Candidate Interviews from Fund SPS

I've been involved in the PTAs and schools of my 2 children since 2016. While raising a big ruckus with community collaboration has served to move the needle, we shouldn't have to yell so loud to be heard, the solutions shouldn't be such a compromise, and we shouldn't have to be fighting the system so hard to begin with. It quickly became clear to me that with all the silos and red tape, the best way to help all our kids get what they need is to put a pragmatic parent on the board who is committed to putting in the work to represent our families and who won't lose sight of the big picture issues affecting ALL families, but who is still committed to righting wrongs for those getting inadequate outcomes. 

a. I’m running because I had some less-than-great experiences during my time as a student in SPS over twenty years ago, and for the last two decades, as a community member, I watched from the sidelines as things got worse, worse, and worse, and after Trump was re-elected, I felt called to take action. To do more to serve my community.

b. As an SPS Alum, aunt of two current SPS students (Kimball Elementary School)-- I’m committed to creating safe, enriching, and welcoming diverse school environments to serve SPS’s diverse community of students.

c. I bring my lived experience as an SPS alumna and woman of color, over a decade of work in education policy and advocacy in Washington State, including a master’s degree in education policy from the University of Washington College of Education. I had to overcome a lot of adversity-- as a Black student, foster child, and adopted by a low-income/working family fostering other youth while I was in SPS - you understand better than most what it’s like to be a vulnerable student in our schools.

d. I’m also bringing 16 months of experience serving as the D2 school board director after being appointed last spring, and have developed deep knowledge of the systemic issues in SPS during that time. I’m ready to take action to make the changes our community wants on day 1 of the job.

I decided to run for school board because I was asked to run by those around me who know my values and see the skill set I could bring to the school board. I see the consistent state of crisis our schools are in, the increasing violence and political turmoil, and the need for clarity in confusing times. With austerity proposals like the closure plan, it is clear we need someone who understands the facts, the data, and the importance of having schools that meet each and every need of our diverse student body in Seattle. I decided to run because I am the parent of two children entering SPS and I want to see a school system that can provide for all families in Seattle. Finally, I decided to run because I believe I have something to offer the board that is missing: a data-science background. 

I’m a parent of three kids in Seattle Public Schools, a longtime labor leader, representing frontline workers, and a community advocate who’s spent years fighting for working families across our city. I sought appointment to the board because I felt like there were critical voices missing: those of parents, working families, and advocates who understand both the urgency and complexity of the challenges our district faces.

During my time on the board, I’ve worked to bring that missing perspective: pushing for more community engagement, stronger budget accountability, and a renewed focus on improvement to SPS programs and enrollment. I’m running now because I want to continue that work with the full support and accountability that comes from winning a term of my own. I believe every student in Seattle deserves a well-funded, well-rounded education and a school system that sees and supports them

I decided to run for the Seattle School Board because our kids—and our future—are too important to leave in the hands of a system that’s just not working. As a proud mom of four Seattle Public Schools students and an educator with firsthand classroom experience, I’ve seen both the power of public education and the ways our system is falling short. 

If we had truly prioritized education over the last few decades, we wouldn’t be facing the inequities, enrollment loss, and public distrust we see today.  

This is not politics as usual. I’m not in this for endorsements or titles—I am here to put students first. And I bring something our board needs: direct classroom experience. I’ve taught in overcrowded classrooms, special education, arts and tech programs, and multilingual settings, from preschool to university. I know the difference between policy that sounds good and policy that works. 

We have four board seats on the ballot this year. That means we have a real opportunity for real change. I’m running to help rebuild trust, stabilize our schools, and make sure every student is seen, supported, and set up to succeed. 

I am running for Seattle School Board because public education is the future—and we cannot afford to get it wrong. 

I decided to run for the Seattle School Board because I believe in the promise of public education—and I know we can do better for our kids.

As a current Seattle Public Schools parent, finance professional, and former board director, I’ve seen both the potential and the challenges in our district. I’m running because we’re at a critical moment: we face an ongoing $100 million structural budget deficit, enrollment fluctuations, and a new superintendent search. We need experienced, steady leadership that’s grounded in community and focused on student success. I’ve brought professional-level financial oversight to public service—guiding a $1.2 billion budget and decisions affecting over 6,000 employees—always with students at the center.

This work is also deeply personal. I’m the daughter of immigrants and started school as a Multilingual Learner with a hearing disability. Thanks to public schools and great teachers, I became the first woman in my family to graduate from college. I’m running to ensure every student—regardless of background—has that same opportunity, especially amidst federal attacks on public education.

During my term, I visited over 40 schools, met with stakeholders, and hosted community meetings. And I’ve continued showing up—at rallies, board and council meetings, and in Olympia—to advocate for school funding, gun safety, and immigrant rights. I’m running to bring that same dedication, experience, and community focus back to the board. I’m ready to serve our schools from day one.

I’m running because I think we need people on the School Board who have roots in the community, a strong connection to the District, deep knowledge of how it operates, and a passion for making it better for all kids.  I have no other political ambitions besides serving on the School Board.  I’ve lived in Madrona for 27 years and put three kids through SPS from K through 12th grade.  I’ve served as Site Council Chair at TOPS K-8, organizer of the Alternative Schools Coalition, parent representative on a District task force about transportation and President of the Seattle Special Education PTSA.  My advocacy work over the last 15-20 years shows that I care about making sure our schools do a better job of meeting the needs of all students, including the most vulnerable who are often overlooked. 

I also have skills developed from working as a lawyer for more than 40 years that would be a benefit on the School Board.  I know how to analyze complex data and information.  As a trial lawyer, I know when I’m not getting the whole story and I know how to ask questions to make sure I get the information I need to make decisions.  And, given my advocacy work around special education, I bring a subject matter expertise that is needed on the School Board.  Finally, I have a track record of working collaboratively and respectfully with other stakeholders – especially when we need to have hard conversations.   

