Elect Ned Hammar

Meet Ned

Hello, I’m Ned Hammar. I would be honored to work for our kids by serving on the Port Angeles School Board as a voice for accountability, communication and transparency.

My parents raised me to value hard work, family and community in a town of 400 in Eastern Oregon. I’ve thrown hay bales, built fences and helped snowed-in neighbors. After college I taught school in South Africa. Here I witnessed two simultaneous truths: Apartheid’s devastating legacy, and the power of people, black and white, working together with new hope and shared purpose.

From that background I pursued a career in family medicine, with particular interest in early childhood development and learning.  My wife and I have called Port Angeles home for 10 years.  Part of what drew us to this community was its schools. We have two boys in the Port Angeles school district. As a product of a small-town public school myself, I believe in public education—in learning to work and get along with those who might look, think and act differently, while sharing norms of respect, cooperation and tolerance. In 2017, I underwent additional training in childhood trauma and resilience, to become a community presenter on these topics. In this role I have led numerous trainings on resilience for school staff, parent and community groups, as well as for State-level physician groups.

With our children in-district, my family felt the real impact of last April’s paraeducator strike. It was humbling to see the challenges our teachers and paras face. I also learned that the situation was more complicated than it first appeared. Our State Constitution mandates education for all, yet relies on property taxes to fund schools, making poor districts poorer, and rich districts richer. There’s no “extra” provided by the State for the extra challenges that rural kids face—challenges I know all too well as a family doctor. Paras fill a vital gap created by the economic, health and mental health challenges our rural schools face, by showing up for our teachers and kids. The state formula would say that our district of 3,300 kids need a mere 5.3 to 7.7 paraeducators. We have, and need, 135.

Against this backdrop, a group of us as parents, paraeducators and teachers organized a community forum, allowing better understanding with the board/administration. We also helped shift the bond measure to better balance investment in people and not just buildings. This bond successfully passed, following years of failed measures.

Every crisis holds within it opportunity. Last year’s strike, the two strike actions that preceded it, and the larger unfairness of our State’s funding that these actions expose, opened a window of opportunity. An opportunity for us as parents, and the community at large, to more actively engage with our schools and board. I am running for the board as a fellow parent. I am also running as a family physician with experience navigating difficult conversations and seemingly-intractable disputes. As such I hope to be a bridge between all parties, reminding us of our common goal: a better future for our children.

In my journey of discovery last year, I was impressed by the valiant effort put forth by our administration and board with limited resources. At the same time we can and must do better. The three strike actions over the past five years could have been avoided with more accountability, communication and transparency. With your vote I will champion these practices. 

Our community deserves a board who will listen. Parents and families deserve a board who will advocate for our children. Educators deserve a board who will provide the support they need to do their job. These don’t have to be competing priorities, instead, we can make a stronger community by working to make schools that uplift all our students, our families, our staff, and our community.

Serving on your school board, I will listen to your concerns and take action. I will leverage my experience as a family physician, which includes time in Olympia talking with legislators, to stand up for our schools and our children. The stresses of the past five years will only get worse with the already-unfolding federal disinvestment in schools, libraries, parks, clinics, and so many of the other outstanding treasures we share in common, treasures that make Port Angeles a great place to raise children. Now, more than ever, we need leaders who will take a proactive role in advocating for and protecting our children and educators to ensure that our local schools truly serve everyone in our community. 

In this community I’ve seen people work together to achieve great things. Together we can get results.  Our kids deserve nothing less.

Your primary election ballot will be in your mailbox mid July. I would be honored to receive your vote.

Please reach out to me if you have any questions. 

Ned Hammar
electnedhammar@gmail.com
360-670-5064
PO Box 727
Port Angeles, WA 98362