So Maybe "Hello President Topp/Hello Representative Topp?"
Update: Topp did not get the nod; that went to Brianna Thomas. Topp continues on as Board president.
End of update
A reader commented on another thread:
You could change the headline of this item to "Goodbye President Topp." She was the top recommended candidate to the County Council by the district Democratic Party committee, and seems like a sure thing now to enter the legislature.
Another commenter said that Topp had a huge lead over any of the other candidates and...
WHAT’S NEXT: After ratification by the KC Democrats, the names go to the County Council, who will make their decision Tuesday. Public comment will be accepted at the council’s 11 am meeting, either in person or online – the agenda explains how; county councilmembers then will interview the candidates for both positions, make their decisions, and the appointees will be sworn in immediately. They’ll serve until these positions can go before voters this fall. The 34th District includes West Seattle, White Center, Burien, and Vashon/Maury Islands; Alvarado and Topp are both West Seattle residents.
Looks like Topp would get a trial period in the Legislature because she'd have to run in the fall. Maybe she wants a tryout of the job before she has to run?
I do concur with many readers who have said privately that they don't believe she can give the attention needed for both jobs. And especially to be Board President.
Comments
1) Her top priority would be to retain the legislative seat in the Fall election. The best way to do that is focus on constituent service and building her political base in the legislative context. It would be crazy to allow the school board role to be a distraction, even just considering the time required in a neutral environment.
2) The current environment is not neutral at all. The school board will be voting on painful cuts that make a lot of people unhappy. It sounds like political poison, and any sensible politician would run as far and as fast as possible from that scenario. Sure, SOFG allows the board to say they are helpless, it's all on the superintendent, they can't do anything, but probably that pose looks worse, not better.
But it's the end of January and the legislative session ends the end of April. Maybe she can do three jam-packed months.
Perhaps it's time that the state pay school board members a salary commensurate with the size of the district they oversee to encourage the best and brightest to take on this occupation as a job.
In the meantime, I am sorely disappointed in Director Topp for even considering. I took on a teaching contract until the end of a term of service, this June. I've had colleagues leave before the end of a school year to take on a better job, and I have despised them for it every time. Director Topp should finish the obligation that she began, and if I was a constituent in her district, I wouldn't vote for someone who turns her back on people like this. She'll do the same to people at the next level too.
CHG
-- Ivan Weiss
I know Gina Topp has a strong commitment to education, AND representing the needs and values of her constituents in whatever public service role that might be. She is showing up and doing the work.
One major role of the School Board is to lobby the legislature to fully fund public education. Our budget crisis, perhaps exacerbated by district mismanagement, is fundamentally due to the legislature's underfunding of public education and prevention of raising more local revenue. One might argue that this should take up most of her time as School Board President.
Gina Topp was involved with the 34th Democrats before running for School Board, and is known and viewed as a partner by elected officials on the county and state level. She has the political connections to return education to the second priority of the legislature (behind progressive tax revenue).
I think that the overlap is much larger than many of us realize.
Is the scope of work too great for any one person alone? Perhaps. The fact is, though, that as a volunteer position, serving on the School Board (even as President) should not be a full-time job. Changes must be made so that board positions are stable enough to withstand changes in the individuals who serve. The President's role and power should be distributed in such a way that the VP (or really any board member) could confidently step in to fill the role. We are not there yet, but I believe that is something that Gina Topp is working on.
The 34th would have been lucky to have Gina Topp serve as a representative this session. Brianna Thomas (our new Rep) is also well qualified for the job, and we are lucky to have her as well. I hope they can work together to solve Washington, and thus Seattle's school funding challenges.
And sorry, but no board can lose multiple members at the same time AND bring on student members and be considered stable.
Signed, SpEd Parent