Opportunity Knocks: Director Position 3 Open
It feels like déjà vu in Maple Valley, with the Tahoma School District once again seeking to appoint a new Director to the school board. The results of the most recent election designated Malia Hollowell as the Director of District #3, even though she had resigned months prior. The irony of this situation is that Ms. Hollowell did not run any campaign soliciting votes, while her opponent ran a full campaign with a platform promoting teachers, quality education, and safe schools within the district. A significant factor in her election victory was the teachers union recommendation to vote for a candidate who had already resigned and was no longer serving on the school board. This is a clear example of political maneuvering by the teachers union to appoint someone who supports their political agenda.
With Malia’s victory, she could either accept the position and sit on the board or resign again. On November 14th of this year, she gave public comment at the school board meeting, citing a “toxic system” and the targeting of women in the district. Because of these reasons, she chose not to reclaim her place on the board, understandably so if the allegations are true. She mentioned a private investigation that is currently underway, and we are anxious to hear the results. There is certainly no place for such behavior.
This brings us to our current situation: the current school board directors will appoint yet another Director, this time to Position #3. This is the third position that has been appointed to the board in less than 2 years with the resignations of Directors Valerie Paganelli (January 2022), Haley Pendergraft (September 2023), and Malia Hollowell (September 2023).
We strongly encourage all those who are qualified and interested in making a difference in the Tahoma School District to consider applying for this position. All applicants must reside in District #3 (map below). The district is accepting applications until this Friday, December 15th..
District 3 map. You must belong to district 3 to apply for the Director position. Full map may be viewed here.