I’m running because I believe Seattle students and families deserve better—and because I’ve already been doing the work to make that happen. Over the past few years, I’ve pushed Seattle Public Schools to provide clearer communication and real answers about what’s happening in our district. I’ve partnered with other parents to dig into data, uncover the truth, and organize around what we learn.

I helped lead the successful effort to stop proposed school closures and co-founded campaigns like the Billion Dollar Bake Sale to demand better funding for all Washington public schools.

As a School Board Director, I’ll bring that same energy—asking tough questions, holding leadership accountable, and making sure families get the transparency and respect they deserve. I’m deeply rooted in this community and committed to doing the hard, hands-on work our kids need.

I'm running for Seattle School Board because I want the district to work better and smarter for our schools and children. I’ve had children in Seattle Public Schools for more than 18 years and I have seen first-hand how disorganization and poor decision-making at the district level negatively affects our schools and harms our students. And it’s gotten worse. Fundamental issues like academic achievement and student safety are not getting the attention they deserve.

I bring 25+ years of professional experience working on educational access and equity. I studied education policy in graduate school, and have been a grantmaker, nonprofit executive, and school district leader. I understand system-level complexity and how to navigate it. And this knowledge is needed now more than ever, as public education and the students it serves are under attack.

I am confident that I can help create the high quality education in every school and for every student that our children and this city deserve.

Campaigning for state funding solidarity aside, my top 3 issues are academic excellence, district agility & school autonomy, and district responsiveness to community feedback. The number one issue is quality of academic experience. This is my top concern as a parent, and the polls show it's the top concern of the community. It's not rocket science how to raise standards to push students to be their best - it primarily involves a cultural shift away from the minimum standard approach we've found ourselves stuck on. Secondly, I believe schools and communities and good principals know what they need, so the district needs to stop acting like a policing agent and shift to act like a fairy godmother who comes in and helps those who need it. Schools need the flexibility to focus on what they need. For example, if we have a lot of spanish speaking ESL kids, let's see how the community feels about making the whole school a spanish language immersion school. And on the last point, I'm sick of people being so frustrated they'll take time out of their busy lives to come down to the board and pour out their hearts, only to be have somebody maybe take a note and send them on their way. I want to organize people who care into productive action groups and coordinate them with district personnel to actually collaborate on problems.

a. It’s hard to pick just three pressing issues, but since I’m limited, I will select the three I heard most from the community about since I was appointed to the school board in April 2024.

i. Recurring Budget Deficit

ii. Enrollment

iii. Academic Rigor

b. I am leading an effort to tackle the budget deficit by reinstating the disbanded budget and finance committee, providing better financial analysis, and working with the public on smart long-term planning.

c. Student enrollment is connected to the budget. After declining during the pandemic, enrollment has slowly begun to rise again, and so has Seattle’s population. But we still see many families leave because they’re dissatisfied with what SPS offers. The 2024 enrollment study revealed that many students (over 400 in 2024) are leaving SPS because they are not accepted to their first-choice school despite following the application and enrollment requirements. In this low-trust environment, SPS’s outdated enrollment procedures are causing more challenges for students, parents, teachers, and staff (who are being shuffled around the district every year)--and many who are just fed up with the harm and are leaving our schools entirely.

d. We need to offer academic rigor in all schools, and support and expand our options and alternative schools. I’ve been advocating all year for changes, engaging the community, and talking with staff about solutions. Later this summer, staff will bring board directors a proposal to update our enrollment procedures and policies to better align with student and parent needs, the budget planning process, and our community’s vision and values.

The top three issues facing our schools are the lack of trust in SPS, the failure to have clear measures of success, and the need for a transparent budgeting process that centers the needs of our most vulnerable communities. These issues are central to why I am running for school board because we need trust, clarity, and transparency. 

We are losing trust in our schools because there is not enough accessible, authentic, and honest engagement on issues. We need a school district that works with the community to address the shortfalls in how the district is serving its students.Good faith engagement with the SPS community is a vital aspect of data driven decision making. We don't need data put together after the fact to justify decisions, and we don’t need data weaponized against the voices of families and educators. 

When it comes to equity, we can set lofty goals, but these goals are only as effective as their implementation. How can we improve equity if we don’t know how to measure it? We must continue working to define and measure what it means for our students to succeed, what it means to eliminate barriers to learning, especially for our most vulnerable communities, and what it means to have a truly equitable system. Understanding what equity means is difficult enough already without being under attack by the federal administration. I hope to bring a new perspective to the board that can help shape a more collaborative, transparent, and data-driven perspective on what we mean when we say equity.

Despite being one of the wealthiest cities in the country, Seattle’s schools are chronically underfunded. Our public schools are threatened by privatization and barriers to learning that come from widespread social unrest and fiscal instability. The district’s budgeting involves difficult decisions and compromises, and if we want to earn back trust, we must make that process more transparent. Beyond transparency, we must consider whether our budget increases equity. We can do a better job of serving all Seattle students, and Seattle deserves a school system where everyone has the opportunity to thrive.

1) Fixing the structural budget deficit – We can’t keep lurching from crisis to crisis. Seattle needs a clear, long-term financial plan that centers student learning, protects school staff, grows our enrollment, and pushes for sustainable funding at the state level.

2) Addressing inequitable academic outcomes – Every student deserves a strong foundation, no matter their background or zip-code. That means investing in early literacy, supporting multilingual learners, and ensuring schools have the staff and resources to meet the needs of all students.

3) Rebuilding community trust and accountability – Families, educators, and students are frustrated. Communication has been inconsistent, and decisions haven’t always reflected community input. With a new superintendent coming in, we have a real opportunity to reset. I believe trust starts with listening, and I bring an organizer’s mindset to that work.

1. Budget and Stability: 
We can’t support students if we don’t stabilize our foundation. That means fixing the district’s long-term budget challenges in ways that don’t cut directly from classrooms. I support creative, community-driven solutions—like mixed-use school spaces—that generate revenue while keeping schools open and useful to the community. We also need clear, transparent budgeting to rebuild trust. 

