1. Name as it will appear on the ballot
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First Name |
Middle Initial or Nick Name |
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2. Office sought (include office, jurisdiction, position/district number):
3. Are you the incumbent? No
4. How long have you resided in this district/city?
5. How long have you resided
in
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30 years |
6. Is the office sought partisan or nonpartisan? Nonpartisan
CAMPAIGN CONTACTS
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1. Beginning with the most recent position, please list public offices which you have held. Include positions on appointive Boards or Commissions.
Public Office |
Elective or Appointive? |
Dates Held |
Leadership Role (if any) |
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34th District Democratic Organization exec brd, 1997-98
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2. If you ran for public office but were not elected, please list those races below:
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In this section, we are seeking responses that reflect the four ratings criteria: involvement, effectiveness, character, and knowledge. These are defined as follows:
1. In a page or less, why are you running for this office? (Note: the interview committee will be given a copy of this statement before your interview; at the beginning of your interview you will have the opportunity to expand on this statement in any way you wish.)
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I am running for the Seattle School Board because I can make a difference. In addition to 13 years personal and professional involvement in education issues -- including early learning and care, parent participation, school-to-work, facilities, community and business partnerships, alternative education, music education, and school levy campaigns -- I have over 20 years of experience working with state and local policymakers. I have worked for the state legislature, city council, and county council. As director of the City of Seattle Office for Education, I have advised the Mayor on education policy. This policy experience will bring a professional element to the School Board that it is currently lacking.
As a long-time community activist, I understand the need to invite families and community members to get involved in schools. The Board must generate productive two-way communication at the policy level and encourage between families, communities, and schools to work together to support student learning. It is vitally important that we re-build public trust in Seattle Public Schools and promote the good will that is necessary to support our schools.
I have the policy background, the education knowledge, and the community perspective that is needed to support a new culture on the Seattle School Board — one that will instill accountability; restore fiscal integrity; reduce achievement gaps based on race, ethnicity, income, and language; and improve the quality of education for all students.
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2. Describe your most important personal characteristics or traits as they relate to the office you seek.
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Commitment to public education -- As friends have moved out of the city or enrolled their children in private schools, I have remained steadfast in my commitment to public schools. I believe our public school system can provide a high quality education for all children in the years to come. I want Seattle residents to view public schools much like they do public libraries -- whether or not they have children or use the services available there, there should be a sense of pride and ownership of our public schools.
Commitment to community involvement -- The most effective public policies are those which address issues determined by the community, and which are fully vetted in public. The School Board needs to consider the diverse perspectives of the Seattle community as well as the diverse cultures, assets, and learning styles within the student population. At schools, there must be a commitment to involving parents, family members, and/or other caring adults in meaningful ways. Schools must reach out and invite family and community involvement.
Broad base of knowledge and experience -- I have worked in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. I have broad experience in education issues that extends beyond K-12 schools to early childhood education and to higher learning. I have also worked on neighborhood and transportation issues. Combined with years of experience in policy arenas, I have a strong foundation for advocacy at all levels of government and in the community on behalf of children, youth, and public schools. And I have the knowledge of political processes necessary to govern effectively according to agreed-upon goals and outcomes. |
3. Please describe in sufficient detail, one to three accomplishments or contributions of which you are most proud. These examples should illustrate effective skills and capabilities you think apply to the office you are seeking. These accomplishments may have occurred at any time in your personal, professional, or public life.
4. Please list or describe your current and past activities in the community in which you have acquired skills that relate to the office you seek. Include your role in the activity and the year(s) in which you were involved. Involvement consists of many areas such as family, neighborhood, community, employment, or public life.
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Director, Office for Education, 02–3; staff, Dept. of Neighborhoods, 99–02; staff, King County Council, 95–99; research analyst, House of Reps, 82; budget intern, City Council, 81; leg asst, House of Reps, 79–81. Community involvement includes Alliance for Education School Transformation Advisory Group; Schools First; Project Lift-Off; PTSA; Business/Child Care Partnership; School-To-Work Alliance; Pathfinder School Site Council; Sound Schools; PIPE; Seattle Children’s Museum; Fauntleroy Childrens Center; and PEPS.
