District 1 Interview

I did finally interview Debbie Carlsen in the District 1 race; she is one of three challengers to incumbent, Liza Rankin.

I asked Carlsen about the role of a director in the district's budget. She said that directors should know a budget well and get input from community. She said that while directors cannot act on their own, they should hold community meetings to see what is happening on the ground in schools. She said that the "governance model should be the community voice."

She said she had been researching the governance model adopted by the Board - SOFG (Student Outcome Focused Governance) - as well as talking to past Board members. Her worry is that it was voted in without community voice. She noted that the Board cites the Moss Adams report of 2014 as where the community gave input. 

Carlsen has one child who just finished kindergarten at Olympic Hills Elementary. Her family is happy at Olympic Hills. I did mention that candidate Christina Posten, who was the former principal at Whitman Elementary, mentioned that the very northend of Seattle/Seattle Schools is home to many families of color and that schools there may need some of the same kinds of resources as other schools in the district that host many families of color. Carlsen said she was aware of that issue at Olympic Hills. 

Looking at OSPI reporting, Olympic Hills has 500 students with 35.1% white, 9% two or more races, .2% Native Hawaiin/Pacific Islander, nearly 25% Hispanic, 22.6% Black, 8% Asian and .4% Native American. 

Carlsen has not met the Superintendent, saying he seems "measured" in speaking at Board meetings. She said she was disappointed at his lack of acknowledgement for the LGBTQ community.

Carlsen was pragmatic on the subject of school closure saying the district "is already on that road" and what is important "is bringing community along." She said it was important for the district to listen to school communities about the value and culture in their neighborhoods. She said a well-resourced school needs to have enough teachers AND paraeducators as well as art and music and early learning opportunities. 

Her background in pre-K issues is a good skillset and she served on King County's Best Starts for Kids Advisory Committee in recent years. Like Posten, she feels there needs to be better alignment among grade levels with pre-K and kindergarten being a special focus for her. 

Her skillset includes advocacy, building relationships with lawmakers, understanding policy and regulations and connecting the dots. She also mentioned "enrollment strategies." I asked her for one idea and she said one "enticement" might be more childcare which so many parents desperately need.