2. Student Support and Equity: 
Every student is unique, and our schools must reflect that. We need to invest in what actually helps students thrive—arts, music, sports, dual-language immersion, special education, wellness, advanced coursework, and hands-on career pathways. And we must center students furthest from educational justice in every decision we make. 

3. Confidence and Safety: 
Families won’t stay in—or return to—our public schools unless they feel confident that their children are safe, seen, and supported.That includes physical safety, emotional wellness, and learning environments built on respect. As a parent and educator, I will push for stronger systems of support, better communication with families, and a culture that puts student wellbeing first—because our students must be safe at school before any learning can truly happen. 

1. Financial Stability:
Seattle Public Schools faces a $100 million deficit, and our budget process—largely unchanged year after year—simply isn’t working for students. It’s reactive, not strategic, and our student outcomes do not meet our community’s expectations. We will never be able to cut our way to excellence. I bring professional, financial skills and experience and will fight for transparent, student-centered financial decisions that stabilize the district and align resources with what actually helps kids succeed.

2. Trust and Transparency:
Public trust in SPS has eroded after years of poor communication, rushed decisions, and a failed school closure plan. I will build on my record and reputation for deep community engagement—restoring open board committees, ensuring language access, setting clear timelines, and involving families and stakeholders early in the decision-making process. This is something I insisted upon when I served on the board, such as when the district tried to change the start time to schools without proper engagement and with late notice to the community. I have continued to show up – at schools, community meetings, and rallies—and I’ll continue to lead in partnership with those most impacted.

3. Student Safety, Belonging, and Success:
Every child deserves to feel safe, supported, and seen at school. I’ll champion programs that reflect the diversity of our students—like advanced learning, language immersion, inclusive special education, and career and technical education—and push for strong academics and mental health resources across all schools. I have advocated to city, county and state elected leaders to resource the critical physical and mental health needs of our students. I’m also committed to preventing gun violence, supporting common-sense safety measures, and partnering with families and communities to ensure schools are safe and welcoming for all students.

Budget, enrollment and the “toxic culture” of SPS.

The Board has had to deal with a projected budget deficit in each of the last three years.  We need a more stable fiscal situation – see below for my suggestions for how to address that. 

Enrollment drives so many issues in the School District, starting with the budget as funding from the State is based on the number of students enrolled.  The District has been projecting enrollment declines, which could lead to cuts in staff and services.  We need to have a better understanding of why families are choosing not to send their children to SPS and then address those concerns directly, build a more robust program to tell the great stories of success in SPS, and ensure that we continue to offer programming that brings families in to SPS.

Finally, I have been involved in SPS for almost 20 years and have often heard families and staff describe its “toxic culture..”  A toxic culture in an organization as large as SPS should set off alarms because it infects the organization and makes it impossible to meet organizational goals.  The School Board cannot afford to ignore cultural issues.  As a School Board Director, I would work with the Superintendent to make sure that we set clear expectations for conduct and communication.  We will be hiring a new Superintendent, which gives the District an opportunity to change the culture by having transparent communication, positive values and strong community engagement. 

I view this campaign through the lens of building trust through authentic engagement and data-driven decision making. The three top issues I would focus on first are:

1. Stability of Schools and Programs

Families are exhausted by constant uncertainty—waitlists, shifting programs, and fluctuating staffing create chaos and erode trust. Without stability, families begin to look elsewhere. We must work to keep schools and communities stable and, when changes are necessary, clearly communicate the reasons and the impacts. Predictability and transparency are essential to rebuilding confidence in our public schools.

2. Access to Information and Programs

Parents often struggle to navigate the school system. The option school process is opaque, and even basic information—like what programs are available, what makes a school special, or how to apply and get there—is difficult to find. We must make clear, accessible information the norm and ensure that families are actively engaged by district and school staff. This includes evaluating what families are asking for and responding in more approachable and transparent ways.

3. Budget and Enrollment Accuracy

Decisions like school closures and program cuts must be based on accurate data and honest enrollment planning. Recent manipulations have undermined public trust. I will push for a full audit and transparency in budgeting, especially around central office spending. Families deserve to understand how resources are being used—and that budgets aren’t being balanced at the expense of students.

The top three most pressing issues I am focused on as a candidate are academic excellence for every student, safety for students and staff, and addressing the structural budget deficit. These are the issues that families and students have said are most important and are also foundational to any public school district.

Every student deserves an excellent and challenging education, but Seattle’s performance indicators have continued to struggle and even decline.

A number of our schools sit in or near crime hot-spots in the city. Students and school staff face safety challenges coming to-and-from school or at their lunch breaks; and frequent lock-downs disrupt classroom learning. But the school district has not effectively partnered with the city or others that have shared responsibility for students’ safety.

And the school board has failed to oversee its budget or ensure its alignment with its academic priorities. The structural deficit remains with no plan to address it.

My top financial priority is on student:educator ratio. I believe this makes the biggest difference. Obviously we will get some lift with certain centralized resources and expertise, but I want to streamline that (not in a DOGE way, but in a measured way focusing on delivering services efficiently). I want to get creative about multi-disciplinary curriculum, and using technology to automate repetitive work freeing up bandwidth for personalized interactions with students. I think it's time for the pendulum to shift back toward home-grown ground-up solutions (away from 3rd party ivory tower consultants). And I will use my official position to build a coalition of urban WA schools and then reach out to our rural counterparts to support a vision for education that serves everybody fairly and allows us to fund our own urban specific needs without leaving them behind.

a. As is said in my response to question 2, we must increase board oversight, bring back the finance committee, increase engagement around the budget, and bring people into the process.

b. I’ve been calling for a budget committee since the Board Retreat in January and am working to get that process started now--in August, I will be chairing an ad hoc budget committee--a major step towards bringing back board oversight of the district’s finances, and I will fight for a permanent finance committee if I’m elected to serve a full term.

c. We also need more data about SPS’s spending patterns and the outcomes of our investments, so we can make data-informed decisions rather than shortsighted, uninformed proposals like the school closure plan. There’s a budget allocation assessment being conducted by ERS right now, and we anticipate the final results around the start of the 2025 2026 school year.

d. I think there are ways we can rebuild trust and transparency through our budgeting process, too. Regular budget sessions will help the SPS community better understand what the trade-offs are, and we can do a better job of bringing the community in to help make those hard decisions around budget cuts. SPS has attempted this, but they didn’t engage the public in the decision-making. We could, for example, have budget work sessions at schools, or ask the community to rank their choices for cuts to inform our decision-making, etc.

e. There’s a whole 40% of the budget we don’t talk about, like the legal budget and the sources of the annual underspend. The bottom line this-- if we keep doing the same things, we will keep getting the same results- schools that aren’t serving students.

