Use of technology, school funding and sex education curriculum were all being discussed even before COVID-19 turned the education system upside down, providing some additional topics for debate.

The Wenatchee World asked the contenders to share some of what’s on their minds. Their responses follow:

Wenatchee World: What would you most like to accomplish in the next four years if elected to serve as the state Superintendent of Public Instruction?

Maia Espinoza: We need a change in our public education system. The current administration is centralizing control and taking key decisions away from parents and local leadership, as evident in the recent passage of a law that teaches fourth graders sexual positions over the objections of thousands of parents.

As superintendent I will respect parental choice and protect our kids from the outrageous agenda the current administration is trying to push. In a state as diverse as Washington, we need to trust our school boards and parents to know what’s best for their communities

By realigning our educational priorities, we can increase graduation rates without lowering standards.

In four years, we will shrink the opportunity gap to ensure students from all incomes, backgrounds and zip codes have equal educational and future employment opportunities.

Ron Higgins: As the pro-life, pro-family, pro-Second Amendment, pro-property rights and pro-free enterprise conservative candidate who believes in common sense, not common core, and education, not indoctrination, my priorities are:

1. Opposition to “comprehensive sex education” and curriculum that promotes or glamorizes unhealthy behavior or the sexualization of children.

2. Instruction in basic academics — communication, computation and civics, including respect for the United States, our Constitution and our God-given civil and religious liberties — to give our children a competitive edge.

3. Support for local control and parental rights, including parents’ rights to homeschool and control their children’s medical care.

I will apply educational standards already in state law that mandate instruction in basic subjects and mandate instruction in manners, honesty, honor, morality, truth and patriotism. I will stop issuing unfunded mandates like “comprehensive sex education” that take time and resources away from teaching academic subjects. (Response edited for length)

Stan Lippmann: No response to the Wenatchee World’s request for information.

Chris Reykdal: We have to secure the gains we have made over the last four years and build upon them:

• Record graduation rates with more rigorous course taking
• Dual language learning expansion; Supports for students with disabilities
• College courses are increasing in our high schools, saving families tens of millions of dollars in tuition
• Civics is a graduation requirement again
• Career and technical education is now a graduation pathway

School construction is at an all-time high, especially in rural Washington, creating thousands of jobs

We have major work ahead of us: 1) Emerge from COVID-19 better connected, including getting kids back into classrooms ensuring safety for students and staff; 2) Enhance mental health and other student supports; 3) Improve kindergarten readiness; 4) Build more career and technical education programs, including personal finance; and 5) We must ensure that rural communities have equitable access to educational resources.

David Spring: I will return local control to our public schools. Our schools were shut down for three months despite the fact that there was not even a single case of any child in any school anywhere in our state transmitting the corona virus to any adult. If I am elected Superintendent, the decision on whether to shut down schools will be left to local school districts — as is required by our state constitution.

In addition, there have been hundreds of laws passed in Olympia that have deprived parents and school districts of the right to control their own schools (The new sex education law being just the latest example). These laws are contrary to our state constitution. These reckless regulations will not be inflicted on our schools if I am elected superintendent — because I will honor our state constitution and restore local control to our schools.

Dennis Wick: First, it would be a great accomplishment to know that schools have captured and held the trust of the state’s voters. Next would be improvement in student learning. Finally, make and keep education local.

WW: How can the state capitalize on the COVID-19-forced disruption of the education system to create one that is better suited for today’s educational needs?

Espinoza: This crisis has provided the perfect opportunity to update public education in our state. Rather than resurrecting an 18th-century school model, we have the chance to design a system that works better for teachers and working families, while preparing students for the demands of the future economy.

Washington is home to major tech innovation, yet our schools were inadequately supported for continued learning. Schools can offer a larger array of classes while streamlining administrative work like grading and analyzing class progress. Using education technology to support teachers in classrooms can help students who are struggling get caught up while allowing advanced students to continue progressing.

The status quo is no longer an option for our schools. Now is our chance to address long-standing obstacles in education but this requires political courage and community input.

Higgins: Schools did learn that with the technology available, students in remote locations or who are ill can have virtual interaction with their class, and many parents learned about homeschooling. Some parents will now choose to homeschool.

School districts have had the opportunity to experiment with distance learning and develop policies and strategies for the future. As superintendent, I would give individual school districts latitude concerning what program to use and how it is implemented. My duty as superintendent is to set standards and provide assistance to school districts, not micromanage them.

Much of the response to the virus — shutting down schools and small businesses, isolating the populace in place, social distancing, and wearing masks — was actually contrary to good health practices. Social distancing for children in school will adversely affect them emotionally and will be impossible to enforce. Sick or immune-compromised students should stay home. (Response edited for length)

Lippmann: No response to the Wenatchee World’s request for information.

