Seattle Times' Coverage of Seattle School Board Races, Part Two

 The other article from The Seattle Times is a deeper dive into what candidates think based on four questions from the Times. This article asked ALL of the candidates, including the two in D7 bypassing the primary.

D2

Nearly all the candidates cited the budget issues as the continuing biggest issue. I was surprised that candidate Kathleen Smith did not cite it but one of the Times' questions is on the budget so she answered that there.

Eric Feeny did give an interesting, fleshed-out answer about the issues.

Outside of the financial elephant in the room which stems from state politics and the housing crisis, I’ve observed three addressable organizational deficiencies: academic excellence/rigor, organizational agility and community responsiveness. These are not trivially solved, and they are all linked.

So let me give one concrete example for each that work together to ameliorate one another. If SPS had been better at hearing and engaging communities who are aggrieved enough to take the time to come down to a board meeting, we would already be working on the perceived lack of academic rigor. If the district were more supportive of schools solving their own problems, many schools would already bring back Walk-to-Math and a new and improved homework model. So it is then the district’s role to support and propagate these improvements.

He's right. Why not listen to parents especially when you hear the same complaints over and over? Of course, that would mean taking away some principal autonomy but so be it.

But he's charming on this:

I commit to being the tip of the spear for driving quick effective solutions. I can’t stand the hands-off, too-busy, not-my-job approach of recent school boards. With permission, I will keep track of every person who testifies and reaches out to me and every week work through that list and help coordinate and follow up on their issues.

If I get the reputation for being the board member who gets things done, it will likely become overwhelming for me, so I will convert and enlist the aid of other board members so we can have a full team of problem solvers.

Feisty but not possible. He would soon find out how many emails Board directors get, just in a week, and throw his hands up. It's not possible to answer every query. Likewise, it is NOT a director's job to solve individual parental problems. That would be micro-managing and it is not a good thing.

I like this from Clark:

If I’m elected to serve a full term, I plan to continue leading board budget oversight, calling for the reinstatement of the Budget and Finance Committee that was disbanded several years ago. I think we’ve seen over the last several years the negative ramifications of this decision, including increased distrust from the community — and rightly so — when transparency and accountability for taxpayer dollars were demolished.

Boom!

But then this from her:

Depending on the recommendations from the ad-hoc budget committee this fall, the results of the resource allocation assessment being conducted by ERS [Education Resource Strategies]...

and this:

Recent data from an analysis by the Council of the Great City Schools confirmed that students from low-income and marginalized communities are getting the short end of the stick.

Are you kidding me? Yet ANOTHER consultant plus CGCS on the payroll? Argh!

Smith makes a good citation which won't cost money:

I have seen effective mastery-based learning in practice, and will closely watch WSBE’s [Washington State Board of Education] work to implement MBL [mastery-based learning].

and makes this important statement:

Finally, students have been demanding ethnic studies for over a decade. It’s time to make curricular changes that ensure relevance for our students.

My only caveat here is not to use the Washington Ethnic Studies Now org headed by the toxic Tracy Castro Gill.



D4

Laura Marie Rivera has a very good take on what SPS should be doing:

I’ll be consistent across these questions because I believe one core issue underlies all others: Seattle Public Schools keeps trying to scale education instead of personalizing it. Yes, we are the largest district in Washington, but we can’t lose sight of the fact that each student is an individual — their own strengths, struggles, culture and learning style.

Now "scaling education" is the cheapest way to go. What's odd in SPS is that they do try, in some ways to do that, but with so much principal autonomy AND lack of oversight of schools, they tend to fail.

She also makes a interesting statement worth pondering:

Standardized data gives us trends, but it doesn’t capture growth, creativity or resilience. Academic excellence begins with relationships, and with seeing each student not just as a score, but as a whole human being.

You hear a lot of "looking at the data" but data sets don't always tell the full story.

Mizrahi on one priority:

Parents love their schools, but they often feel frustrated by district bureaucratic systems that don’t follow through. Rebuilding trust is not complicated, it requires the board to 1) listen to families and 2) ensure the district keeps its commitments. Listening and follow-through.

He does issue a bit of a throwdown without actually saying what he could/would do.

For example, when the district says it will offer consistent highly capable programming across neighborhood schools, I will use the power of the board to ensure it happens.

He can't do anything on his own except 1)verbally state in public how unhappy he is with the district's direction and 2) vote against any funding measures. Wish he had said that.

From Mizrahi's and Clark's answers, it appears this new Budget Ad Hoc Committee is to be chaired by Clark and Mizrahi will be a member. I'd love to know who the third member is.

He also says:

Second, we need consistency. The curriculum, rigor and expectations can’t vary wildly from school to school. Families should know what to expect across our district. Every student, in every ZIP code in our city, deserves access to strong academics.

This has been stated by parents FOR DECADES. I wish the next Board luck on doing this.

Bill Campbell has forceful statements:

In my first 90 days, I will reinstate two public school board meetings per month and personally meet with at least 100 parents, teachers and principals to incorporate their feedback into board decisions. I will also establish a new citizens budget review committee, which will address both community trust and fiscal responsibility.

I like his moxie but he can't do the first on his own, the second is going to be a slog, and the third? Unless the Board gives that budget review committee real power, it's window-dressing.

On academics:

As a member of the School Board, I would prioritize the basics.

From the Times' comments I see on many education stories, many members of the public would vote for this (and nothing else).



D5

Vivian Song, like others, says that regaining public trust is "foundational."

Without it, we cannot stabilize enrollment, pass levies, or make meaningful progress on student learning — or ensure student safety and well-being. When trust breaks down, so does the partnership that’s essential to serving our students.