First, we need more information about how the district is spending money. I hope a forensic audit can provide us with much-needed detail. We must identify the areas where we can cut spending to responsibly steward our resources, such as cuts to central office staff or reducing new construction projects and prioritize energy-efficient upgrades to our existing buildings. We must also identify areas where we must invest to avoid deeper financial woes. For example, failing to invest in special education can lead to more privatization at an even higher cost. In the big picture, we cannot afford to cut the quality of education, or we risk losing more students and even more difficult budget decisions in the future.

Given the risk of low enrollment eating into the budget, I believe we need to partner with the City and advocate for more affordable housing. Families and educators need to be able to afford the cost of living in order to show up in our schools.

Given the current federal attacks on education, we must seek progressive funding at the local level. We live in a city and state that can afford to invest in our schools, but I know the journey to fully fund education will not be quick.

Seattle Public Schools’ budget crisis is serious, and while we’ve remained solvent, we lack a long-term plan for stability. I bring deep experience with budgets, oversight, and governance. In my day job as the primary fiduciary of the largest local union in Washington, I manage a $30 million annual budget and co-chair health and pension trust plans with billions in assets.

A balanced budget means that income exceeds expenses. For a school district, income is mostly state and levy money based on enrollment. Expenses include buildings, staff, materials, transportation, etc.

To reach a fiscal stability, we must address both sides. On the expense side, in my first year, I helped launch the board’s new Budget Ad Hoc Committee to ensure transparency and public input. I’ve called for an independent audit, soon to be under way, to fully understand what’s driving costs and where we can make smarter choices.

On the income side, I fought tirelessly for increased state funding and worked to address enrollment loss by pushing for programs families want, like school choice, inclusionary learning, and dual language. Stabilizing enrollment is a financial strategy as well as an academic one.

We must continue this work to achieve fiscal stability.

Seattle Public Schools is facing a long-term budget shortfall, and we can’t keep approaching it with one-time fixes or top-down decisions that ignore the realities on the ground. We need sustainable, community-rooted solutions that not only close budget gaps but also reinvest in the public good. And we need to approach those decisions with transparency, while engaging our communities at every step of the way. 

We have heard loud and clear that communities want to keep their schools open. One unexplored path is to rethink how we use our space—especially in under-enrolled school buildings. Instead of closing schools and cutting programs, we should explore creative mixed-use models that breathe new life into our campuses and generate steady, long-term revenue. 

Imagine school buildings that also house childcare centers, mental health clinics, arts and community spaces, affordable housing for educators, and small nonprofits aligned with youth development and equity. These models already exist in other cities—co-locating services that strengthen families while keeping schools open and deeply connected to the neighborhoods they serve. 

By partnering with the City, local nonprofits, small businesses, and even other public agencies, we can turn underused space into shared space. This not only brings in revenue—it brings in support systems that students and families need. 

We also need full transparency around the budget and clear communication with our communities. We can't ask for public trust—or future levies—without rebuilding a sense of shared purpose and accountability. 

We should be advocating aggressively at the state level for full and fair funding of special education and basic education, while simultaneously pushing for cost savings in ways that do not harm the classroom. Central office bloat, inefficiencies in contracting, and overly rigid spending rules all deserve scrutiny. 

The bottom line: our financial future depends on innovation, collaboration, and leadership that puts students first. Not just managing decline, but reimagining what public education can be—at the heart of every neighborhood. 

Seattle Public Schools faces a long-term budget shortfall because our current budgeting process is outdated and disconnected from what actually drives student success. My plan focuses on making the process transparent, protecting classroom learning, and fighting for sustainable funding.

1. Reform the budget process:
The way we build the budget hasn’t meaningfully changed in years—and it’s not working. I will push for a transparent, strategic process that allows the board and public to understand the trade-offs early, align spending with student outcomes, and evaluate which investments are delivering results. At a minimum we need to bring back the finance committee. We also need board director and thereby community representation on the committee that updates the school staffing formula (WSS Committee). I have completed a certificate in Education Finance through Georgetown’s School of Public Policy and would like to adopt strategies I have learned from the program and from other school districts such as giving community members an opportunity to vote between a set of proposed budget solutions. 

2. Protect student learning:
We can’t cut our way to excellence. I’ll fight to preserve programs that support academic success, belonging, and enrollment—like advanced learning, inclusive special education, language immersion, arts, and career and technical education. At the same time, we need to look closely at areas of spending that are our largest sources of deficit and do not directly impact classroom learning. For example, a 2018 audit identified inefficiencies in bus transportation—recommendations that still haven’t been fully implemented.

3. Advocate for fair funding:
Washington has the second most regressive tax code in the country. As a board director and Children’s Alliance board member, I’ve supported progressive policies like the capital gains tax. I’ll continue working with state partners to push for long-term, equitable funding solutions.

Our current budget process creates stress, drives families away, and doesn’t deliver strong student outcomes. I bring the financial expertise, board experience, and community trust to lead us toward a more stable and student-focused future.

The first step is to restore the School Board’s budget/finance committee. 

