struggle to succeed in school, Stoker said.
“Yet, we believe every single student in our system has the right to a world class education and we do all we can to remove or reduce barriers so that students can come to school ready to learn,” he said. “We will continue to work to raise our graduation rate and close our achievement gaps.”
Stoker, responding to a Clark Asks question about growing student diversity in the district, said the schools have been working to create a “safe and welcoming environment” for students. He noted the district’s “safe and supportive schools” model and “Equity and Excellence Initiative,” both of which seek to make schools safer and more inviting for all schools.
“I firmly believe that the core values of our system include equity and justice, and I am proud of our work and consider our district to be a leader,” he said.
Ballots were mailed to voters Friday. Election Day is Aug. 1. The top two candidates will move on to the November general election.
