By Aspen Anderson/UW News Lab
The Seattle School Board has filled its vacancies after the resignations of two members over residency rules, appointing two new directors for Districts Two and Four. Sarah Clark for District Two and Joe Mizrahi for District Four were elected unanimously.
“There is a wealth of knowledge and aptitude in these two districts,” District Seven Director Brandon Hersey said. “I only got more excited about people as we went through the forum. There’s a lot of folks that really showed up and showed out.”
District Two Encompasses Magnolia, Ballard, Green Lake, and Adjacent Areas, While District Four Covers parts of Downtown, Queen Anne, the Central District, and Surrounding Neighborhoods.
“The biggest voice that the public has in all of this is we were elected by all of you,” board president and District One Director Liza Rankin said.
Following a public forum last week featuring four finalists from each district, the board made its decision.
Clark’s upbringing as a student within her district was noteworthy to Michelle Sarju, District Five director, emphasizing the unique value her firsthand experience as a student of color in Seattle Public Schools brings to the board, particularly as no other current board member completed their K-12 education within SPS.
“I think what she brings is a deep understanding,” Sarju said. “In addition to her education experience, her policy experience, and her other professional experience, she understands deeply what it means to try to be seen for the bright, intelligent student that she was regardless of the color of her skin, and yet she still persisted.”
Clark, in her statement of interest, highlighted her journey overcoming substance use disorder and navigating professional challenges, crediting the quality of her early education as a crucial factor. Despite setbacks, she returned to the University of Washington at 28, completing both bachelor’s and master’s degrees within four years.
“My mentor has taught me that youth are the hope for our future and that it’s imperative we invest in them, give them every opportunity to be successful and happy in life, starting with quality education,” Clark said in her statement.
Mizrahi, a parent of three and spouse to a public school principal, hails from San Diego and identifies as a first-generation American from a refugee family. He comes from a lineage of educators in his district, with his parents specializing in special education.
Although he did not attend the SPS school system himself, he has been a resident of North Seattle for 15 years, gaining firsthand insight through his own children, who are currently enrolled in first, fourth, and sixth grades.
As Secretary-Treasurer and co-executive director of Washington’s biggest union, The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, he plans to use his experience managing budgets and advocating for marginalized workers to benefit the district.
“I believe that the school system at its best has the potential to be the greatest leveler of disparities in our society,” Mizrahi said in his statement of interest. “ However, when school systems fall short, they can exacerbate these same inequities.”
Gina Topp, director of District Four, believes that Mizrahi stood out from the other candidates and exemplified what the board is looking for while increasing representation.
The new board members will occupy the seats vacated by Vivian Song and Lisa Rivera who resigned in January after stating they had both moved out of their districts and expressing a desire to avoid distraction regarding their eligibility.
State law asserts that a board member can remain in their position even if they relocate outside their designated district. However, this stance appears to contradict policy 1113 regarding Board Member residency, which states that if a director moves outside their district, they are no longer eligible to serve on the board, and their position becomes vacant under state law.
Since there are no specific protocols for special elections, the public doesn’t vote, leaving the responsibility of appointing new members to the school board. Both seats will face re-election during the fall of 2025. District Four will see a full four-year term election, while District Two will hold an election for the remaining portion of the unexpired term.
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Did we really just pick a person without children and a union organizer for the school board? Or did I miss something?
What’s wrong with either of those things? I LOVE that they’re a union organizer.
The childless have a stake in the school system, too. They pay taxes, and future society is shaped by it.
I followed the process fairly closely, and even attended the community forum at Lincoln High School with all eight finalists for the two positions. All eight of them had something good to bring to the table. In the end, though, it’s hard not to look at the pair of choices in light of that forum and think that the deciding factor was not practical experience or nuts-and-bolts know-how or concrete vision, but who used the most EDI buzzwords most frequently.
Clark didn’t even show up for the *mandatory* meeting where they made the final decision.
All you need to do is read each of their statement of interest and you would know that. And I wish I could make myself care about who is on the school board but the reality is they will be gone in two to four years with no change for the better. Sad, but true.
None of them said a word about how to restore the killed gifted student / cohort school program. Sad.