Next, we need to bring back regular reporting to the School Board from administrative departments of the District about their spending, including what they spend their budgeted dollars on, staffing, responsibilities, results and forecasts along with benchmarking of other nearby districts and national comparable municipalities.  That kind of financial oversight is critical especially in areas where we see spending increases year over year and where the District is spending more than it receives from the federal and state governments. 

As just one example, the School Board has to approve contracts to send students to special education private schools when an individual contract is over $1 million but is not given any information about how much SPS is spending on these contracts in total, how many students are sent out of district, demographic information about the students, and more.  The School needs to show more curiosity about spending by the District. 

Seattle is not alone, districts across Washington are facing serious budget shortfalls due to chronic state underfunding. That’s why I helped lead the Billion Dollar Bake Sale, organizing with parents and students to demand fully funded public schools.

While the School Board was able to balance the 2025–26 budget in part to $30 million in new funding and a delay in repaying the Rainy Day Fund, real concerns remain. Independent analysts like Albert Wong have raised red flags, suggesting SPS may be overstating its deficits. What was reported as a $101 million shortfall may have been closer to $42 million—and nearly 30% of the budget is now spent on the central office, with little board scrutiny.

We need a full audit and a commitment to transparent, line-by-line budget review including the budget of the central office. I will push for a clear and public budgeting process, require detailed reporting on underspending and enrollment planning, and hold leadership accountable for every dollar. Families and educators deserve to see exactly how resources are being used and that we have an accurate view of the issue.

Attaining fiscal stability will not come without impacts. But the hard conversations must center a vision of high quality education for every student. The district can start these conversations by asking three fundamental questions:

1-Which expenditures most affect student outcomes? And which have shown they positively do?

2-What are the various options for addressing the structural deficit?

3-And for each option, what are the per-pupil savings, for which populations (looking carefully for any disproportionate impact), and what are the risks?

The district then must share these options (again, transparent about disproportionate impacts) with families, the community, labor, city, and state partners, and authentically engage them in the trade-off conversation.

Finally, to strengthen fiscal oversight from the school board, I would restore the finance committee and I would have an independent third party audit the district’s finances and brief the board at least 2x/year (state auditor or OSPI).

I believe people do best when they are working on things they are passionate about. I would like to see all schools have the unique things they are proud of and that galvanize their community. As mentioned above, I support school autonomy and want those with the energy and resources to lead the way, and the district to come in and help those that are too strained - to figure out what the remaining schools need and help them copy what works or find their own thing. Passion can't be forced or faked, so we need to keep a pulse on things and make sure we're not going through the motions. The community knows. And it's okay to have a rebuild year, much like when we switch careers or hobbies in our personal lives. But the key is to get back on the horse.

a. We have a diverse population of students in SPS, with diverse learning needs, and I believe that diverse program options, like dual language learning, STEM, expeditionary learning, and K-8 schools, are critical to help the system meet all of our students’ needs. One-size-fits-all school models don’t work because all students are not the same, period.

b. I believe in options, and I believe we need to expand options and create more access to them, especially in South and West Seattle, so we can serve more students. I believe this will help SPS attract more students and increase enrollment as well. These programs are in demand for a reason, because they work well for certain students, and every year, the schools with these programs and services have long waitlists.

I like ‘em all! The recent practice of blocking enrollment in option schools based on underenrolled neighborhood schools does a disservice to families seeking access to learning environments that will best serve their children. However, we must also find ways to support neighborhood schools so that families do not feel they must get into an option school in order to receive quality education. My own learning and teaching experiences have impressed on me the myriad ways people best learn, so my ideal for the district is to work towards providing as many options as possible in neighborhood schools. It isn’t possible for every neighborhood school to perfectly serve every family, so the option schools must be easily accessible to families who need them.

Language access (including for Deaf and Hard of Hearing families) is an important topic in the district, and has very impactful benefits for district families. Many families value the benefit of language immersion, as it gives students a richer education, but even more importantly, many families rely on dual language programs. We cannot take away programs when these cuts eliminate students’ access to education.

STEM is great, and as a mathematician, I want to see good STEM courses in every school. It makes sense for different schools to allow for deeper focus in different areas, because again, there are many ways different students best learn.

I also like the K-8 model, as research shows that changing schools, even from elementary to middle school, takes a toll on students. K-8s are a great opportunity to build strong school communities. They have the potential to increase costs per student, so looking at the real operating costs would be a factor to consider but it is by no means a given that K-8 schools have a higher per pupil costs across the board.

This is a top priority for me. I’ve been a consistent champion for option schools, dual language immersion, STEM, and K–8 programs because I believe they are part of what makes Seattle Public Schools vibrant and worth choosing. These programs don’t cost more to run, but they do drive enrollment, especially at a time when we’re seeing declining numbers districtwide. Programs like dual language immersion support our multilingual learners and honor the assets they bring into the classroom.

As I argued in this op-ed in The Urbanist, denying families access to these programs through rigid enrollment practices actually harms students and pushes families out of the system. Since raising this issue, the district has eased waitlist bottlenecks and committed to designing a more fair and transparent process moving forward.

We need to expand access to high-interest programs, not restrict them. Like neighboring districts we should be building out new dual language schools, more STEM opportunities, and added programmatic choices across the city.

I support option schools 100%. They play a vital role in creating a more equitable and responsive public school system. Students and families seek out option schools for many reasons—because of learning style, location, language, cultural identity, academic interest, or simply where a student feels most seen and supported. 

And to put it simply: without option schools, we are left without options. 

Seattle Public Schools should be offering more options, not fewer—especially for students who have historically been underserved. We can’t claim to be serious about educational equity while limiting choice. Our students are individuals. They have unique strengths, challenges, passions, and dreams. A one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t work—and it never has. 

That’s why I’ve been advocating for option schools for over two decades. I’ve seen firsthand how powerful they can be—especially dual language immersion, STEM pathways, K-8 models, and schools with strong arts and technology programs. These are not luxuries; they are lifelines. They create opportunities for deeper learning, stronger relationships, and culturally relevant education. 

