PULLMAN – Candidates for the office of State Superintendent of Public Instruction will make their appeals to voters in an Oct. 27 forum on the WSU Pullman campus.
Terry Bergeson, Washington’s superintendent, and challenger Randy Dorn, executive director of Public School Employees of Washington, will each give a 30-minute presentation to share their platforms. A student-led discussion will follow.
The public forum will be held 7 to 8:30 p.m. in the CUB auditorium. Sponsored by WSU’s Graduate Education Organization, it will take place eight days before the Nov. 4 general election.
The Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction is the primary agency charged with overseeing K-12 education for Washington’s more than 1 million public school students.
Bergeson has held the non-partisan office since 1997. She touts improvement in student achievement made during that time. Dorn argues that more reform is needed, and promises to replace the state’s controversial WASL testing system with one that is more fair and understandable.
Bergeson is a former classroom teacher, school counselor, school district administrator and executive director of the Washington State Commission on Student Learning. She holds a doctorate in education from the University of Washington.
The Public School Employees of Washington is the state’s second-largest educational employee organization. Before serving as its director, Dorn was a teacher and principal. He also served seven years in the state House of Representatives, where he chaired the Education Committee. He holds a master’s degree in education from Pacific Lutheran University.
More information about the candidates is available in the Washington’s Online Voters Guide.
