Former Kingston High School principal Miranda Smallwood is running against Timothy Rovik for North Kitsap School Board’s Director District 3 position, a four-year term that begins Jan. 1, 2026.

Smallwood is currently assistant principal at Ridgetop Middle School and was KHS principal from 2022 until she resigned following the 2024-25 school year. She was previously an assistant principal at Central Kitsap High School and Klahowya Secondary School. Smallwood also taught English in the North and South Kitsap school districts.

She earned a Bachelor of Arts in English Language and Literature from Seattle University and also has a Master of Arts in Teaching for Secondary/English Language Arts from Brown University. Additionally, Smallwood holds a Certificate in K-12 Educational Leadership and Administration from the University of Washington.

Rovik’s professional experience includes working for the College Ministry at Michigan State University and as a case aide for Kitsap Mental Health Services. He holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Wisconsin and a Master’s degree from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Illinois.

Both candidates were asked two questions to respond to.

What would be your top priorities if elected?

Smallwood: My top priorities are rooted in three commitments: joyful leadership, genuine accountability, and community partnership.

First, I will ensure that budgets reflect our values. A budget is a moral document, and every dollar should prioritize safe schools, excellent teaching, and opportunities for all students. This means transparent decision-making about how state, local, and federal funds are spent, and protecting classrooms from unnecessary cuts.

Second, I will champion an inclusive school climate. Our district’s mission is that every student is known by name, strength, and need. To achieve this, we must invest in high-quality teaching, expand access to arts, music, and career pathways, and make sure our curriculum reflects our diverse community.

Third, I will hold the system accountable through measurable goals. The board must set clear expectations for ourselves, the superintendent, and our staff to track progress on student achievement, graduation rates, and opportunity gaps, and report those results back to the community.

Finally, safety and trust are non-negotiable. I will advocate for comprehensive building safety assessments, consistent communication systems, and stronger partnerships with students, families, community organizations and businesses, and the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe and the Suquamish Tribe.

In short, my priorities are about aligning resources, equity, and accountability to ensure every child in NKSD has the support they need to succeed—academically, socially, and emotionally.

Rovik: I am running because I want to see our students prosper in academia. We have seen test scores averaging around 50% of students on track for college-level learning. We spend about $19,000 per student in the NKSD. Getting back to the basics is not an option. Non-study-related screen time is averaging seven hours per day. This is not entirely the school’s doing, but mental health issues, language delays, and lower academic performances are the result. These are distractions to learning.

I believe that parents are critical in their child’s education. They are the primary stakeholders. There should be open dialogue between the school and parents. Teachers and administrators need to be free to do their jobs. But most parents have their child’s best interest in mind. I will work to ensure parents are being heard. ParentSquare has been an avenue for academic concerns to be relayed between parent and teacher. But it needs to be easier to use. Access via passwords and websites can be cumbersome for busy parents. Direct email is a smoother option. I will work to address this issue.

The safety and well-being of all students is critical to learning. Discipline issues need to be resolved quickly so teachers can do their jobs. Along with addressing discipline issues, there must be respect for all cultures equally and fairly. My goal as a boardmember is to ensure that inclusivity means all students’ values are equally valued and equally protected.

Why should voters choose you over your opponent?

Smallwood: My opponent emphasizes “going back to the basics.” I believe that’s too narrow for today’s world. Of course, reading, writing, and math are essential, but our students need more—they need social-emotional skills, digital literacy, inclusive classrooms, and pathways into college, trades, and careers. Limiting our vision risks leaving students unprepared for the demands of the modern economy.

I bring over 15 years of direct leadership experience in our schools, including as a high school principal, where I’ve worked daily with students, staff, and families to improve outcomes. I understand both the challenges and the opportunities within NKSD. My approach is forward-looking and data-driven, using disaggregated results to close gaps, while building partnerships with families and community organizations to expand opportunities for students.

Where my opponent talks about putting politics aside, I believe the real work is about building trust by identifying our shared values together in the care and education of all of our students. We will do this by strengthening relationships and investing in programs that meet every child where they are. I will lead with transparency, equity, and accountability.

I ask voters to consider my professional experience, my belief in the power of the collective and in collaborative decision-making, and my vision of preparing every NKSD student—not just for tests, but for life. Thank you.

Rovik: I am the parent of four grown children, three of whom graduated from NK schools. Now I have four multicultural grandkids who attend an NK middle school and an NK elementary school. We as parents were active in our kids’ education: sports, homeschool/school partnership, band concerts, etc. Now we share these same activities with our grandkids.

I want to see all children succeed. Where will they be 5-10 years from now? These are formative years, and we must see better results for their futures. Social-emotional learning (SEL) skills are very important to my opponent. Self-awareness, self-management, decision-making skills, etc., are supposed to enhance the educational experience. But as good as SEL instruction may be, we must be on the side of caution if it becomes a mask for ideologies that run contrary to factual truth and/or a parent and child’s values. Has SEL really worked? Maybe a bit. But grades remain mediocre.

Discipline problems persist, according to teachers I have conversed with. And one report I read stated that out of 400 minutes in the school day, only 67.5 minutes are spent in actual learning. We can do better! We do live in a culturally diverse society and that should be celebrated, but teaching the skills necessary to discern good science from bad science, correct math from incorrect math, and what a subject and predicate are, is what education is at its core.

Emotional stability is necessary, but let’s move on and produce real learners in a solid learning environment.