We need to protect and expand these models—not treat them as expendable when enrollment drops or budgets tighten. They are often where some of our most innovative and inclusive work is happening. 

If elected, I’ll fight to make sure option schools are not just preserved, but strengthened and accessible to all students—especiallythose furthest from educational justice. 

To meet diverse student needs, we need a diverse portfolio of programs and schools. I support a strong system of public schools that offers families high-quality, equitable choices — grounded in the diverse needs and strengths of our students.

Option schools play an important role in providing innovative programs that attract and retain families in Seattle Public Schools. We must ensure they are accessible across demographics and geographically and aligned with district wide goals for academic success and inclusion. Student assignment processes should not replicate or reinforce segregation or resource gaps.

Language immersion is a powerful model that affirms students’ home languages, builds bilingualism, and improves academic outcomes for both Multilingual Learners and English speakers. I strongly support expanding access to dual language programs—particularly in communities where families have been historically underserved—and ensuring consistent curriculum and staffing support.

K-8 schools offer strong community continuity and are valued by many families. They must be resourced appropriately, especially in middle-grade offerings like advanced coursework, electives, and extracurriculars. I support maintaining and strengthening K-8s as part of a broader strategy for equity and academic excellence across the district.

I support alternative learning models, including project-based, experiential, and culturally responsive approaches that better engage students who may not thrive in traditional classroom settings. These models should be offered as part of a districtwide vision for inclusive, student-centered learning.

Public education must be flexible, equitable, and responsive to student needs—not one-size-fits-all.

All three of my kids attended a K-8 option school (formerly alternative school) for some or all of their K-8 years.  I was Site Council Chair at a K-8 option school and helped organize a city-wide Alternative Schools Coalition after defeating a prior effort to close some of the alternative schools.  I believe it is critical for the District to offer alternative education opportunities as well as schools that offer a particular curricular focus.

Families choose these programs for many reasons including academic focus, proximity, start times, and the chance to keep all their children in one building and at times they are a way to leave a school that wasn't working out. I see option schools as essential parts of a healthy public‑school ecosystem and will work to protect them.

• Preserve and stabilize option schools. Seattle Public Schools must stop using enrollment or staffing formulas that artificially depress their numbers or pit them against neighborhood schools.

• Expand popular programs. Dual‑language immersion at Dearborn Park and Beacon Hill and HCC programs at Thurgood Marshall shows that specialized offerings can thrive outside option schools; we should replicate that success district‑wide.
  

• Honor family choice while improving access overall. As we maintain STEM, dual‑language, and K‑8 models, we must ensure that this access is accessible to all including those who are moving in to the district, renters, and more. Information about what these programs are and how to get in must be more clear and accessible. 

Families have said again and again that they want some choice in the schools and programs that their students attend. Families want this choice because of special needs of their students, sibling or family convenience, or feeling more welcome in a particular setting. Equitable choice can have a cost, especially a transportation cost. And trade-offs may be needed in terms of what schools can and cannot offer.

But if families want this choice, the district needs to outline the different approaches for structuring this school-level variety and the associated per-pupil costs for each approach. Total transparency of costs, benefits, risks, and disproportionate impacts must be shared with families to get their input and feedback. But ensuring that all students have access to equitable services must guide decisions.

Seattle needs to return to a process where this kind of choice is welcome and the process to navigate it is clear, transparent and equitable.

This is not my area of expertise, but I make the commitment to being the get **** done board member. With permission I will keep track of anybody who speaks up or reaches out and keep working to help them find the solution they need. When this gets overwhelming I will find a way to work with the district to scale it. Customer service is the hallmark of good long term organizational health.

a. If I am elected to serve a full term, I will fight for a forensic audit of the special education department, conducted by an outside firm.

b. The diminishing board oversight of operations, as stimulated by SOFG, has had several negative consequences, one of which is that the board has no way of tracking how special education services are being administered. The information I have received is either about the lawsuits families are filing after their students are harmed by staff and administrators (after incidents have already happened) or stories from parents about how their students need aren’t being met, how they’ve had to fight the system to get their kid the services the district is required to provide and how traumatizing that experience has been for the entire family.

c. Clearly, the system is broken, and the first step for board directors to take to ensure appropriate special education services are available to all students who need them is to commission an audit, review the findings, and then take action.

Our special education system is in need of a serious overhaul. Best practice is to teach students with disabilities alongside non-disabled peers as much as possible, rather than separating students into a distinct special education program. Early support can also reduce the need for later interventions, so I would advocate for ample access to learning supports for all students. For example, the reading curriculum does not include phonics content for all students. We also need to ensure that families know how to access special education services and receive diagnosis for their students at an earlier age. For example, for students with dyslexia, the earlier we diagnose and provide explicit literacy instruction, the better the results. We must focus on providing the resources to help students succeed from the start, rather than cutting services and incurring long-term costs, from students needing more interventions to our district’s inability to provide adequate support, which results in reliance on private contracts. We need a clear accounting of how our special education budget is being used, and to minimize the privatization of services.

I believe deeply in inclusionary practices. Students receiving special education services should be supported in their neighborhood schools whenever possible, alongside their peers. But inclusion only works when schools are given the training, staffing, and resources to do it well. We can’t just place students into general education settings and call it inclusion. We must build systems of support that meet student needs and enables the classroom teacher and paraeducators to make inclusion successful.

Parents shouldn’t have to fight to get services or travel across the city to find a school that will serve their child. At the same time, we need to use common sense. I fought to protect the Deaf and Hard of Hearing program at TOPS K–8 because it was a model of how a focused program can create community, build staff expertise, and deliver better outcomes. Inclusion and access are both essential.

As an educator who has worked directly in special education classrooms, I know how essential it is that students receive the services they are legally entitled to—and more importantly, the support they deserve as learners. 

Far too many families are navigating a confusing, under-resourced system—facing delays in evaluations, inconsistent services, and unclear communication. That is unacceptable. 

