Andrew Wilford - SSD blog

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06/04/2026

Tonight's award ceremony: over $500,000 in scholarships to our graduating class, and thats not including the students who got full ride scholarships or all the students taking advantage of the Shelton Promise program.
It was my honor to award the Drake scholarship to our top 5 outstanding applicants.

05/27/2026

Forest Fest weekend! My favorite community event of the year.
Find me to chat and tell me your thoughts and concerns. I always watch the parade at 4th & Railroad by the flower shop. I'll be at the logging show at Loop field later that day, and I'll be attending the car show Sunday afternoon.

05/20/2026

Tonight, the board interviewed the top 5 candidates for the Drake Scholarship. All five students presented themselves wonderfully. They each already embody hard working, community serving, success stories. I know that each of them will thrive where life takes them.
Seeing these excellent students with their bright eyes and energy, right before they tackle the real world head on, is invigorating!

05/03/2026

On Friday I was invited, along with many other community members, to provide a listening ear to 1st graders showcasing their reading and writing skills. I heard personal letters, poems, and a great book about dinosaurs. I was impressed not only by their skills but their willingness to do so in front of people!
Thanks to Mrs Munro at MTV for having me.

03/22/2026

At the previous meeting, the district made that case that due to decreased enrollment and the continuing decline in birth rates, not to mention the decline in support from the state in several areas, that a gradual reduction in staffing would be necessary to stay within our budget.
Ive received at least a dozen emails with concerns about another reduction in force. Last year was rough to say the least, and I wasnt on the board yet.
I share your concerns. I dont want less opportunities for our students or larger class sizes. However, one of my primary goals is to get the district in a better financial position. By the end of this year we will be in the black if things continue, but not by much.

03/15/2026

Sheriff Spurling & Deputy Colbensen are the right guys to bring this program back.

Wow!
02/11/2026

Wow!

02/08/2026

What are your thoughts on AI? I know some people who use it regularly and love it, but I also have seen some disturbing stories involving kids having a "relationship" with it and being supported in self destructive ideations.
AI integration into schools was a topic for a few classes at this years WSSDA conference but I didnt get to attend those as I was busy with all the newbie classes.

01/22/2026

Ive spoken with many people about the levy and heard a mutlitude of arguments going both ways. The weakest argument against it was "Did you see how much of their budget goes to salaries? I thought its for the kids?"
Yep, thats our biggest budget line item, no question. The most important as well. Investing in good teachers is the first step in a quality education for our students. I personally know a few who are top notch and Im glad they are here and continue to choose to stay in Shelton.
Ballots are out soon!

At this weeks meeting, the Superintendent used this graph as a means to argue that WA schools are underfunded. I must sa...
01/16/2026

At this weeks meeting, the Superintendent used this graph as a means to argue that WA schools are underfunded. I must say, this graph is highly misleading because there are too many variables at play: total state funds, total enrollment, cost of living, etc. There is no magic % of state funds that the public school system is entitled to. The only stat that makes sense to compare is 'cost per student', in which WA is 11th in spending in the nation.
We can certainly still have a discussion about the McCleary decision and how that has negatively affected local levies. We can still point to previous years that the state has ignored the school funding issues with special ed and MSOC.

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