Reykdal: The COVID-19 disruption closed schools in every state and almost every nation. Washington state engaged in continuous online learning, while other states simply called it quits. I am very proud of our educators, but the experience was quite different from one school district to another based on the connectivity and support for families.

There are several things to learn from this:

1) There is no substitute for high quality face-to-face learning in our schools and that needs to be our number one priority.

2) These kinds of disruptions will face us in the future, and we need to make universal connectivity a basic education right. Even in our traditional model, it is essential that students have high quality connections to remote learning.

3) This state and nation needs a broadband strategy to bring high speed access to rural communities. This will enhance learning, economic development, and small business success.

Spring: The coronavirus did not force a disruption on our schools. Thanks to the human immune system, corona infections in Washington had fallen by more than 50% before our schools were shutdown. In addition, no student had transmitted the coronavirus to any adult. Our hospitals never exceeded 7% of capacity. Total weekly fatalities were no different in 2020 than they were in 2019 or 2018. The coronavirus did not increase fatalities and social distancing did not reduce fatalities. There was literally no reason to shut down our schools or businesses in the first place.

Nor is a shift to online schools a solution. Many students can not learn from online programs. Many subjects can not be taught by online programs. The solution to the disaster inflicted on our schools by Olympia bureaucrats is to honor our state constitution and return to local control of our schools.

Wick: COVID-19 certainly exposed cracks in the state’s education system. It is time to think outside of the classroom box! Washington schools need to change from a classroom-centered model to a student-centered model where the student can seamlessly access educational opportunities from a variety of sources.

WW: How will you work to promote more stable funding for public schools to ensure that all students have access to high-quality education and educators and are not so subject to the ebbs and flows of needed funds?

Espinoza: Education funding mechanisms in our state are misaligned. School funding is over-reliant on local levies and is tied to zip code, continuing to result in geographic funding inequities. To make matters worse, our state receives some of the most Title II federal funds in the country. Yet, the Seattle area receives an unfair share of migrant education dollars, while the highest proportion of migrant workers live and send their kids to school in Eastern Washington.

We need responsible management of school funding. It’s estimated that just 40% of all education funding makes it to our classrooms. We’ve doubled per-student funding in recent years, with no measurable impact on outcomes or teacher satisfaction. It’s clear that a lack of leadership in the superintendent’s office has resulted in an ineffective education strategy.

Higgins: Currently teachers are being paid their normal salaries even though regular school has been shut down and students attend class via computer (if they have a computer). Many businesses and workers have suffered severe economic harm because of the lock down. A question arises: should government workers not also have to bear some of the economic disruption? Education spending will no doubt be adversely impacted by the coming budget challenges. I will ensure that instruction in basic academics (communication, computation, science, and civics) continues no matter how challenging the financial situation becomes.

I believe the current method of funding is adequate, and no tax increase is necessary. Our schools need accountability more than they need additional funding. With school levies and bonds being placed before the voters periodically, voters have an opportunity to express their approval or disapproval concerning how the schools are being operated. (Response edited for length)

Lippmann: No response to the Wenatchee World’s request for information.

Reykdal: The Legislature, in a bipartisan effort, increased educational investments by funding essential education needs from state resources instead of local taxes. But the state relies on Sales Tax and Business and Occupation Taxes and they are volatile. Our state learned from the 2008-09 housing bubble. Since then, we have built a $3 billion reserve to ensure basic education is funded during recessions like the one we are about to experience.

We can and should do more. Our capital budgets still rely on local voters raising their own property taxes. This is inequitable for property-poor rural communities. The Legislature should ensure stable capital funds. Rural communities often do not have the tax base to support school bonds. The state should make a commitment to rural communities with a guaranteed capital budget program. This will ensure greater equity in facilities and a better opportunity for rural communities to build contemporary learning spaces.

Spring: There are two reasons our students are subjected to among the highest class sizes in the nation — despite the fact that parents are paying among the highest state taxes in the nation. The first is the Legislature has granted literally hundreds of tax breaks amounting to billions of dollars in corporate welfare to billionaires and wealthy multinational corporations. All of these tax breaks violate several sections of our state constitution. I will insist that these illegal tax breaks be repealed.

The second problem is our Legislature has passed hundreds of out of control regulations and forced mandates on local schools — requiring schools to hire paper pushers to data mine students rather than hiring teachers to help students. I will return local control of schools back to local communities and make it clear to the legislature that the days of them blatantly violating our state constitution are over.

Wick: Stable funding is a legislative action. As superintendent, I would advocate for a three-year funding arrangement to the Legislature where the current fiscal year, the next fiscal year and first year of the next biennium are all known quantities. The third year could be in the form of a guaranteed minimum that could be used by the districts for planning purposes. The “high quality education” portion of your question is a separate conversation.