ROYAL CITY - Warren Small is running against Katie Christensen for Royal School Board position No. 5, and one of his stronger assets may be his length of residency.

Voters have until 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 5, to mark and mail their ballots.

A long-time member of the Royal Slope community, Small believes that as many decisions as possible should be made locally and that they should be prudent.

Small has demonstrated his interest in the system by attending various meetings of the school board in the past. He was a supporter of the construction bond that was passed last spring.

"Facilities for our students have been a major subject of discussion the last few years," he noted. "After asking the taxpayers to approve a bond for additional buildings, the district finally got one to pass on the fifth try. This leads me to believe that the district was asking for more than our community was willing to pay for.

"We must remember that when we are asking the taxpayers to pay more in property taxes to build these facilities, we are essentially asking for a gift. As such we must be reasonable and prudent in what we are asking for and how we are spending it.

"I don't believe the new facilities being built in the next few years are extravagant, but I do think that we could have possibly built them over a longer period of time, in smaller, more affordable projects."

Small was seven when he moved to the Royal Slope in 1975 with his family. There was a degree of culture shock in the flat fields, lack of trees and abundant snow.

"Coming from the west side of the state, this was quite a contrast to what I was used to," he recalls.

Small started school in Mrs. Meyette's first grade at the old Red Rock Elementary. He attended all 12 years in the Royal School District, graduating in 1986.

Small worked on the family farm several years. He now owns Fabtech Mfg. in Othello.

Small and his wife Cynthia have four children, from fifth grade to a senior in high school, and they are involved in many extracurricular activities.

"I think that it's imperative that our youth get the most from their education while in the public school system," Small said.

Small believes the early years of education are the most important for a child's future. Not only is this the time to learn reading, writing and arithmetic, etc. but also personal responsibility, accountability and citizenship.

"The better prepared these kids are when they enter society as adults, the brighter future they will have," Small said. "This translates into better individuals, families, communities and country."

According to Small, board decisions should not only be made with input from teachers and administrators, but with parents and community members. But he realizes there are requirements mandated by government that must be met.

Small acknowledged the district has struggled to meet the state standards in a number of areas. He said it must continue to strive to do what is necessary to get the struggling students to the standards set by the state.

"We also have students who are exceeding these standards, and we need to have options and resources that they can access to help keep them excelling," he said.

Small would like to see more communication coming out from the administration regarding issues facing the district. He attends about half of the school board meetings and is usually about the only community member there.

"By becoming more involved in finding out what is going on in our schools, I have realized that a lot of the talk going on in the community about issues in the school isn't necessarily accurate," he said.

As a recipient of public money, Small believes the district has the obligation to make sure the community is as informed as possible.

Small said students are relying on the school system to teach them skills and knowledge to succeed in life. If the education system fails to teach them adequately, not only will their lives be affected but so will their families, their communities and their country.

"As a parent of four kids, I have a lot of opportunities to help them with homework," Small said. "This is a very important part of their education. It helps them keep up with the lessons from their teachers and help them advance faster.

"I don't want my kids knowing the same as everyone else. I want them to know more. I would hope that all our parents, students, teachers and administrators want that for our student body as well."