Candidate Statement
We need to reframe the conversation. The problem is an achievement gap – but it is not a 4th grader’s failing test score – it is a city not educating its children for the 21st century.
ALL stakeholders – city leaders, business owners, parents & teachers, churches, synagogues & mosques, firefighters and law enforcement – must work towards this one goal: the best possible schools for our children! Our schools should be palaces where community ties are formed and problems are solved. As a community leader and businesswoman of 3 decades, I am uniquely qualified to lead this effort.
As a mom of 3 sons who attended Seattle public schools, I understand the community’s voice must be heard prior to making decisions that affect the ultimate client – the student. Parents need consistency in school assignments. Parents AND educators should share equal responsibility for student success, while being held to the highest possible standard.
Early childhood learning is the key to lowering the drop out rate and raising graduation rates. We must fund this as a city. An extended school day would dramatically reduce juvenile crime, teenage pregnancy and drug abuse – while saving our city millions of dollars that could be redirected to fund education.
Every school – from kindergarten on – should require:
• Foreign language immersion
• Rigorous academics
• Daily Physical Education, competitive sports, arts, drama, music
• Fiscal literacy
• Citizenship curriculum, including tolerance and diversity training
• Vocational strands
• Entrepreneurial competitions
• Environmental protocols
• Wellness instruction
We can provide ALL of this with existing organizations and by forming public private partnerships. We CAN give Seattle school children the best education possible. In doing so, we will bring our city, and our region, all it deserves for the future.