Debbie's Corner

I am running because representation matters. 

I am a non-binary queer person (she/they) who has lived in Seattle for 27 years and in North Seattle since 2013.

My family is neurodivergent, mixed race and LGBTQ+. My partner is mixed blood Alaskan Native, and my kiddo is South Asian. We are a foster to adopt family. 

My child entered Seattle Public Schools in preschool with an IEP and now she will be in 1st grade. The systems we navigate and our lived experience give us perspective and strength as a leader and elected official.

We live in a climate of national and local LGBTQ+ backlash with anti-LGBTQ+ laws being introduced around the county and the Supreme Court ruling to legalize discrimination against LGBTQ+ individuals.

In Seattle the rise in homophobia and transphobia in schools is under the radar. An example of LGBTQ+ backlash in Seattle schools is the rise in LGBTQ+ staff and student harassment. 

As an LGBTQ+ person I want to champion a LGBTQ+ and racial equity lens on the school board. I want all children and youth to know that they deserve to be safe and treated fairly. I will fight for LGBTQ+ inclusion to be part of the district guardrails and district strategic plan that guide the district in how they achieve their goals. I will advocate for our students and educators, so all educators receive professional development on creating safe and supportive environments for LGBTQ+ students. Representation matters in policy development and budget decisions, and it is imperative we have LGBTQ+ representation at the highest level of decision making in our school district. 

I am running because I believe there needs to be more community engagement from school board directors and the district when crucial decisions need to be made. I have listened to families share their frustrations around a lack of authentic community voice. I share this experience and frustration. 

I believe public institutions, like our schools and the district, have an obligation to listen to all voices, especially those most marginalized by the educational system. 

I believe stronger community engagement must happen before big decisions like school closures or reshuffling in over 50 elementary schools, shifting their teachers into different grade levels and creating more split grade classes. 

I will change current District 1 school board member practices by holding monthly community forums for individuals and families to share their experiences, challenges, and what is working well, and be a liaison between the district and Seattle families, students and staff. 

For example, during this campaign, I teamed up with fellow school board candidate, Ben Gitenstein, to hold 4 Future of our Schools Town Halls in the South, Central, North and West Seattle areas to listen to educators, families and students around local schools issues and pending schools closures. These Town Halls are also available online. These Town Halls gave communities a voice and community, particularly around pending school closures that the district is not currently providing. 

In addition, if elected, I will also seek out organizations, and events where communities who are furthest from educational justice show up to listen, problem-solve and share knowledge on how the educational system works and what the best pressure points for community-led advocacy are. As an elected school board member and community ambassador I will commit to communicating with constituents in digestible and accessible ways to build back the trust of Seattle families, students and staff.

I am running to increase transparency and accountability at the district and school board level. To fully trust the district and board, families and communities must know what is going on and receive communication about crucial upcoming decisions in a timely manner.  

The district had a $131 million budget gap and coincidentally is spending an excess of $125 million on Special Education Services over what the state provides in educational funding. Despite some board members asking for more transparency around these funds, the district has avoided answering what they are spending this money on and its impact on student academic achievement. 

In the 2024/2025 school year it is predicted we will experience another budget deficit of 105 million where opponent has stated she supports school closures, yet the district hasn't shone us the math that justifies it. 

In 2020 most of the board voted to change its model of governance with little to no community feedback. Most board committees were eliminated, including the operations communittee, taking away a window for the public to better understand the direction and reasoning behind why the district is making decisions around curriculum, student services, discipline policies and district operations.

These are all examples of a lack of transparency and accountability at the board level. 

I will fight to bring forth a new committee model where the public has access to information like curriculum, Inclusionary methods, Highly Capable cohorts, Student Services/restorative justice, Special Education Services and operation policies. 

I will advocate for a biennial independent audit to foster more budget transparency.