Attorney Rob MacDermid has been a Silverdale resident for more than 26 years and has had ties with the Central Kitsap School District ever since he moved here.
He said he is ready to help the district solve complicated problems, should he be elected to the Board of Directors. He’ll face off against Mark Gaines next month for the seat of Carl Johnson, who is not returning to the board.
“My daughter, Lindsay, a University of Washington graduate, is a product of CKSD, from Jenne-Wright Elementary School to Central Kitsap High School,” MacDermid said. “My ex-wife, Tami, with whom I remain good friends, also worked for CKSD for 12 years in several of the district’s schools.
“While she worked within the district, many of our friends were district employees, teachers and staff, he said. “Her experience provided me with great insight into the operation of the district and, over the years, I have served on numerous committees and as a volunteer in other capacities.”
MacDermid said his activism did not stop with CKSD either. He has taught at Olympic College, City University, Central Kitsap Community Schools as well as CKSD. He also is a tutor for the Literacy Council of Kitsap, past president of the Silverdale Rotary Club and serves on the Board of Directors for United Way of Kitsap County.
“The community volunteer service of which I am most proud is my service as the Chair of the Central Kitsap Community Campus Task Force,” he said. “I believe that by locating our new library adjacent to recreational facilities for our children, we could enhance their educational experience. My hope is that a child, who might be waiting for a parent to pick that child up from the YMCA, might wander into the library and pick up a book that might change that child’s life.”
As for the current board of directors, MacDermid said they have done a good job with what they have had to work with.
“I believe that the board has provided great leadership in making difficult decisions, in this period of declining enrollment and hard economic times, to address the district’s budgetary constraints with minimal impact on the district’s classrooms,” he said.
Although he said the board has done well so far, he feels his experience can make a big difference for the future of CKSD.
“I believe that my 25 years of experience as a lawyer can be of great value to the CKSD board,” he said. “As a lawyer, I have been trained to solve complicated problems. Additionally, I believe that my training and experience can assist the board in recognizing legal issues before those issues become significant liabilities for the district.”
MacDermid also said he was not happy with every decision the board has made, especially their decision on the proposed levies.
“The decision not to place both the school support levy and the facilities levy before the voters at the same time was a big mistake,” he said. “I believe that having both levies on the same ballot would have made it much easier for the voters to understand both measures. I believe that this decision, not to place the facilities levy on the same ballot, puts the facilities levy at great risk.”
