SEATTLE School Board President Steve Sundquist's re-election defeat underscores the axiom that no good deed goes unpunished.

A good board member is exiting.

The Seattle Times endorsed Sundquist, inspired by his background as a proven business leader with deep roots of volunteerism in our local schools. Sundquist was a calm and able presence during some of the district's most contentious times. He did not hesitate to move the board toward firing Superintendent Maria Goodloe-Johnson and her financial chief in the wake of a small-business-contracting scandal. City Hall and state legislators found him someone they could work with.

Perhaps Sundquist's defeat to retired teacher Marty McLaren was to be expected. The election was the first after a year of financial and management upheaval in the Seattle Public Schools. Indeed, a big story last week was the arrest of the former district employee facing felony theft charges connected to the scandal.

The other three incumbents up for re-election handily retained their seats.

The Seattle Education Association acknowledges putting an unprecedented amount of money and time into the McLaren-Sundquist contest. The teachers union helped with phone banks, direct mailings and fundraising, allowing McLaren to raise more money than any other challenger, half of it from the union. That set up an interesting irony: McLaren pointed to Sundquist's campaign contributions from organizations associated with education-reform issues as proof the board member was in the pocket of special interests.

The teachers union's hard work on McLaren's behalf is confusing. Its parent organization, the National Education Association, touts innovative reforms in Seattle that were launched on Sundquist's watch — including new teacher evaluations and schools extending the learning day.

McLaren is a retired teacher. A new member joins the School Board. The focus remains on students and a better-run district.