We must improve the process of identifying students early and ensure they have timely access to evaluations and diagnoses, regardless of family income, language, or zip code. Early support can change the entire trajectory of a child’s education. No family should have to fight for what is supposed to be a basic right. 

We also need to remind our entire community that special education doesn’t just affect “some” families. Even if your child isn’treceiving services, someone in your child’s classroom is. Inclusion, access, and support benefit everyone. A stronger special education system means better classrooms, better training, and better outcomes for all students. 

To make this happen, I will push for: 

• Full and fair funding from the state to cover actual student needs 

• Transparent, student-centered implementation of IEPs 

• Ongoing training and support for educators, paraprofessionals, and all building staff 

• Stronger collaboration with families at every step of the process 

And most of all, I will work to shift our mindset: special education is not a burden—it is a vital part of an inclusive, thriving public school system. Every student deserves to be seen, supported, and set up for success. 

*** If you or someone you know is navigating the path to special education services, please check out Getting to Results: A Guide to Special Education in Seattle Public Schools. It is a free, award-winning guide for families, caregivers, and educators in Seattle Public Schools and beyond, thoughtfully available in the top ten languages spoken in SPS. https://seattlespecialeducationptsa.org/resources/guide-to-special-education/ 

Ensuring that students with disabilities receive the services they are entitled to is both a legal obligation and a moral imperative. This is also personal – my hearing disability was first identified by a public elementary school teacher. I am also a parent to a hard of hearing child. As a school board director, I will prioritize inclusive, well-resourced special education that centers the needs of students and families.

Right now, it takes far too long for students to be evaluated for special education services. That delay harms kids and leaves families in limbo. I will push for a districtwide audit of the evaluation and referral process, with clear goals for reducing wait times and regular reporting on progress through a dashboard that district leaders and board directors actively track.

We also must ensure that families can meaningfully participate in the process. That includes providing high-quality interpretation and translation services—especially for IEP meetings, which are already complex and emotionally charged. No family should be left in the dark because of a language barrier.

In addition, we need to invest in staff—reducing caseloads for special educators, offering ongoing training, and expanding inclusive classroom models like co-teaching. And we must create a culture where families are respected as true partners in their child’s education.

Finally, I will advocate for full state and federal funding for special education. Until we close the funding gap, we’ll keep straining general fund resources and limiting opportunities for all students. I have been advocating for years for increased special education and special education transportation funding and I will continue to fight for our kids in Olympia.

We need to reform the structure of the way that SPS delivers special education instruction and services to disabled students.  Far too many of our students spend too much of their day in segregated settings receiving instruction and services apart from their non-disabled peers.  Decades of education research tell us that there is a better way that leads to better outcomes for all students, whether or not they have a disability. 

I will work to build capacity throughout the district to move towards more inclusive classrooms and schools.  We can’t flick a switch and suddenly become inclusive – it will take work, education and coaching.  There are already educators at schools doing this work and building consensus in their school communities.  I will work to scale up these efforts so that all students in SPS are able to receive the education they are entitled to in order to reach their full potential. 

Every student deserves timely access to the services they need to thrive regardless of their family’s ability to navigate a complex system. Right now, too many families must pay thousands for private evaluations or become expert advocates just to get basic supports. That’s not equitable.

We need to expand access to early intervention, so students are identified and supported sooner, dramatically improving their ability to succeed in general education classrooms. When neighborhood schools can’t meet a student’s needs, families should be part of a collaborative placement process to find the right setting. For example, medically fragile students may need specialized programs like the one at Green Lake, which can’t be replicated at every site. Clustering some services can provide more stability and consistency for students.

The district must also regularly report how well IEPs are being implemented, where we’re meeting our goals, and where we’re falling short. We can’t fix what we don’t look at. Supporting special education students means investing in staffing, systems, and honest communication with families.

The state is still not fully funding special education services and Seattle must continue to advocate for full funding. Additionally, the district needs to look at best practices for both identifying special needs and providing the services within the current funding constraints, using data as its guide.

One bright spot to build on is the current training on inclusionary practices that principals regularly receive. The district must track the resulting changes to practice and determine how to continue to improve its inclusionary practices.

My kids were fortunate enough to live in the one part of the city where services haven't been dismantled. I will work to bring them back to all of the city in a form that would be acceptable to my own family. And with my general emphasis on challenging academics and student growth, I will be seeking concrete evidence that all students are getting the challenge they need. And not just in some arbitrary form factor like 2 years ahead in math and 1 year ahead in reading. There were many flaws with historical approaches, but with a #1 priority of academic rigor, we should see improvements across the board. I also will note that I am impatient; I don't want a 3 years out solution - I want to know what will be concretely better this year, or next year at most. I'm not going to accept solutions that leave a whole wave of students in limbo. This is true on all issues for me.

a. For decades, since I was an SPS student and earlier, Seattle Public Schools hasn’t met the needs of many of our students. SPS has made changes on the margins over the years, like expanded partnerships with community groups, increased professional development for teachers and staff, and changed general education curricula. None of these initiatives have yielded significant results. The budget deficit has also grown during the same period, making it harder to make targeted, long-term investments that would make a difference.

b. Simply put, if we keep doing the same thing, we will keep getting the same results.

c. That’s why I’ve been advocating for change. We need long-term budget planning so we can fund the high-impact programs, like after-school tutoring, that have been proven to succeed. Equity doesn’t mean getting rid of programs that haven’t been inclusive–it means expanding access to them. A one-size-fits-all system doesn’t work. We have a diverse student population who need and deserve diverse opportunities.

d. I was inspired by what other school districts in our state have done. Elma developed a new curriculum where students can prove using real-life skills, that they have mastered the subject, while also preparing them for college and a career. I want to bring these models and partnerships with local organizations and businesses to Seattle.

