Seattle School Board Race, District Two - Smith v Clark

To note, I asked most of the same questions of all candidates but because Song, Clark, and Mizrahi have already been or are on the Board, I phrased one question differently. 

I do also always thank the candidates for having the courage to step up, write their name down, and say, "I think I can do this job." It does take courage to do that.

I'm going to have a separate post for endorsements. 

I am happy to state that I found both women to be enthused and smart. It also makes it harder for me to categorically state that Candidate A is "better" than Candidate B. Both women seem very much data-driven and that's something the Board needs to focus on and press district staff about. 

If I was a voter, I might try to balance out concerns over Smith's learning curve as a new Board member vs Smith's health issues (which continue). 

One question I have asked all the candidates is, "Barring illness/death in the family, do you commitment to serving the entire four-year term?" Both candidates did say yes but it was Kathleen Smith who reminded me that the term they are running for is to finish a 2-year term. Neither candidate will have to service a full 4-year term after this election but if they want to, they will then run again in 2028.

Both Clark and Smith said yes, they were committed to the term before them. Clark did mention that she still has health issues currently (her knee) but that she is resilient. She has pushed forward through other illnesses before. 

Kathleen Smith 

I did ask Smith about Student Outcome Focused Governance. She said that "on paper" it was not obviously problematic but that it seemed to involve blocking the Board from speaking about subjects that would seem important to the Board. She seemed to embrace some kind of governance change but not the entirety or sweep of SOFG. 

I did not ask Clark this question because it seems clear from previous remarks that she is not fully on-board with SOFG.

As for closing schools, Smith seems pragmatic but very wary of hurting vulnerable students as well as any equity issues. I did explain to her about the situation with the building of "mega-elementaries" that would seem to require that some other buildings nearby would need to be closed. 

When we were talking about this issue, I asked her why she decided to run or who had asked her. To my (happy) surprise, it was Chris Jackins, the long-time district watcher. I trust his judgment on this. She said that remark she made in an interview about engaging with Director Liza Rankin on the Board did not mean she knew Rankin but just that Rankin does seem to ask a lot of good questions.

I asked her about her own ideas about possible savings for the budget. She believes, as does D5 candidate Janis White, that the district needs "a forensic audit." She said she thought there could also be "creative ways" to use capital funding. She said her PhD in probability gives her a perspective on how to look at the world. She said, for example, that the school closures suggested last school year did not seem data-driven. 

She also mentioned HCC, saying she would rather have options available in neighborhoods and perhaps serving those students would mean bringing back things like Walk to Math. 

On public engagement, she said that the Board seems to be "showing us" the same things over and over. She said that parents don't have good options except showing up to public testimony at Board meetings. She said the Board has to do better. She does support the return to two Board meetings a month.

I do have another section of questions to mention but as I am still interviewing candidates, I'll add this later. 

Sarah Clark

I asked her why she wanted to continue serving on the Board. She said that after getting a sense of what the real issues are, "I feel hopeful." That did surprise me (in a good way) but she said, "with the right colleagues, we can make a difference in SPS." She cited decreasing the budget deficit, realigning resources, and rebuilding relationships with parents, teachers, principals, etc. 

She said that it feels like the district has been running "patchwork systems" for a very long time.

I asked her about the superintendent search.  Despite the fact that they are "out of season," she said they an are really trying to include community voice and are willing to take the time that it takes to get the job done.  She said she wants someone who aligns with the district values and vision and who would be a good partner.

I asked her about public engagement and she said that under President Gina Topp's leadership, the Board has gotten to go out into the community more and get out to schools. She said while it was good to get out,  it is important to listen to parent/staff frustrations and ask about the policies that affect those groups. She said she is working with the SE Seattle Education Coalition around quarterly engagement, again, trying to rebuild relationships.

She stated that as a person of color on the Board, she lived in North Seattle but her community and connection is in South Seattle. She hopes to be a bridge/resources for the entire community. 

About closing schools, "I hesitate to talk about it and I'm a firm believer we are not there yet." She said she felt there needed to be connecting dots. She said she's not sure that the district has done everything it can to "fix our financial situation." 

She said a study was being done by Education Resource Strategies (ERS) and they are going through our data and resource allocation. She said the obvious answer about intended outcomes is no. She said there needs to be restructuring in the district and to go through "the entire process of options." She seemed to think one area might be school bus vendors. 

I asked her about Board cohesion and a new Board. She said she had a chance to connect with most of the candidates and "I think we are talking about collectively a group of people who want to collaborate and find solutions and are looking to turn a page on the tone and tenor of the Board." 

I asked her about the October 1 count and what it might say about the direction of the district. She said it is uncertain and that within her own job, she has seen the data that Seattle has lost jobs. She thinks there need to be better intergovernmental partnerships.