3 vie for open Richland school seat. This race could steer the board’s direction
Richland School District voters will choose a new school board member this year after first-term member Semi Bird steps down to run for governor.
It’s one of three races for the school board on the Aug. 1 primary ballot, which are due to begin arriving in mailboxes this week.
Three candidates have registered to run for the Director No. 3 seat: Nino Kapitula, Tony Gonzalez and Chelsie Beck.
One is a private school mother who wants to fight for more parental rights and classroom transparency. Another is a PNNL scientist and mother who wants to “return the focus back to education.”
And one candidate is an experienced school board member and grandfather passionate about education.
The top two candidates who receive the most votes during the Aug. 1 primary election will face off in the Nov. 7 general election.
The winner will be elected to a four-year term, and will play a significant role in influencing the direction of the five-person board, which has been starkly divided over a variety of issues in the past 18 months.
Richland voters will also decide on the same ballot whether or not three of its current school board members — Semi Bird, Audra Byrd and Kari Williams — should be removed from office for voting to defy Washington’s indoor mask mandate back in February 2022.
Tony Gonzalez
Tony Gonzalez is the only candidate in this race with previous experience in elected office, having served 10 years on the Grandview School Board.
During that time, he helped the school district pass bonds to build new elementary schools and hired a new superintendent.
He and his wife moved to West Richland five years ago to be closer to their four grandchildren, two of whom attend Richland schools.
He told the Tri-City Herald he’s running to bring the focus back to basic education, to bring a collaborative approach to board decisions, to focus on security measures and to help the school district pass its bond next year to build a third high school.
“I’m not college educated, but I believe in the importance of quality education,” said Gonzalez, 61, who works as a journeyman electrician at the Hanford site. “My age sets me apart. I’m experienced, I’ve gained some wisdom, I’ve been down that road. And I still have a passion for education.”
Gonzalez is a Yakima Valley native, having graduated in 1980 from Mabton High School. His parents were farm workers who “were always advocates of education.”
After graduation, Gonzalez married his high school sweetheart and followed in his older brother’s footsteps to become an electrician.
His family attends Bethel Church and he said faith remains a big driver in his life. He said he doesn’t approve of the comprehensive sexual education referendum that 58% of Washington voters approved in 2020 and took effect in September.
If elected, he said he would consider future changes to the district’s sex education curricula based on “what is appropriate for our kids.”
“I would definitely look at it. And if it was something I believed would be an affront to kids, I wouldn’t be in favor of it,” he said.
The Richland School Board came on his radar about the time they made their vote to defy Washington’s indoor mask mandate.
He believes the board hasn’t fully moved on and that tensions remain high.
“I don’t understand the timing of that decision,” he said, noting that Washington state leaders were beginning a plan to lift the mandate. “The significance of that decision would have been really minimal, but unfortunately it wasn’t for a few of those board members because it caught the community by surprise.”
His campaign has reported no cash contributions so far.
Read his voter’s pamphlet statement here: bit.ly/GonzalezRichland.
Chelsie Beck
Chelsie Beck, a chemist at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, says her priorities include closing the achievement gap, fully funding special education and growing Richland’s nascent dual language program.
She wants to “return the focus back to education and help prepare our students for the future.”
“I’m just a parent that cares about public education. I don’t have any political agenda. I just want to ensure all kids have access to quality education,” Beck, 34, told the Herald.
She has two kids, 11 and 9, who attend Richland schools. Beck is also endorsed by both the Richland Education Association and the Washington Education Association teachers unions.
“I want the focus to be on education and I feel lately it hasn’t been,” Beck said.
She grew up in Longview, Wash., where she attended Mark Morris High School and fell in love with chemistry.
Her appreciation for public education started out at a young age, watching her mother begin her career as a para educator before becoming a teacher and later a para educator administrator at the Prosser School District.
“My whole life, I’ve grown up going to school with her,” she said.
