WS school-board member won’t run again

April 19, 2007 6:30 pm
|    Comments Off on WS school-board member won’t run again
 |   West Seattle politics | West Seattle schools

Crosscut says West Seattle’s rep on the Seattle School Board, Irene Stewart, has decided not to run for re-election. UPDATE: Since our original mention, we have been forwarded the press release she sent out. Click ahead if you would like to see it:

Irene Stewart will not seek reelection to Seattle school board

Today Seattle School Board director Irene Stewart announced she will not run for election to a second four-year term on the board, choosing instead to advocate for public schools from the community. Stewart, elected in 2003, represents West Seattle and South Park on the board. School board directors are elected by district in the primary and citywide in the general election.

Stewart issued this statement:

I have accomplished much of what I intended to achieve when I ran for the school board four years ago. At that time, there was little accountability for student, staff or administrative performance, no reserve fund, a bleak financial outlook, infrequent program evaluations, and little academic progress.

Now, the district’s financial management systems are sound. We have restored $26 million in reserve funds. Student performance data guides decision-making. School-based teams interview prospective principals. Program evaluations are underway. And, last night, the board unanimously approved a contract with a new superintendent, an educator and leader who will provide rigorous academic programs and services to meet the needs of Seattle students.

I want to return to community advocacy for public education and generate resources for school programs, including arts education.

I fully support our new superintendent, Dr. Maria Goodloe-Johnson, and look forward to working with her when she starts in July. Under Dr. Goodloe-Johnson’s leadership, I have confidence that Seattle Public Schools will go from good to great.

Stewart’s term ends in late November when a newly elected school board director from West Seattle or South Park is sworn into office. Candidate filing week starts June 4.

School board directors serve as volunteers. By day, Stewart works for the City of Seattle as director of the Mayor’s Office for Senior Citizens, a unit of the Human Services Department. She has two children — a freshman at Chief Sealth High School and a senior at West Seattle High School who will attend Johns Hopkins University in September.

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