Reviewing the Candidates for Patu's Seat on the Seattle School Board

Editor's Notes:
- Some candidates will have longer write-ups than others.  I mean no slight to any candidate but some have more notable resumes/backgrounds.

- I also try to bring forth personal issues that could come to bear on their outlook while sitting on the Board such as if they are parents in the district.
- I know some readers will ask, "Why state their racial/ethnic background?"  I do that because it certainly has bearing for those in this particular district/community.  The recent history of this particular SPS region is that the director has been a person of color.
- I do not know any of the candidates except Julie Van Arcken who I have seen over the years at Board meetings and events.  However, we are not social friends. 

Sandra Bosley
Ms. Bosley appears to be an African-American woman.  She has a long history working for the district and is currently working as a French teacher at Roosevelt High.

Education
I hold a B.A. in French, M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction, and a M.Ed. in Leadership and Policy Studies through the Danforth Educational Leadership Program at the University of Washington.  

To Note
She speaks French and some Spanish.   She has been a teacher and a principal in several Seattle Schools at various times over the last 15 years.

My Take
She probably knows this district better than many other candidates.  She says many of the right things and, as a teacher/principal, knows what those challenges look like. She filed lawsuit against the district in 2012.  The lawsuit said she had tried to get over 100 jobs in the district but was turned down, she believed, because of discrimination.  The district won a summary judgment in 2013 and her suit was dismissed. Clearly, if she's working for the district there are no hard feelings but it gives me pause. 

Does she know the district? Probably better than most.

Would I recommend - no

Patricia Cheadle
Ms Cheadle appears to be an African-American woman.  She is currently working as Executive Director at Partners for Educational Reform and Student Success (PERSS). (Editor's note; I Googled this group and cannot find any information.  She has two LinkedIn pages: one says she is Marketing Vice President for Ryo Technologies, the other says she is CEO of Cheadle and Associates.)

Education
University of Washington Doctoral Program; University of California Berkeley: MA; California State University: MPA

To Note
Says she served on the Anchorage School Board for two years in the early '90s.

My Take
I like that Cheadle talks about "working collegiality" because school board is a team sport. (I quibble whether it should be "working collegially." Some of her writing has a bit of a tense problem.) She seems to have worked with many different communities and had leadership roles in education settings but since there is conflicting info out there, I'm not entirely certain about her background.

Does she know the district? No.

Would I recommend - no

Dionne Foster
Ms Foster appears to be an African-American woman.  She is currently working at the Seattle Foundation as a Program Officer.

Education
University of Washington, Seattle, WA Master of Social Work in Policy & Administration, 2015
George Mason University, Fairfax, VA Bachelor of Arts in Sociology, magna cum laude, 2010 Minor, Women’s Studies & Administration of Justice

To Note
- Ms. Foster currently has a child in SPS.
- Worked at City Hall when Murray was mayor.
- Ms Foster has a very strong resume around public policy and budgets.  She co-wrote a paper called The Determinants of Equity in Jan. 2015 for King County that shows a deep understanding of equity issues.

My Take
Does she know the district? I'd put her in the maybe column.

Would I recommend - yes

Jason Hahn
Mr. Hahn appears to be a white man.  He appears to be a principal at 3223 Consulting, Skilled Communications and Strategy Manager, provide consulting to non-profits, and political candidates in the Seattle area.

Education
Washington and Lee University, BA, Political Science
MBA in Business Administration from UW's Foster School of Business

To Note
- He was in the State Department as a diplomat for six years; that kind of experience is quite valuable.  Ditto on his work in the Peace Corps in Niger.
- He does go out on a limb in his application with specific goals, something few other candidates did.
- He has a child in Special Education in SPS.  He has reached out to the Special Education community at this Facebook page.
- He has quite an interesting paper that he wrote in 2018 for his blog for customers -  Thinking about Running for Office?

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My Take
He looks like a smart guy who would work hard on Special Education issues.  He has a good background in working with different communities.

Does he know the district?   Maybe

Would I recommend - yes

Romanita Hairston
Hairston currently is working at Microsoft, Director, 21st Century Job, Skills, and Employability

Education
Eastern University - MBA in Global Development and Non-Profit Management
UW - BA in Sociology
UW - BA in English

To Note
She has large-scale experience in policy and budget development.  

My Take
Her education and work background are great.

However, there is one thing that you find, over and over, in most of her work experience that is not in her application.  That would be her deep, abiding faith as a Christian.  This is absolutely fine.  But her own quotes about work and faith worry me.

She is the president of the board for Global Women.  This is what her LinkedIn page says about that (partial):

Our vision is to help create a world where every woman is empowered by the love of God, valued by her community, and equipped to fulfill her unique purpose.

She is a board member of Urban Alliance.  Here is what her LinkedIn page says about that work:

Motivated by the love of Christ, as people of faith and hope, we have a deep desire to respond to the brokenness of our Greater Hartford community together in unity, and to help and serve others, even as all of us are in need of help, hope and love.

There is a quote about her from her (apparently self-written) biography at World Vision:

She teaches, preaches and speaks regularly on issues related to leadership, community development, youth development, collective action, economic development, poverty, biblical justice and God's heart for the poor.

I'm reporting this because the district has many kinds of students and families and faiths (even some with no organized faith).  The district has had issues this year with the timing of religious holidays and school events. People who serve on the Board need to be very cognizant of the dynamic tension in a diverse district with people of many religious/non-religious backgrounds.

Does she know the district? Not currently, given her children graduated several years ago.

Would I recommend - no

Brandon Hersey
Mr. Hersey appears to be an African-American man.  He is currently working as an elementary school teacher in Federal Way (he lives in the Rainier Valley). 

