After what it describes as a successful campaign in 2023, the Washington State Republican Party is repeating a strategy of focusing on certain school board races, including three in Cowlitz County.

Francisco Uribe Alvarez in Kelso School District, Scott Beck in Longview School District and Shebanyah VanHoof in Toutle Lake School District were included in a list of supported candidates the party released in September.

State Rep. and party Chairman Jim Walsh said the party mainly chose candidates who are dedicated to restoring a focus on basic education and moving away from social-emotional learning, which he described as social engineering.

“We think that’s the wrong way to go, and the state has gone too far in that direction,” he said.

Social-emotional learning refers to the process of

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