Alum Braves signal caller Agen hopes to score school board seat

John Agen learned to think on his feet while quarterbacking a no-huddle offense for a La Conner High league championship football team his senior year, in 1973-74.

He later refined his research skills while a student at Whitman College and the University of Washington, where his studies in Business Administration led to a wide-ranging sales career.

Now Agen hopes to parlay that background, with keen interests in finance and health, into a seat on the La Conner School Board.

Agen is facing attorney Kate Szurek, the incumbent, in a race for the Snee-Oosh director district seat on the five-member panel.

Szurek was profiled in the Weekly News Oct. 2.

Agen is involved with La Conner Schools as vice-president of the La Conner Community Scholarship Foundation and as a volunteer assistant coach with the high school football program.

He has been able to assess and experience first-hand what he believes are the school district’s main strengths – community involvement, diversity and a strong core of teachers and coaches.

“I believe the district has striven to keep the curriculum current and relevant,” he told the Weekly News last week. “It has expanded opportunities to include vocational and technical education outside the campus.”

Still, challenges remain, Agen said.

“The district has run at a deficit for the past two years,” he said, “depleting the reserve fund by a few hundred thousand dollars. This has occurred during a period of relative economic prosperity and rising property values. I would hope the district could run at a surplus during a time of economic growth and pad the reserve fund for ‘rainy days.’

“I am not criticizing Superintendent Meissner nor the school board,” said Agen, acknowledging he hasn’t had the opportunity to fully review the district budget, “but I do believe that a return to at least balancing the budget should be a priority.”

Agen also advocates promotion of student health as a key district target area.

“I am concerned with nutrition and exercise as they pertain to the entire student population,” he said. “Ensuring that food service provides nutritious food that our students will eat should be a continual priority. Many of our students participate in sports programs that help maintain a healthy level of fitness. The further challenge is to find a way to have all students getting some level of exercise to encourage good health.”

Agen, a youthful 63, sets an example by maintaining an active lifestyle, enjoying golf, tennis, swimming and coaching.

He is also an avid reader, keeping abreast of events far and wide. Agen was especially attentive locally when the school district found itself embroiled in controversy this spring and summer over the leadership of Meissner, at the finish of her second year in La Conner.

“While disappointed to see the animosity that arose in our district this year,” said Agen, “I was heartened by the great increase in community concern and involvement. Part of the magic of La Conner, the school district, and the outlying area lies in the fact that there remains a wonderful, close-knit feel.”

Agen is confident he would bring to the board communication skills and experience in budget development and personnel management necessary to avoid future public turmoil within the district.

“This spring,” he said, “I witnessed the issues between the two La Conner School District unions and the superintendent and administration and was surprised that the school board seemed unaware of the seriousness of the unions’ concerns,” said Agen. “I still believe that these issues, if addressed earlier, would not have escalated to the current extent. I felt that I could have a positive influence in resolving the conflict and facilitating a better working relationship between the two sides.”

The focus for all should be serving the needs of La Conner students, Agen said.

“I hope that we can grow the number of community members who are connected to the school by attending sporting, drama, science and musical events, he said. “Kids are great, and, as is often said, they are our future.

“Our entire community,” he stressed, “should embrace and support them and their efforts.”