Education
University of Washington Graduate School of Education: Accelerated Certification for Teachers (July 2017)
University of Southern Mississippi, Honors College: Bachelor of Arts in Political Science & Communication Studies (May 2014)

I note that Mr. Hersey served in Teach for America and hence the accelerated certification.  He does not mention that fact in his application.

To Note
He started an all-black Boy Scout Troop in Rainer Beach; he himself is an Eagle Scout.

My Take
He's a very accomplished person.  But he has not even been in the region for four years and I do not   believe he knows Seattle Schools. 

Does he know this district?  No.

Would I recommend - no

Barbara Rockey
Ms. Rockey appears to be an African-American woman.  She currently works at Treehouse, Senior Education Specialist.  (Treehouse is a non-profit serving foster youth.)  She previously worked in SPS as a paraeducator.

Education
Sea (sic) University, Seattle, Washington, Public Administration Certificate 2018-2019
University of Washington Bothell, Bothell, Washington, Teacher Certification Program 2009-2010
Columbia College Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, Bachelor of Arts 1995-1999 

To Note
- Rockey is one of the few candidates to direct parallel her current work to the Strategic Plan.
- She is a co-president of GHS with a son attending GHS.

My Take
Does she know this district?  Maybe

Would I recommend: No

Chukundi Salisbury
Mr. Salisbury appears to be an African-American man.  He currently works as Environmental Education and Engagement Manager for Seattle Parks and Recreation.

Education

Elizabeth City State University, Bachelor of Science (BS) in Computer Science. He is a graduate of Garfield High School.

To Note

- Mr. Salisbury is an accomplished DJ and also produces the Bubblin Brown Sugar, a High School Dance Competition held at Garfield High School.

- In his day job, he manages a budget of $1.5M and oversees a team of nine.  

- He has connections in several directions in the District 7 region including serving on the 37th District Democrats Executive Board.

My Take

 Does he know this district?  Maybe.

Would I recommend - yes

Emijah Smith

Ms. Smith appears to be an African-American woman.  Her application wasn't written clearly but I believe she works for the Children’s Alliance as a Community Engagement Manager. She also has a lengthy volunteer roster.  This includes being a Community Member for the Seattle Public Schools P-3 Early Literacy Committee and serving this last school year as SCPTSA co-vice president.

Education

Master of Public Administration, University of Washington  (She did not state where she earned her Bachelor's.)

To Note

She does not state this but she is/was on a Community Advisory Committee in the last few years for the charter school organization, Green Dot, as they prepared to open a couple of schools in the Rainier Valley.  I believe this work disqualifies her to be on the Board.  

Two different Seattle Public Schools school boards have passed resolutions against charter schools.  As well, voters in Seattle itself, by a firm majority, voted against charter schools.  If she is a supporter of charter schools, it seems opposite not to just the spirit of the Seattle School Board but the actual beliefs of SPS about charter schools.  

My Take

Does she know this district?  Yes.

Would I recommend - no

Julie Van Arcken

Ms. Van Arcken identifies as a multi-racial woman.  She currently works at Amazon in Senior Product, Program, and Editorial.

Education

University of Washington, Bachelor of Arts, Anthropology, Honors Program

To Note
- Van Arcken has worked within school communities within district 7, serving as SE Director for the SCPTSA.  As well, she has successfully lobbying for the area to the City Council and working with neighbors in Georgetown to protest a second dump.

- She has a lengthy list of service to the district including now serving on the Advanced Learning Taskforce and she has presented to the Board research she has done on several topics including on a more equitable SE boundary proposal for ELL and Sped students.

My Take
Like a few other candidates, Van Arcken has deep ties in the region in multiple areas.

Does she know this district?  Yes (probably more than any other candidate in the pool)

Would I recommend - yes

Sofia Voz

Ms. Voz self-identifies as a Mexican-American.   She currently works as the Managing Director of Impact, City Year Seattle.  This work means that she has interacted with many schools and their principals. 

Education

Masters in Public Administration | University of Washington (Emphasis in Education Policy & Non-Profit Management)
Bachelor of Arts, English Literature | Seattle University Minor: American Law & Politics

To Note
- Oddly, she doesn't mention that she was part of a group of emerging leaders for Leadership Tomorrow, which is a collaboration between the Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce and the United Way of King County to enhance the civic participation of emerging leaders within the region. - Implemented best practices in hiring and retaining a diverse workforce, leading to an increase in the % of people of color on staff from 37% to 85% in four years. Perhaps she didn't finish?

-Like candidate Barbara Rockey, she worked for Treehouse.  

My Take
To the best of my knowledge, the Board has never had a Mexican-American director.   I note that OSPI says that in the SPS population Asians make up 14%, Blacks are 15% and Hispanics are 12%.  On page she is far more qualified to sit on the Board than the other Mexican-American candidate in the race in District 3, Rebeca Muniz.

Does she know the district? Probably better than most but not enough to fall in the "yes" category.

Would I recommend: yes

Brittany Williams
Ms. Williams appears to be an African-American woman.  She currently works as a
home care aide, for Washington Aging and Disability and for Full Life Care.  She is an SPS parent.

Education
Sylvan Hills High School, Sherwood, AR
Little Rock Job Corps, Little Rock, AR - Plumbing certified
SEIU Benefits and Training Program, Seattle - Home Care Aide certification, October 2014

To Note
She serves on the SEIU775 Executive Board.
She is the only candidate to talk directly about supporting teachers and school staff.

My Take
 Does she know the district?  No.


Would I recommend - no