I am writing to offer my wholehearted endorsement of Lorri Sibley for Battle Ground School Board, District 1, and to respond to Jennifer Heine-Withee’s letter published on Aug. 25, 2025.
While Heine-Withee emphasizes her commitment to parental rights, local control and educational excellence, her record raises concerns about both her approach and effectiveness.
Heine-Withee claims to have supported a curriculum aligned with “community values.” But whose values are we talking about? The curriculum she advocated for was incomplete, lacked professional vetting and was unlikely to meet state standards. It appeared designed more to “check a box” than to truly educate students. Thankfully, BGSD rejected the recommendation.
The adoption committee, including its most conservative members, ranked it a distant fourth out of four vetted options. That near-unanimous decision reflects how out of step her proposal was, even among allies.
She also touts efforts to “improve library procedures,” which in practice meant pushing for the removal of books based on cherry-picked excerpts from anonymous and biased online reviews.
These efforts don’t strengthen parental engagement, but rather polarize communities, waste district resources and distract from real educational issues. Parents already have the right to guide their children's reading. That right should not extend to censoring materials for everyone else.
Heine-Withee further claims “extensive knowledge and experience” in fiscal matters and academic performance, but offers no evidence of professional expertise in education, finance or district administration.
For how long has she been an educator? What specialized financial skills does she possess? She claims that she “introduced” READ Northwest to the district, but the program had already been adopted at two district elementary schools. She says she championed reforms to the WSSDA “weighted vote” system, arguing the system “disenfranchised smaller districts like Battle Ground” — an interesting characterization since BGSD ranks among the 10% largest districts in Washington.
This raises the question: is she unaware of these facts, or is she just being dishonest?
In contrast, Lorri Sibley brings real classroom experience and a proven commitment to our schools. I first met her when she became my son’s second grade teacher after the disruption of the 2019–2020 COVID school year. Her proactive, seasoned approach gave us confidence during an uncertain time.
Over her 32-year career in the district, Sibley has consistently demonstrated competency, leadership and professionalism. She has served on union negotiation teams and in other key roles, gaining a deep understanding of district operations, budgeting and policy. She's not afraid to ask tough questions and hold the district accountable.
Sibley is not a political opportunist: she’s an educator, a listener and a problem-solver. She has consistently demonstrated her willingness and ability to engage students, parents and staff to foster real academic success.
She is deeply committed to this district and community. Her collaborative style and deep roots in the district make her uniquely qualified to lead in these challenging times.
I encourage voters to look past rhetoric and focus on real qualifications. Lorri Sibley is the clear choice for the future of our schools.
Please join me in supporting her candidacy.
Joshua Wilde
Battle Ground
•••
Letters To The Editor
Readers are encouraged to express their views by writing to the editor of The Reflector. Letters are limited 500 words. Deadline is noon Thursday. Writers are limited to two letters per calendar quarter. All letters must be signed with name, address, plus phone number for verification. Items submitted are subject to editing and will become the property of this newspaper. Opinions expressed in the Letters to the Editor section of this newspaper do not necessarily reflect those of The Reflector or its staff.
Email: letters@thereflector.com
Mail: The Reflector, Attention: Letters to the Editor,
209 E Main St., Suite 121 Battle Ground, WA 98604
