MARYSVILLE — Wendy Fryberg and Tom Albright are the newest members of the Marysville School District Board of Directors.
Board President Cindy Erickson and existing members Darci Becker and Chris Nation voted unanimously Oct. 4 to appoint Fryberg as Director District 4 and Albright as Director District 5, after a series of candidate interviews that same evening that pitted Fryberg against Sue Rasmussen and Albright against Corinne Diteman for those positions.
Fryberg serves as compliance manager for the Tulalip Resort Casino and secretary of the Marysville Youth Football League. A Tulalip Tribal member and an alumni member of Leadership Snohomish County, she volunteers at Tulalip Elementary and Tulalip Heritage High School, takes part in the Tulalip Canoe Family and developed the Supervisory Enhancement Course for the Tulalip Resort Hotel and Casino.
Albright serves as pastor of the Marysville United Methodist Church and volunteer chaplain for the Marysville Fire District and Marysville Police Department. A member of the Marysville Noon Rotary and city of Marysville Library Board, he’s also served as president of a non-profit organization to raise funds for college scholarships in Kenya and of the Board of Directors for Deaconess Children’s Home in Everett. Albright has additionally done stints as a Board officer for the Seattle Goodwill and chair of the Hotline crisis intervention phone line. He even developed a program to address issues of race during a busing crisis in Pasadena, Calif.
Fryberg and Albright cited their respective accomplishments when asked how their backgrounds qualified them for the Marysville School Board, especially with regard to their experiences with cultural diversity. They likewise both described their schedules as flexible enough to accommodate Board responsibilities, although Albright acknowledged that trips to Kenya would likely make him unavailable for three weeks out of the year.
When asked to explain the responsibilities of the Board, Fryberg asserted the importance of soliciting input from parents and students while sharing information with them in turn.
“The Board should strive to carry out its decisions as a team for the betterment of all the children in the school district,” Fryberg said.
“The Board works with and for the superintendent to get these children the best education with the resources available,” Albright said.
Fryberg noted that she looks forward to working with parents to find solutions to educational problems, while Albright added that he’s eager to encourage greater community participation in coming up with creative courses of action. When addressing the responsibilities of individual Board members, Fryberg pledged to commit herself to understanding district policies and procedures, while Albright promised to listen to others and think through the issues before making decisions.
“I’m willing to support anything that provides an opportunity for children to learn and grow,” Albright said.
Both Fryberg and Albright stated that they expect to do plenty of on-the-job research on subjects ranging from the district’s branches to its finances.
“I’ve never pretended to be an accountant, and if I was sent to Hell, I’d probably be reincarnated as an accountant,” Albright said, drawing laughter from the crowd. “But there’s so much to learn, and I love learning new things.”
Fryberg pointed to her years as a parent and a volunteer at the schools as fields in which she’s had to communicate effectively, just as Albright touted his 38 years as a pastor and his frequent charity trips to Africa as activities which also require effective communication.
“I’m self-driven and motivated,” Fryberg told the Board in her final statement to them.
Fryberg and Albright will be sworn in at the board’s Oct. 18 regular meeting.
