Dave Paul is a longtime educator and champion for children, public schools, active military and veterans, sustainable economic growth, and the environment

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Dave Paul (360) 632-2081

OAK HARBOR – Longtime local educator Dave Paul today announced his campaign for Washington State House of Representatives in the 10^th Legislative District. He is running for the seat currently held by Dave Hayes.

Paul currently is a vice president at Skagit Valley College where he has worked for the last 10 years. During his tenure, he’s managed a staff of 80 employees, served 5600 students, and managed state, grant and student budgets of $5.5 million. In the community, he serves on the board of directors for the Oak Harbor Educational Foundation and is currently the President of the organization.

“The engine of our economy starts in our classrooms,” Paul said. “For a strong economy, our children must have quality public schools, and offer them opportunities for higher education so they can compete for the jobs of tomorrow.”

Ensuring that our education system is strong is central to why Paul is running. Unfortunately, instead of addressing the problem like adults, incumbents in the state legislature used the issue to raise property taxes. That was a mistake, and it has resulted in even greater funding inequities across our state. Instead, we should find a more balanced approach.

While at Skagit Valley College, Paul is particularly proud of his work in supporting veterans, active duty military and Department of Defense employees. He led efforts to expand support for veteran students at the college, including the creation of the Veteran Student Center, the hiring of Vet Corp staffers, and formation of a student Vet Club. He also implemented the Student Career Experience Program (SCEP) for the Department of Defense to allow current military and DoD employees to earn an Associate Degree or certificate.

“We must honor our military and veterans by helping them transition into high quality jobs when they get home. There’s no better way to do that by ensuring educational opportunities are available to them,” he said.

Other accomplishments of Paul at Skagit Valley College include making the campus more environmentally sustainable, resulting in lower energy costs and a savings to students and taxpayers. He also led efforts to expand outreach of financial aid to community groups, resulting in more students being able to attend college who wouldn’t have been able to afford it before.

Raised in rural Washington, Dave graduated from Seattle University, received a masters degree from Miami University (Ohio) and a doctorate from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Paul and his wife, Rachel Anderson Paul, live in Oak Harbor with their four children (Jacob, Elizabeth, Eli, and Abigail), where they enjoy kayaking, gardening, hiking, and catching salmon from the beach.