After graduated high school in 2007 and went on to study chemistry at the University of West Florida in Pensacola, and later earn her master’s and doctorate from Washington State University.
She’s lived in Richland for 11 years.
While many students may be getting STEM education at home from their parents, Beck said she believes having a variety of programs at school — such as Destination Imagination — can help students think critically and find subjects that they’re passionate about.
Beck said recent controversies on the school board partly influenced her to run. She’s adamant about following state guidelines and common course standards.
“I support people’s right to vote on the recall, whichever way they see fit,” she said.
Her campaign so far has reported $3,472 in cash contributions.
Read her voter’s pamphlet statement here: bit.ly/BeckRichland.
Nino Kapitula
Nino Kapitula is a longtime Tri-Citian and small business owner who is running to “rebuild a broken trust” in public education and instill more transparency in Richland schools.
She declined to be interviewed by the Herald, but provided written answers to questions submitted by email.
“My unique life experience can bring clarity, leadership and insight needed to make decisions that will ensure confidence and rebuild trust in our schools,” wrote Kapitula, 34.
She works as the director for project development and design at Providence Land LLC.
Her three children attend a private Christian school. She said she plans to enroll them in public school after they’ve developed a Christian foundation and after the COVID pandemic.
If elected to the Richland School Board, Kapitula’s priorities would be to defend parental rights, prioritize academic excellence and advocate for transparency and American values in schools.
She believes critical race theory — the belief and legal theory that the U.S. is inherently racist, something Kapitula describes as a “heart and kindness issue” — is being taught in Richland schools, and that OSPI provides “racist curriculum” and actively encourages “discussions on social race wars” in the classroom.
Kapitula was born in Georgia and grew up in Moldova — one of Europe’s poorest nations — during the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
Her father went missing at a young age and her mother was forced to raise Kapitula and her sisters as a single parent. Government corruption and instability impeded constantly on their way of life.
“Major food shortages, electricity blackouts, no hot water and no central heat was a daily normal,” she wrote. “I stood in bread lines so we could eat.”
Growing up as a child, she watched crime and violence rise in her home country. The Moldovan government had very little funds to pay teacher wages and support schools, she said, and higher education had little-to-no value at that time.
These events led her to develop a contrasted world view between her home country and the U.S. And at the age of 13, Kapitula and her family immigrated to America.
She went on to graduate from Pasco High School and developed a love for her new home.
Kapitula, who characterizes herself as a “fighter,” is endorsed by the Benton County Republican Party and the incumbent, Semi Bird. She serves as a precinct committee officer and says she’s been a party supporter for many years.
“Semi, Audra and Kari are brave and exceptional individuals,” she wrote. “They did what was best for our kids with no regard to self-preservation. Their position demands local control and they exercised their duty! It is what true leadership looks like!”
To improve Richland test scores, Kapitula believes the district needs to “uncover leaks, review and replace curriculum that doesn’t work” and that the district should solicit private intervention.
“COVID-19 was difficult time for us all. Richland community is ready to focus on future. Rebuilding stronger should be our priority,” she wrote.
Her campaign has so far reported $1,145 in cash contributions.
Read her voter’s pamphlet statement here: bit.ly/KapitulaRichland.
Primary election Aug. 1
The League of Women Voters of Benton-Franklin County is broadcasting candidate forum interviews, including with these candidates, on July 13 and 14.
Online voter registration is available through July 24. And Washington state voters have until 8 p.m. on election day to register and vote in-person at their local auditor’s office.
Elected school board positions are unpaid and meetings are usually long. The board’s primary job is to hire and evaluate the superintendent, set the vision of the district, review and adopt policies, and pass its annual or biannual budget.
Tri-City school boards could see large turnover this cycle. Each of the “big three” districts — Kennewick, Richland and Pasco — have a majority of their seats up for reelection this year.
But only the Richland School Board attracted enough candidates to qualify all of its seats for the August primary election.