In addition to these policy and education credentials, I have a record of getting things done: * In 1984, I co-founded West Seattle Nursery & Garden Center and operated it successfully for the next 13 years. In 1992, I received a Mayors Small Business Award from Mayor Norm Rice, in recognition of significant business growth, creativity in operating a small business, and commitment to community reinvestment. * In 1992, as a member of the Southwest Youth & Family Services capital campaign steering committee, I coordinated The New Old Time Chautauqua (a parade, community workshops, and a vaudeville show featuring the Flying Karamazov Brothers that played to a standing room only audience in the Sealth High School auditorium) that focused community involvement, generated considerable media coverage, and contributed more than $30,000 to their capital construction fund. * In 1994, I founded the West Seattle "Art of Gardening" Garden Tour, which was the largest single fundraising event for ArtsWest for more than five years and continues on today. * In 1996, on behalf of then-Councilmember Greg Nickels, I established a partnership between King County, the Port of Seattle, and City of Seattle, as well as Argosy Tours and West Seattle community members, to launch the Elliott Bay Water Taxi.
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School Board governance involves setting the strategic direction of the school district, establishing policies that support the strategic plan, hiring (and firing, if necessary) the Superintendent, adopting and overseeing budgets, approving levy funding packages, approving labor contracts, adopting curriculum, evaluating results, and considering recommendations for improvement in the future.
As elected officials, School Board members should also play a role in building public support for public schools by helping to open lines of communication with parents, families, community members, children and youth service providers, and community-based organizations.
Academic success is a complex equation. Every part of the equation is important. Boardmembers must hold the Superintendent accountable. The Superintendent must be able to justify operations and budget decisions in a timely manner according to the strategic direction that has been established by the Board. Finally, Boardmembers must take responsibility for their own actions and/or failures to act. |
EDUCATION BACKGROUND SUMMARY
The Municipal League’s Candidate Evaluation Report is distributed to voters in print and/or on our website. It includes a summary of the candidate’s education. Please summarize your education in 120 characters (letters, punctuation, and space all combined). The League will delete material that exceeds the space limit by beginning with the last entry. Suggested order is (degree) (subject) (school) (year, if desired).
Note: If this question is left blank the League will not include education information in your candidate profile.
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B.A., Sociology, University of Washington, 1979. Continuing education includes Washington School Law. |
FOR PUBLICATION IN CANDIDATE EVALUATION REPORT
The Municipal League’s Candidate Evaluation Report also includes a summary of each candidate’s civic involvement. Please summarize your civic involvement in the space below. We will make every attempt to include the information in the Candidate Evaluation Report as submitted. Due to space restrictions in the Report, your response is limited to 500 characters (letters, punctuation, and spaces all combined). It is important that you list your involvement beginning with the most important and ending with the least important. If you exceed the length of response permitted, or if the League should find it necessary to shorten responses for publication purposes, deletions will be made beginning with the last item listed.
Note: This information will appear verbatim on the League’s Candidate Evaluation Report. If this question is left blank, the Municipal League will not include information on your civic involvement in the Report.
Check here if you would like the Municipal League to copy the first 500 characters from Question 4 to paste into this section.
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Finished!
If at all possible, send your response to the Municipal League electronically as an attachment, or insert it into an e-mail message (rebecca@munileague.org). Mail and fax numbers are listed below. If the League has not contacted you to schedule an interview, please call the League office at your earliest convenience.
Don’t forget to send the following to the Municipal League: a resume, a photo, campaign literature, and, if you are an incumbent, constituent newsletters and other materials. Please use the check-off list on the cover sheet of this packet to indicate which items you have sent.
Candidate Evaluation Coordinator: Rebecca Cooper
Seattle, WA 98104-1614 Fax: 425-671-0506 Website: www.munileague.org