School board welcomes newest member

Photo courtesy of Sally Finlayson

SALLY FINLAYSON AND HUSBAND DON AT THE ENTRANCE TO THEIR BROWNS POINT CHIROPRACTIC CENTER, WHICH HAS BEEN IN BUSINESS FOR NEARLY 25 YEARS.

One of the things Sally Finlayson says she loves most about Fife is its small-town warmth. Having been born and raised in the farm country of Illinois like her husband Don, when the couple moved here in 1986 they were pleased to discover the closely-knit community that thrives in Fife and in its esteemed school district.

A newly elected Fife School Board member, she was sworn in during the Dec. 14 board meeting. Finlayson is ready to get busy helping run the school district that educated her own children and members of her extended family on both sides going back decades. Not a lover of the spotlight that she was in when given the oath of office, Finlayson laughed and said, “I’m looking forward to the fluff being done and getting to work.”

Finlayson replaces Rex Sutherland for position 3 on the board. After serving nearly a decade on the board, three of those years as its president, Sutherland stepped down last month after moving his family to an area in Edgewood that is still in the Fife School District but already represented by board member Bruce Burnside. Both Sutherland and his wife are graduates of Fife High School, as are four of their children, and the couple’s fifth child is set to graduate next year.

About his departure from the board Sutherland said, “It’s bittersweet. I like to be involved with the people there – they’re great people. I’ll miss that, and the challenges. But it will be nice to have Mondays off again,” he added with a chuckle. “I’m sure Sally will do a great job.”

The Finlaysons’ three sons represent the third generation of family that attended Fife schools from Discovery Primary School all the way to Fife High. Brad Finlayson is the last in line, in his junior year at Fife High School.

“Even before we had kids we knew we wanted them in the Fife District,” Finlayson said.

Both chiropractors, the couple opened Browns Point Chiropractic Center in 1986, but purchased their home in Fife so their children could go to school there. Throughout her sons’ education, Finlayson has been an actively involved parent.

“I’ve volunteered at every single school in the district,” she said, everything from reading to students to filing papers in the office. When teachers, school secretaries and her friends suggested she run for school board, Finlayson was convinced to pursue election.

“They said, ‘You’ve just got to have the heart and it’s all good.’”

Facing only a write-in candidate, she won by a landslide. She has never before served in public office, but Finlayson feels she has the confidence, sensitivity and inside knowledge of Fife Schools to do the job well.

In the meantime, “I’ve got a little homework going on here,” she said, referring to the considerable amount of information she, as a new board member, must study. The board’s responsible handling of school funds impresses Finlayson, especially during these lean times for schools locally and across the country.

“Fife is handling it. I’m amazed at what Fife has going on right now compared to other schools,” Finlayson said. “They’re running a well-oiled machine and I’m very honored to be part of it.”

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