News & Information

At the Dec. 10 meeting, Acting Superintendent Sherrie Brown administered the Oath of Office to new School Board members Dr. Steve Smith and Dr. Scott Stockburger, who were elected on Nov. 3.

The Board consists of five members elected at large by district voters. Each member is elected for a four-year, unpaid term.

At a December board meeting, the Board also annually elects a president and vice president from among its members. The School Board elected Dr. Ken Gass as president and Ann Whitmyer as vice president, effective immediately. Board member Kelly Bashaw was appointed as the Board's legislative liaison.

Elected to the School Board in 2009, Smith earned his doctorate in accounting from Arizona State University, master's degree from Oklahoma State University, and bachelor's from Iowa State University. He is an accounting instructor at Western Washington University and an accountant with Orphalee Smith, a local CPA. Smith, his wife and children moved to Bellingham in 2000. One child currently attends a district school and will graduate this academic year, and one is a district graduate.

Also joining the Board is Dr. Scott Stockburger. Dr. Stockburger, a family physician in Bellingham, was elected to the Board in 2009. He received his bachelor's degree from Hampshire College and his medical degree from the University of Arkansas. Dr. Stockburger and his wife have two daughters who attend Bellingham Public Schools.  

Board President Dr. Ken Gass was appointed to the School Board in 1998, elected in 1999, and re-elected in 2003 and 2007. He graduated from Oberlin College in Ohio, and received his doctorate and medical degrees from the University of Chicago. He and his wife have lived in Bellingham since 1977 and have two children, both district graduates. Dr. Gass is a pediatrician with PeaceHealth Medical Group.

Board Vice President Ann Whitmyer was appointed to the School Board in April 1997, elected in November 1997, re-elected in 1999, 2003 and 2007. After graduating from Indiana University with bachelor's and master's degrees in education and a master's degree in library science, she worked as a teacher and librarian in other states. Whitmyer moved to Bellingham with her husband and children in 1984. They have two children, both district graduates.

Elected to the School Board in 2007, Kelly Bashaw earned her bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of Tulsa. She works as an educational planner, financial aid advisor and grant coordinator at Whatcom Community College. Bashaw has lived in Bellingham since 1994 and has two children, one who currently attends a district school and one who did attend a district school.

For more information about the School Board, please click here.