Seattle Public Schools | Carr, Ramirez, Sundquist

Four seats are up for grabs on the Seattle School Board. In the two primary contests, The Seattle Times endorses Sherry Carr in one, and Maria Ramirez and Steve Sundquist in the other.

Superintendent Maria Good-loe-Johnson is overseeing a transformation of the school district's top brass and stepped-up efforts to improve the city's schools. She ought to have the best board behind her. Carr, board candidate for District 2, which includes Green Lake, Wallingford and Greenwood, brings in-depth knowledge of the strengths and challenges of the schools. Carr brings experience from having served as president of the Seattle Council PTSA and a as member of former Superintendent Raj Manhas' Community Advisory Committee on Investing for Educational Excellence.

A Boeing senior finance manager, Carr would bring an understanding of large budgets and multiple accounting systems. Financial acumen is critical for this board. The district only recently climbed out of $34 million in debt and its current surplus, while sizable, is tenuous.

Darlene Flynn was endorsed by this page four years ago. But the veteran city employee's tenure has been a disappointment, marked by rancorous divisions and disagreements, and a loss of public confidence.

Ramirez and Sundquist are articulate and knowledgeable advocates for District 6, an area that includes South Park and West Seattle. They are vying for an open seat.

Ramirez, a King County housing employee, is a longtime volunteer and leader in her neighborhood schools. She is a forceful advocate for bilingual education and Latino students, subjects that have often been ignored in discussions about educational equity and diversity.

Sundquist, a former executive with the Russell Group, offers extensive public and private board experience. Like Ramirez, Sundquist is an active district parent and was part of the committee credited with bringing an International Baccalaureate program to Chief Sealth High.

Election debate needs to sharpen, with candidates offering concrete proposals to help struggling students and to combat the stubbornly high dropout rate. School overcrowding in some communities and underutilized schools in others are also ripe for debate.