Vivian Song, a Capitol Hill finalist in the recent process to fill an open citywide seat on the Seattle City Council, is stepping down from the Seattle School Board after complaints about her move outside of the school area she was elected to represent.

“Director Song’s legal counsel has advised that she can continue lawfully finishing her term,” a joint statement from Song and Lisa Rivera, another board director who has moved out of her school area, reads. “Nonetheless, after witnessing the manufactured distraction that others have leveraged because of Director Song’s move, we’ve decided that we will not allow this unnecessary distraction to continue, and are thus both tendering our resignations, which we are doing concurrently to streamline the appointment process for our colleagues and minimize disruption when other important district decisions are on the horizon.”

CHS reported here on the selection of International District community leader Tanya Woo for the city council position. Song was considered as a finalist for the position and was buoyed by labor support. The Seattle Times reported on her school board residency issue during the selection process.

In the statement announcing their resignations, the women said their moves were the product of typical life changes and criticized the media coverage of the situation.

“We have both experienced significant changes to our family situations, which have prompted both of us to move outside the boundaries of our internal director districts,” they write. “Separations happen. Divorce happens. Sometimes the rules simply don’t reflect the realities of modern family life, and should certainly never be exploited in the media while plans are made and laws interpreted to determine the right path for Seattle Public Schools and the public trust.”

Both said they are resigning despite being “in compliance with board policy and law.”

The school board must now appoint two new directors to complete the seven-member board.

Most of Capitol Hill and the Central District falls with the board’s District 5 represented by Michelle Sarju.

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