Election 2026: Candidate for West Washington School Board Justin Davidson

As the 2026 general election approaches, The Washington County Times is publishing written interviews with candidates in contested races affecting Washington County.

The Times reached out to all candidates for whom we were able to obtain contact information and invited them to participate. If you are a candidate in a contested race and have not received an invitation, please contact us so we can make sure you have an opportunity to participate.

Candidates were provided with questions tailored to their campaign, personal history, and the office they are seeking. We encouraged candidates to answer the questions in their own words and to refrain from using ChatGPT or other artificial intelligence tools when preparing their responses.

All candidate responses have been published as submitted, without editing or alteration. The Washington County Times does not endorse political candidates, and any opinions or statements expressed within the following interview are the candidate's own.

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Why are you running for the school board, and what do you believe the district needs from its next board member?

I decided to run for school board because I care a lot about our school district, the students, staff, and families.  My wife and I graduated from WW and I have kids within the school district from 11^th grade down to 4^th grade, so it is very important to me that they have the best experience and education possible.  I have had numerous concerned parents come and speak with me about different issues or concerns that they have, and I want to be that open ear and find a way to be that middle ground to bring concerns to the board as many people are afraid to step out in public eye with their concerns in fear of backlash and being spoke poorly about for their concerns.  I would also love to be a part of the decision making to keep WW staying on the right path, and keeping parents and taxpayers informed.

What do you believe is the biggest issue currently facing the school district, and what would you do differently to address it?

I cannot say that I see any big issues with our school district.  I feel like West Washington does many things correctly.  We often lead surrounding schools in our state testing results, as well as in sports and other extra-curricular activities.  My biggest goal is to be the school board member that the parent, teacher, and taxpayer/public knows is fighting for the school and student’s best interests.  Someone that is transparent and willing to listen to their concerns.  

What do you believe the school board should be doing to ensure the district is spending taxpayer money effectively while still providing students and teachers the resources they need?

The biggest thing that I can see, especially at the current moment, is that if the school board plans to spend a significant amount of money or significant increase to the taxpayers property taxes, that there should be a public forum with public input outside of the normal school board meeting, and ultimately be put to a vote afterwards instead of designating a committee that does not fully represent the majority.   The school board also needs to make sure that they are speaking with teachers and school administrators about direct needs that are and are not being met to see what would be on the priority list.

What should the district be doing to recruit and retain quality teachers and staff?

Recruiting and retaining quality teachers and staff start at the top and dwindle down. Teachers and staff need to know that they are being heard that they matter, and that they are the reason that our school continues to be successful.  The school board needs to be reaching out to current staff to see what needs are being met well, as well as what we could be doing better. We also need to reach out to past staff that may have left and determine what the reasons were for leaving, and what the administration and school board could have done better.  Then as a school board member we need to look at those reasons and see if it is something that can truly be helped and reflect on what we can do better as a district.  Sometimes issues are not brought to light until it is too late or at all, and it starts with the school board not being afraid to ask the hard questions and having those tough discussions. 

How should the district address students who are struggling academically, and what role should the school board play in improving academic outcomes?

While I know WW isn’t perfect, I feel like academically we are successful and doing a great job!  We have some wonderful teachers, and we have some wonderful people who do a great job of trying to identify problems and potential learning disabilities to best help our students. As a dad of 3 students, I see that they each learn completely differently and thrive in different areas.  It comes down to retaining and hiring the best teachers and making sure as many as can are trained in identifying potential learning disabilities as well as keeping classes as small as possible so that students are given as much personal attention as possible.  If this is not possible due to class sizes growing at WW, then obtaining high-quality aides to assist teachers is essential to the school’s success.

What role should parents and the broader community have in decisions made by the school board?

School board members should make sure that they are out and speaking with the community in regards to the school.  While I know that no everyone is going to be happy with everything that the school district does, or everything that is voted on, I feel like the more that the school board is out there with the community and listening to input, it will make our school a better place.  You never know when a great idea might be born, and sometimes it takes talking to a different opinion to make you think of something from a different perspective.  Transparency a lot of times makes a big difference.  While we do not have to justify every minuscule decision, giving good reasons behind big decisions is important as well.

What do you believe the district could be doing better to prepare students for life after graduation, whether that means college, trade school, military service or entering the workforce?

I personally believe that West Washington has some amazing programs to prepare our students for the future, such as our CDL class, building trades class, health classes, and all the college courses they can graduate with.  There are additional trades that I know students are interested in that students wish we had access to and I would love to do some work to see about bringing some of them to our school or finding access to them through other avenues so that we are not losing students to other schools that do have them.  

What do you believe should be the district's priorities when it comes to maintaining and improving its buildings and other facilities?

The school should have a running list of things that need maintained or improved and work on them in an appropriate manner and always need to be prepared for the unexpected.  Once a good list is created, you need to weigh the importance of each item and work on them accordingly.  I feel like items that impact the majority of students should be a priority over items that impact a few.  Those items matter as well, but we need to justify the costs at the same time.

What do you believe the current school board or administration could be doing better, and what specifically would you do differently?

I believe that the school board is currently doing a good job; however, just like with everything, everyone has different ideas and opinions.  We need to continue to have people who are not afraid to ask hard questions or have the hard conversations with the community, parents, and teachers.  The biggest goal I have is to have transparent communication and for the community to know that they can come to me with their concerns and questions and that I will take them seriously.  I cannot promise complete resolution and that everything will happen the exact way that they want it done, but I will do what is best for our students and our district.

If elected, what is the first issue you would want the board to address?

My biggest goal for the first year would be to learn the ins and outs of the school board, pick some brains on a deeper level as to what has helped lead other members to the decisions that they have made, and be someone that the public feels comfortable speaking with about issues within the district and be transparent with my decision and why I voted the way that I did.  The community needs to have full confidence in who they elect to do this job, and my goal is to be that.