Seattle Times Endorses Ben Gitenstein in District 3 Seattle School Board Race

Can I say I like this endorsement? Plus, the Times Editorial Board takes major swipes at the current Board and has a quiet yet stern statement on Superintendent Brent Jones. What was that statement?

And the power at SPS currently sits in the hands of Superintendent Brent Jones.

Yup and that power came from the current Board handing it to him tied with a ribbon on top.

Swipe #1

Many of these problems were exacerbated by actions of the current school board, particularly the approval of an unsustainable teachers contract. Whether or not board members knew that the contract would lead to a $131 million chasm, they certainly should have.

Pro Gitenstein #1

But Ben Gitenstein, a manager at Google whom The Seattle Times is endorsing to represent District 3, brings more than that. Most refreshingly, a willingness to speak truth to power.

Swipe #2

What, exactly, went on before a student brought a gun to Ingraham High last fall and fatally shot another youth in a school hallway? Current board members say they still don’t know. Why have there been no citywide meetings convened to discuss school safety? 

Swipe #3

And why does the district offer a shrug when confronted with the fact that parents are pulling their kids out of Seattle Public Schools? If Seattle wants to stanch the bleeding on its enrollment rolls — which directly affect state funding — it should ask families why they are leaving. But it appears that folks at the district office are leery of what they’ll hear.

Pro Gitenstein #2

Gitenstein shows a willingness to dive in and face the answers. 

Gitenstein conveys more urgency about making real changes.

Pro Gitenstein #3

Effective school board members must be knowledgeable enough to ask hard questions without micromanaging district officers. It’s a difficult balance. Gitenstein appears most likely to hit it, with his appetite for real talk about school safety, finances and the fact that Seattle schools — where fewer than 25% of Black students met standards last year — are “on track to become something much smaller in ambition and vision” than ever before.

That frankness speaks to a clarity and focus that are sorely needed on a board mired in timidity and inertia. (Swipe #4)

About the other two challengers, Christie Robertson and Evan Briggs.

On Robertson:

Robertson, who has served two years on the Seattle Special Education PTSA, is rightly concerned about the impact of budget shortfalls on special-needs students. She would likely bring sustained focus to this long-ignored population. Like her two rivals for this seat, Robertson offers a welcome call for renewed attention to student outcomes, rather than adult politics.

 On Briggs

Briggs, who says current board president Brandon Hersey and former president Chandra Hampson asked her to run, wants to focus on “rigor, relevance and relationships.” She speaks about cutting administrative “fluff” from future budgets and taking a hard look at expensive consulting contracts that clearly have had little impact on improving student performance.

(Swipe #5) But her endorsement by leaders who piloted the district to its lowest point in recent memory does not augur the kind of revolution many parents want to see.

Know who else used to trumpet that "rigor, relevance and relationships" line (but decades ago now)? Bill Gates. It's not exactly an original thought.

And "expensive consulting contracts?" Start with how much AJ Crabill is being paid to coach SPS into Student Outcome Focused Governance. 

Glad to see the Times pushing back hard on the district.