TULALIP — The Marysville School District Director candidates kicked off the candidate forums conducted during the Greater Marysville Tulalip Chamber of Commerce’s Sept. 18 Business Before Hours.

Marysville School District Director District 1 candidates Chris Nation and Heather Thweatt took part in the opening forum, moderated by David Toyer.

Nation and Thweatt cited their roles as active Marysville School District parents, with more than a few extracurricular activities each.

Nation has two sons in the district, and worked on the bond and levy 14 years ago. He’s since worked on the Citizens Planning Committee, among other committees. He expressed the hope that he can help give students the resources and assets that they need, a matter on which he’s passionate.

Like Nation, Thweatt moved to the Marysville area because she saw it as a good home for her family. Her 11-year-old son is currently enrolled in Totem Middle School, and she’s been active on the councils of her son’s schools for a number of years, which she believes has taught her how to “agree to disagree respectfully.” After volunteering with the district and regularly attending school board meetings, she described herself as thrilled at the opportunity to serve more, and hopes to set our kids up for success.

When Toyer asked what led the candidates to run for the school board, and what experience they have working with the schools, Thweatt cited her own work with the CPC and recalled that her thinking about recent and upcoming budget cuts had caused her to become passionate as well. When Don Hatch Jr. announced he was stepping down from the school board, she considered whether she could commit the time required to step into his role.

Nation explained that, as a result of serving on so many committees, he was frequently asked by other parents when he might run for the school board. He admitted that he doesn’t look forward to giving up his participation in those committees if he’s elected and acknowledged that it can be a thankless job, but he emphasized the urgency of promoting the district’s needs on the local, state and federal levels, an area in which he said that “the leadership’s not there” in the existing school board membership.

When Toyer asked the candidates what leadership skills they could bring to the school board, as well as how they would balance their individual goals with the group’s broader goals, Nation cited his upcoming presidency of the local Rotary, his willingness to listen and a “focus on necessity.” He pledged to ask questions and make decisions after informing himself, and “not just off the top of my head.” He also promised that his priorities would reflect not just personal interest, but the needs of broader numbers of people.

Thweatt pointed again to her experience with school councils, as well as to suggestions she’d made to the principal of Totem Middle School that were successfully implemented. She had applied for the 10th Street School and was worried about Totem, but expressed pride in Totem’s increased PTSA participation during her time as one of the school’s parents.

When Toyer asked each candidate to name their top three priorities, Thweatt listed closing the achievement gap for Native American, special education and English Language Learner students, working with the Marysville and Tulalip communities to come up with plans for improving the district’s schools, and funding technology and foreign language education to afford students greater chances for success in a global economy.

Nation asserted that funding for schools must be addressed now, before it becomes a disaster. To that end, he spoke out against unfunded legislative mandates. He defended the continued existence of Small Learning Communities, but acknowledged the need to tweak them, by paying attention which aspects work and which ones need to be fixed. If elected, he also promised to make himself visible and accessible to the public, as well as to visit the district’s schools to observe their needs and resources firsthand.

For their final question, Nation and Thweatt were asked what role the economy would play in their decisions regarding future bonds and levies. Both candidates asserted that investing in the schools represents an investment in the community itself. Nation identified good schools as a reason why people move to towns like Marysville, calling them the backbone of society, since he sees them leading to more businesses and a stronger economy. Thweatt sympathized with struggling families who might feel overly taxed by supporting a bond and levy, but she presented those investments as means of improving not only their children’s future, but also their own.

Snohomish County Council District 1 incumbent John Koster (prefers Republican Party) and challenger Ellen Hiatt Watson (prefers Democratic Party) also participated in the chamber’s forum. For more information go to www.marysvilleglobe.com.