Re: “I’m on the Seattle School Board. Here’s what we need to do to improve” (May 29, Opinion):
In her op-ed, Seattle Public School board member Liza Rankin claims, “We haven’t lost our way; the path is right in front of us. We just need the collective will and discipline to follow it.” But that’s the same path we’ve followed the last five years that she has been on the school board, and it isn’t working. Rankin got the governing model she wanted (Student Outcomes Focused Governance), the superintendent she wanted, the strategic plan she wanted, the budgets she wanted and the policy changes she wanted.
And what do we have to show for it? A persistent budget crisis. Rock-bottom student outcomes. Families of all backgrounds fleeing the district. A public that lacks trust and faith in district leaders.
We can’t stay on this path. Our students need change. Sensible, reasonable, thorough change. Let’s hope voters choose school board candidates this year who will lead in a different, better direction for our students.
Robert Cruickshank, Seattle
