Our public schools should reflect the values of our city: equity, excellence, and accountability.
Seattle is the most educated city in the country — it has the highest rate of residents with college degrees but the lowest rate of enrollment in public schools. That has to change. We can grow trust, enrollment, and student success in Seattle Public Schools.
Together, let’s grow Seattle Public Schools to meet our full potential.
1. Equity Through Excellence
Having spent years working with marginalized communities — including immigrant families, communities of color, and students with disabilities — I know firsthand the challenges many of our families face in accessing quality education. While we have seen recovery from pandemic learning loss, the gaps in persist. This cannot be our new normal.
Seattle Public Schools can and must do better. The talents and commitment of our teachers and staff are there. We must focus on:
Inclusive special education that provides the support all students need.
Advanced learning programs that offer opportunities for all students, no matter their background.
Curriculum that is both challenging and engaging, reflecting the diverse experiences and interests of our students.
Wraparound services that help students thrive academically and socially.
2. Stable, Fully Funded Schools
Seattle Public Schools cannot cut its way to excellence. With a $100 million budget deficit, the decisions we make now will determine the future of our children’s education. As someone who has served on the school board and has professional financial expertise, I understand that balancing the budget is not just about making cuts — it’s about making smart, strategic investments that will benefit our students for years to come. During my tenure on the board, I built a reputation for asking tough, but necessary, questions about how public dollars are spent.
When we face a budget shortfall, we need leaders who will focus on solutions that don’t sacrifice our students’ education. The previous board’s plan to close schools in response to the deficit was deeply misguided. Closing schools would have pushed even more families out of the district, deepened the budget hole, and ultimately harmed student outcomes. There’s a fatal flaw in this logic: you can’t solve a revenue problem by shrinking your way through it.
Instead, we need a proactive, long-term financial strategy that focuses on growth, not contraction. I will:
Develop a sustainable financial plan that ensures every dollar spent is invested in student success.
Rebuild the district’s reserves so that we can weather future challenges without resorting to drastic measures that hurt families.
Advocate for increased state funding, ensuring that the state fulfills its constitutional, paramount duty to fully fund public education.
Students, families, and staff deserve stability and predictability. We must give our schools the resources they need to thrive, not just survive. With the right leadership, we can create a funding system that is equitable and focused on long-term success for every student.
3. A Diverse Portfolio of Schools for a Diverse Community
Seattle Public Schools’ core mission is to educate the children in Seattle. Yet recent policies have strayed from that mission. We’ve seen families leave the district because of the threat of school closures, the dismantling of highly capable programs, and restrictions on students’ ability to attend schools of their choice. This has only deepened divides and created barriers for the very students who need our support the most.
But it doesn’t have to be this way. We can—and must—build a system of schools that reflects the diverse needs of our community and provides meaningful opportunities for all students, no matter their background or needs.
I will work directly with families, educators, and community members to design a system that serves every type of learner, including:
Special Education: Expanding resources and inclusive practices so that students with disabilities can learn and thrive in supportive, accessible environments.
Advanced Learning: Ensuring that advanced learners have the challenges they need to grow while maintaining a focus on equity to ensure no student is left behind.
Ethnic Studies and Language Immersion: Creating engaging culturally relevant curricula that reflect our community’s diversity
Career and Technical Education (CTE): Offering pathways for students to gain practical, real-world skills that open doors to high-paying jobs and apprenticeships.
The future of our schools lies in diversity—and not just in terms of who our students are, but in the variety of programs and educational models that meet their needs. A diverse community demands a diverse portfolio of schools, and I am committed to ensuring that every family can find a school that meets their child’s unique needs.
Smart financial management isn’t about balancing the budget at all costs—it’s about seeing the bigger picture. Investing in a diverse portfolio of schools is a smart investment in our future. By restoring trust, strengthening programs, and engaging with the community, we will demonstrate why public schools are the best choice for Seattle families. Seattle Public Schools can be a model of inclusivity, innovation, and success for every student.
4. Prioritizing Student Safety and Well-Being
Students can’t learn if they don’t feel safe, supported, and connected. I will work to protect student safety and well-being amid attacks from Trump, rising gun violence, and mental health challenges.
Every school must have permanent, equitable funding for counselors, nurses, social workers, and mental health professionals — not just grant-funded pilots or PTA-driven extras. I have and will continue to advocate to our city, county, state, and federal leaders for funding and ensure that those dollars translate into meaningful, consistent support for students in every building by expanding access to school-based therapy, mindfulness programs, and peer counseling. Mental health support should be a cornerstone of our educational environment, not an afterthought.
5. Accountable, Transparent, and Inclusive Leadership
Seattle families, educators, and students are eager to engage — but right now, it feels nearly impossible. Previous school board leadership dismantled key structures for public input, such as standing committees on the budget, curriculum, and policy. As a result, major decisions have too often been made behind closed doors, with minimal transparency or community voice. This must change. Top-down governance has no place in a public school system rooted in democratic values.
As a board director, I will work to rebuild public trust by championing genuine, two-way community engagement — not just listening sessions, but shared decision-making. I’ll come prepared: studying complex issues, analyzing our capital and operating budgets, and ensuring every dollar supports academic excellence and student wellbeing. I’ll hold myself and the district accountable by insisting on clear, accessible communication: regular public updates, multilingual outreach, and easy-to-navigate platforms.
I’m committed to overseeing and supporting a new superintendent with a collaborative spirit. That means building bridges — across communities, across government levels, and across differences — to tackle the challenges our students face together.