No more half-baked school closure plans that blindside communities and damage trust.

You notice she didn't say she's against closures. Good question to ask.

And, like others, she believes:

We need clear insight into how funds are spent and whether they produce the outcomes our community expects.

Janis White brings up an issue that is absolutely true:

A toxic culture in an organization as large as SPS should set off alarms because it infects the operation and makes it impossible to meet organizational goals. The School Board cannot afford to ignore cultural issues as “operational issues.” The School Board is responsible for selecting a superintendent who will not ignore the issue and will act to address toxic behavior promptly and consistently.

The work to change the culture of the school district starts with the School Board by having transparent communication, positive values and strong community engagement.

Yes, yes, and yes.

And, like Song, she says:

One cause of the fiscal condition in Bellevue, as reported, was “inaccurate budget assumptions” along with higher student needs. The lesson is that if more families do not enroll their children in Seattle Public Schools, a higher percentage of our student body will have greater needs requiring support and putting pressure on the budget. Addressing enrollment has to be one of the School Board’s priorities.

It is impossible for the School Board to make responsible budgeting decisions without understanding how funds have been spent and what results have been achieved.

And what about academics?

For example, there are schools and districts around the country that have adopted a literacy curriculum that is fully aligned with the science of reading and provided teacher training and coaching to ensure that educators are able to shift their practices. SPS has been using a balanced literacy curriculum and only providing phonics instruction as an intervention — this is not best practice. The School Board should be asking district staff about these issues.

Song talks about who needs more:

That starts with centering our most marginalized students — those receiving special education services, multilingual learners and students experiencing homelessness. I’ve spent years advocating alongside these communities, from pushing for wraparound supports for unhoused families to expanding language access and inclusive practices.

Those groups are very much part of the students furthest from educational justice. I have no problem with directors advocating for issues outside their control (homelessness) but I think the Board should speak as one on these issues.

White clearly states:

We need to identify students who would benefit from advanced learning opportunities and make sure they are equitably available throughout the district. I support the continuation of highly capable cohort schools to meet student needs.

Allycea Weil has very wide-ranging statements on what the district should be doing. But, like Song, I would challenge doing too much of this work that the Board has no direct control over. Certainly, bring in ideas to help but keep your eye on the ball in the Board's court.

She had this striking statement:

Rigor must always be in conversation with relevancy.

She also supports "pooling our philanthropic and PTA funds so all schools can have access to robust enrichment opportunities. "

Julissa Sanchez has thoughts on safety:

We need to focus on the root causes and prevention to eliminate gun violence for youth. Safety starts with belonging. When identity is reflected in schools and curriculum, students feel seen and heard, in the lessons, the classroom and among their peers.

But she said this about the budget:

I will also leverage the Every Student (sic) Ready Levy to support budget gaps.

The name of it is the Every Child Ready initiative. None of it appears to support K-12 learning. She also says the district could also look to the DEEL levy "to bring language, cultural and academic enrichment directly into schools." Again, that's not DEEL's focus but maybe.



D7

This is fun to read because these ARE the two people competing for this seat (but in the General Election as they skip the primary).

Carol Rava says:

The three most pressing issues for SPS are: 

 

- Academic excellence for every student.
- Safety for students and staff.
- Addressing the structural budget deficit

Lockdowns and shelters-in-place are too common in many schools and are incredibly damaging to learning environments. Safety means ensuring students and staff are protected coming and going to school (including on Metro buses), on sports fields (often owned by the city), and at lunch in the community. The safety of our students is a shared responsibility, and the district must engage partners as it focuses on three initial areas.

Jen LaVallee says:

The three most pressing issues in Seattle Public Schools are the budget deficit, inaccuracies and manipulations in enrollment processes, and disparities in resource and program access.

Over the past year, I've partnered with others to analyze enrollment data and found that Title 1 schools are understaffed by nearly a full teacher. The district often waits until staffing needs are urgent before adding teachers, which leaves underserved schools without adequate support and conflicts with equity commitments. Manipulations of waitlists have worsened these problems, impacting both option and neighborhood schools.

On the budget says LaVallee:

The state is underfunding public education across Washington. Seattle is not alone in facing serious budget challenges. That’s why I helped lead the Billion Dollar Bake Sale, bringing hundreds of students and parents to Olympia to push for fully funded schools.

Analysts like Albert Wong have shown that SPS may be overstating its deficits. What was reported as a $101 million shortfall may have been closer to $42 million, and last year’s $80 million closer to $13 million. At the same time, nearly 30% of the budget is spent on the central office, a portion that continues to grow with little board scrutiny.

Those are some real data points worth examining.

Rava

The district can start by asking three fundamental questions: 

 

- Which expenditures most affect student outcomes? And which have shown they positively do?
- What are the various options for addressing the structural deficit?
- For each option, what are the per-pupil savings, for which populations (looking carefully for any disproportionate impact), and what are the risks?

She also calls for an audit of district spending.

On academics, good thoughts from LaVallee:

In South Seattle, families consistently call for programming that meets individual needs — including restoring services like the Bilingual Orientation Centers, improving access to highly capable programs, and supporting flexible models like Walk-to-Math. In-class differentiation alone isn’t enough without additional staffing and resources. Removing programs before effective alternatives are in place risks further disengagement. Uniformity doesn’t equal equity — because students aren’t uniform.

Rava has straightforward answers to academics:

First, set academic performance goals that reflect the whole district and have clear disaggregated goals by subpopulations.

Second, align resources against those goals. That the district is prioritizing academic excellence should be visible in its budgetary decisions.

Her third idea might raise some eyebrows:

Attendance remains too low in many schools; students cannot learn if they are not in school. The district should consider the inclusion of attendance in grades.