To the editor:

This letter is to endorse Dale Perry for school board.

Dale is a Dartmouth educated engineer who speaks fluent Russian, has served our country from a U.S. Navy submarine, and has traveled the world helping settle disputes in far away places like Kazakhstan. He has now decreased his work schedule to permit serving on the Bainbridge Island School Board. This is a gift for which we should all be grateful.

I got to know Dale through last year’s Spanish Immersion controversy. Through it all, Dale managed to keep an even keel, using his skills gleaned from years of experience with far different opinions and mind sets, to remind the opposing viewpoints of the policy and procedures that are already in place, and shine a light of transparency to reveal them – and did so in a way that did not alienate the district or the foundation but rather encourage transparency and dialogue.

More transparency from the district about its policies, more collaboration with teachers and critics: it’s the beginning of a culture change that we will have with Dale Perry on the school board.

I have no doubt that high-stakes testing, privatization/charters, increased private dollars and decreased public dollars, and other issues will generate controversy over the next few years.

We need Dale Perry on the board with his focused discipline gleaned from years of experience negotiating complex issues and sticking to mutual vision – to benefit all students on Bainbridge.

I urge you to learn more about Dale Perry and vote in the first contested school board race in 12 years. It’s time for a change!

JAMES C. PRATT

Bainbridge Island