School board candidate Mark Mansell strongly advocates for community schools and he clearly articulates the benefits to students, parents, and the communities where the schools are situated. His position on this foundational understanding of voter expectations of Ocean Beach School District priorities aligns with a half-century history of the sentiments as expressed at the ballot box: OBSD voters have approved 100% of the money measures for schools when community schools were open and they defeated 100% of money measures when community schools were closed or would be closed if the measure were to be approved.

It’s not just that Mark speaks for the majority of OBSD voters in his advocacy for community schools that makes him the clear choice for the position. He is exceptionally well-qualified for the job, with a lengthy track record of bringing together education stakeholders in such a way as to result in significantly improved student outcomes. His record shows the results of collaborative processes that are dependent upon the setting of reasonable goals, having a clear plan for achieving those goals, and evaluating the many measurements along the way so that necessary course corrections can be made in a timely fashion.

Achieving goals requires buy-in of all stakeholder groups, even when they represent disparate, and sometimes opposing, points of view. As one past OBSD director, the late Ilwaco native and four-star Admiral Jack Williams, would say with regards to what guided his decision-making processes while in public service, “The United States Navy has never kept a ship afloat without harmony.” Mark’s proven ability to achieve harmony within an organization is exceptional. That’s a characteristic we desperately need for Ocean Beach School District to fulfill its core responsibility of producing the best possible student outcomes.

TOM DOWNER

Ocean Park