(WSB file photo)

School Board director Leslie Harris has just announced this at her community meeting at West Seattle Library:

I will not be running for re-election to School Board Director Position 6 for the next four years.

It has truly been an honor and privilege to serve as your elected Director for the past 7.5 years. I ran on the platform of accountability, trust, and equity – and we’ve made progress, but there is a far way to go to deliver outstanding tax supported educational services to SPS’s approximately 47,000 students. We can and must do better.

The different Boards I’ve had the opportunity to serve on have put forth extreme effort despite decades long systemic issues, e.g., underfunding from the state, staff turn-over, Covid 19, and significant changes in the make-up of our community and housing.

Each Director has given hundreds of hours a year for four-year terms for very limited per diem pay which affects their families, employers, and the continuity/history knowledge of the Board’s and District’s work. To expect this sacrifice from working people and families is not sustainable and irresponsible for an elected Board responsible for a $1.2 Billion annual operating budget with limited staff support.

Voters who wish to run for the District 6 position need to register with the Public Disclosure Commission (PDC) by May 19th. The Primary Election pool is limited to West Seattle, South Park, and Georgetown. Ballots will be mailed July 12th with the top two candidates proceeding to the city-wide General Election. General election mail ballots will be mailed October 18th and the deadline for return is November 7th. There are a number of deadlines for the PDC, campaign laws, voter’s pamphlet submissions, and several debates and symposia throughout the cycle. There is no filing fee for this position. Four positions of the seven member Board (a majority) are up for election this year. I am happy to be a resource to answer questions for those considering running for election.

I will be working hard through November 2023 with my colleagues and SPS staff addressing looming issues such as the potential $131M 2024-25 budget deficit, boundary changes for attendance schools, transportation changes, curriculum adoptions/changes, legislative advocacy with the City and State, the Memorial Stadium potential public/private partnership re-build/rehabilitation to this non-ADA nor earthquake protected extraordinary capital asset in the middle of Seattle Center owned by SPS, as well as the current ongoing significant policy, procedural, operational, and outreach/communication changes already underway which fundamentally change the way the School Board operates.

To my family and the community, thank you for allowing me the opportunity and support to serve in the best and hardest job of my life. It has been worth every minute of effort and an honor to serve the furtherance of our children’s futures. A good education is truly the gateway to a good life for our students and their families.

Harris said it was a very difficult decision. She said she tried to find a successor; absent one, she is encouraging would-be candidates to run. Harris won her first term in 2015 by unseating incumbent Marty McLaren.