To increase access to the current services, we need more equitable ways for students to qualify for HCC. Testing into the program should be available to all students, not just those whose families know when to sign them up, and have the spare time to attend testing sessions outside of regular school hours. This should be paired with better outreach, so all qualifying students and their families are fully aware of their options. Additional transportation costs to reach HCC schools and other barriers that limit access should also be identified and mitigated.

Long term, having these services available in every neighborhood school would best serve our students, but current efforts to provide highly capable services in neighborhood schools are ineffective. We should not alter the current program until we know that adequate alternates are available. 

Having HCC services integrated in neighborhood schools would allow students to take accelerated classes in some areas, get extra support in others, and build relationships with all of their age-group peers. Walk to Math is an example of giving students the flexibility to learn the content they are ready for. As a data scientist, I know finding robust measures of success to place students in appropriate classes is key.

This is largely the same answer as above. Families should not have to choose between staying in their neighborhood school and getting the services their child needs. I’ve spoken with countless parents who are forced to make that decision as early as second grade: either move their child to a cohort school for highly capable services or keep them in their community without confidence they’ll be challenged appropriately. That’s not a fair or sustainable model.

I believe highly capable services must be available in every neighborhood school, but that requires real investment: staffing, training, and a consistent, rigorous curriculum.

Long term, if cohort models show meaningful benefits, and family engagement and data support them, we can keep that option too. But this should be in addition to, not instead of, consistent highly capable services in the neighborhood schools. Families should trust that no matter where their child goes to school, they will have access to high-quality, advanced learning services.

I believe advanced learning and highly capable services must be available to all students who qualify—regardless of zip code, race, income, language, or learning profile. 

Seattle has made progress in broadening identification for advanced learning, and that’s a good step. But we’ve still failed to fully address access for students with learning differences, including those with IEPs or 504 plans. Too often, students who are both gifted and have disabilities—what we call "twice exceptional"—are overlooked or underserved. And these programs are still not available in all areas of the district. 

We must expand how we identify and support advanced learners by using multiple measures, culturally responsive practices, and by actively seeking out students whose abilities may not show up on a traditional test. We also need to ensure that advanced learning doesn’t require navigating a maze of paperwork, extensive bus rides, privilege, or advocacy. 

As an educator, I’ve seen how transformative it is when students are challenged appropriately—and how harmful it is when their strengths are ignored because of their differences. I will work to ensure we expand access to Advanced Learning, improve services, and recognize the brilliance in all learners—especially those who are yet to be seen or supported. 

Advanced learning and highly capable services should be available to all students who qualify—regardless of race, income, language, or zip code. While the district has made progress in expanding universal screening, the criteria and identification process seem to change almost every year. Families and educators deserve predictability, transparency, and a process they can trust. As a school board director, I will advocate for consistent and equitable identification practices—paired with proactive outreach to ensure we’re not overlooking multilingual students, students with disabilities, and those from historically underserved communities.

But identification is only the first step. We also need to ensure that every elementary school is equipped to support advanced learners. That means staffing every school with a reading and math specialist who can help teachers deliver differentiated instruction. We should reinstate successful models like Walk to Math and ensure that if the cohorted model is phased out, it’s replaced with strong, clearly defined alternatives.

In secondary schools, we must expand access to academically rigorous courses—including honors, advanced coursework, and dual credit opportunities—without requiring an advanced learning or highly capable designation. Rigorous classes should be available to all students who want to challenge themselves, and they must be accessible in schools across the district—not just clustered in certain neighborhoods.

Finally, I will push for transparency and accountability, including public reporting on who is being identified, who is being served, and what outcomes students are experiencing. Every student deserves to be challenged, supported, and seen for their full potential—and I’ll work to ensure our system delivers on that promise.

I don’t believe that SPS should dismantle its cohort schools for highly capable learners unless and until the District demonstrates that the learning needs of those students can be met in their neighborhood schools.  To date, the District has not presented a specific plan for how it will be able to provide highly capable services in neighborhood schools.  General statements are not a plan.  Moreover, despite District claims that it was already providing highly capable services in neighborhood schools, many families testified that no such services were available, eroding trust. 

In addition, it is past time for the District to address the needs of 2e or twice exceptional students – these are students with high cognitive abilities and learning disabilities.  One of my kids is a 2e student who struggled in SPS for years.  Currently, many families have to choose between a cohort school for HCC students where their student might not be able to receive special education services or a neighborhood school where their student is not able to receive advanced instruction.  We need to remove these barriers and stop forcing families to choose between advanced learning and special education services.    

I will advocate for two essential priorities:

1. Expand and diversify advanced learning opportunities.
We need more options both within and beyond the classroom such as walk-to-math and other flexible models that challenge students without requiring them to leave their neighborhood schools. We cannot rely on a singular classroom teacher to handle every need without additional supports. At the same time, we must establish (and re-establish) accessible Highly Capable Cohort (HCC) programs in South and West Seattle, so students who need a peer cohort don’t have to leave their communities entirely.

2. Reinstate the newcomer program.
SPS quietly ended this critical program in 2025. It offered essential cohort-based supports for newly arrived students before transitioning into the U.S. school system. Without it, these students are being placed into general education classrooms without the preparation or support they need to succeed. That’s a disservice to them and to their teachers.

Meeting the needs of all learners—whether highly capable, twice exceptional, or new to the country—requires intentional investments and a commitment to equity. I will fight for both.

Families have been clear - they are incredibly unhappy with the district’s dismantling of the advanced learning options. This was done without appropriate planning or support to ensure that schools and staff could offer the equivalent advanced learning opportunities in every school. Even the district’s own analysis has shown that these opportunities are not being offered.

Through universal testing, the district has improved the diversity of students qualifying as highly capable, but access to services and participation in programs does not reflect this diversity. The solution is not to scrap the program, but rather to determine how these services can be delivered more equitably.

This is the work that must happen now. And yes, it can start with Walk to Math and other similar simple school-based solutions. But the district must outline the different best-practice and feasible approaches (including cost/student analysis for each) to offering advanced learning and engage families in discussing those options and trade-offs.