Debbie Tablotney has resided in Richmond since 1982. Together with her husband Andrew she has raised three sons all of whom have attended school in Richmond. Debbie has a long history of commitment to her school district and to her community. In her early years she helped found a child disability parent support group, and served for 4 years as PAC Chair of Westwind Elementary. Debbie was first elected to the Board in 2002 and was re-elected in 2008.
She also manages to find time to serve on various committees for Richmond Sunrise Rotary and as a Sunday school teacher for her church. Her long serving community involvement earned her a nomination for Richmond as Volunteer of the Year in 2007 and Ethel Tibbets awards in 2009 and a Rotary Paul Harris award in 2018. In her spare time she runs half marathons, bikes and utilizes her accounting skills in her family owned insurance agency in Richmond.
Debbie originally sought election to the Board in 2002 over her concerns for budget cuts being proposed and how they might impact the district. She wanted the district to find ways to maintain the elementary band program and to minimize the impact to special need students. While serving on the board she has advocated for stable funding, as well as assessment practices and programs to help struggling students to improve their literacy skills and increase their level of achievement. She is also a strong advocate for mental health supports and programs for young people.
Debbie believes her strength as a trustee lies in her ability to listen to concerns and to approach each issue with an open mind and make each decision in a calm, reflective manner. Her principle-centered leadership allows her to make difficult decisions when called upon, always putting the student first.