Candidates say parents have big role to play

* Two candidates with a strong interest in

education but little

experience in the public school system are vying for separate director's seats on the North Kitsap School District board.

By Jason Kellogg

Sun Staff

Behzad Mostofi, who is running unopposed for North Kitsap School Board's district two seat, and Ricki Lee Brooks, who is trying to oust longtime school board member Jean Wasson from the district four seat, are both candidates who say they have an interest in resisting the influence of national teachers unions and increasing parents' roles in their children's education.

Both say they are overwhelmed by the politics involved with running for the school board.

Mostofi's and Brooks' detractors say they are concerned with the candidates' lack of experience and involvement in the public school system. But both men proclaim strong involvement in their children's public school educations.

Brooks, 39, a missionary pastor who teaches one of his sons at home while the other attends Poulsbo Junior High, said the whole family should be involved in a child's education.

"My slogan is family values," he said. "I'm for traditional families with moms and dads, apple pie, Baby Ruth candy bars, God, country, red, white and blue. All of that."

Brooks said he wants to make sure national educational trends don't filter into the local school system.

"It's no secret that success at public schools isn't very high," he noted. Brooks said he thinks a lot of this failure rests on the shoulders of national education think tanks and programs, not on local teachers.

He said he believes parents should have a choice in their children's education, and wouldn't rule out a voucher system to pay for students attending private school if it didn't increase the federal government's power over local school systems.

"I suppose (my opponents) think I'm some crazy Christian who is going to run rampant through the school system," Brooks said. "But there's no reason for that rationale. I would never, ever force my beliefs on others."

Mostofi, a self-employed builder who said he turned down a well-paying job to be with his three kids, agrees with Brooks' stance on the separation between school and religion, as well as a localized form of the school voucher system.

But the manner in which his race for North Kitsap School Board became an unopposed bid has at least one person concerned.

Mostofi was slated to run against district two incumbent Wally Kippola, until Kippola backed out just before the deadline for retracting his bid. The last minute retraction allows Mostofi to win the seat unopposed because his opponents didn't have time to find a challenger for Mostofi, said Jane Ritley, a resident of the school district.

"I feel voters have been denied a choice on who will serve in that position," Ritley said.

However, Kippola said he was impressed by Mostofi's views and his political contacts.

"I didn't feel I was making much progress," Kippola said. "After I talked with Mostofi, I felt he could do a better job."

Kippola declined to comment on Ritley's allegations that he withdrew his name at the last minute to allow Mostofi to run unopposed.

Mostofi said he had nothing to do with Kippola's decision to bow out of the race.

"I didn't decide to run myself until a half hour before the deadline," Mostofi said.

Plans for a last-minute write-in candidate to oppose Mostofi are a long-shot, Ritley said. But Mostofi plans to run a full-fledged campaign.