City Hall shouldn't run Seattle schools

The just-completed election is a dramatic reminder of the power of voting. Once again we see that the ballot box is the means by which voters hold their elected officials accountable and set a direction for their government.

With that as a backdrop, it's hard to believe some folks are now talking up the notion of having the Seattle School Board appointed by the mayor. It's an idea that would weaken the democratic process of school governance by depriving voters of their right to decide who will lead their school district.

The Washington State School Directors' Association, which is made up of all 1,482 locally elected school board members in our state, recently went on record firmly opposing any takeover of school districts — whether it be by federal agencies, by state government or by City Hall. We strongly believe that parents and voters have a greater impact and voice through locally elected school board members who are directly accountable to them.

School boards are the heart and soul of the public education governance system in Washington state. They provide a direct link between the community and its schools. They are an independent, nonpartisan voice of advocacy for public education, with no other interest but the welfare of school children. They have a single, overriding mission — to govern their districts in a way that promotes success for all students.

Mayors have myriad responsibilities and scores of departments to manage. By turning the keys over to City Hall, the school district becomes another one of those departments rather than an independent governmental body with a single focus.

Mayors operate in an environment where partisan politics are much more the norm. And mayors come and go. While the current mayor is undoubtedly a strong supporter of public education, future mayors may have different priorities and different agendas.

This is not to say mayors have no role in improving public schools. They do, and it is significant. Mayors contribute to the well-being of children and remove obstacles to student success by addressing municipal issues such as homelessness, crime and safety, health care, and affordable housing. They are effective advocates for our schools, highlighting student achievement and underscoring the importance of adequate resources. School boards regularly seek out mayors, city council members and other fellow elected officials to promote collaboration.

Which leads to the question: What's broken that needs fixing? The Seattle School District has made significant strides in recent years, with gains in student academic achievement consistently outpacing statewide averages. The board has mapped out a comprehensive academic-improvement plan and has hired a new chief academic officer.

And, while continuously improving student learning, the district has pulled itself out of a $34 million financial hole and built a healthy reserve.

There is no doubt the board has significant challenges ahead. School closures — an emotionally charged issue in any school district — remain on the horizon. A $397 million operations-and-maintenance levy and a $490 million school-construction bond will be on the ballot in February. The School Board must also recruit and hire a new superintendent, one of the single-most-important decisions a board ever has to make.

Selecting the right superintendent for the district's future is so important that it must be done through a careful, thoughtful process that focuses not on political issues but on children's issues. The board is planning a nationwide search for superintendent candidates. Given that the process of finding and selecting a superintendent is lengthy and complex, especially for a large urban district, the Seattle board is wise to start the process now.

The challenges that lie ahead will require strong leadership from the School Board and the superintendent. The community, including City Hall, will need to step up and work in collaboration to ensure that the district has the support it needs to provide a quality education for all children. And the Legislature needs to start living up to its constitutional duty to provide stable, adequate funding for all public schools.

As the Seattle district works to carry out its plan for continuous academic improvement, the last thing it needs is a distracting, disruptive attempt to tinker with its governance system. The last thing district parents and patrons need is to be dispossessed of their right to choose who will govern their school system.

Democracy is built on the proposition that the people are the best judges of their own interests. Controversy, a fact of life in school district governance, is no excuse for undermining that proposition. So let's end this talk about disenfranchising Seattle School District voters and stay focused on the real task at hand — making sure all children are learning.

Cindy McMullen, a member of the Central Valley School Board in Spokane, is the incoming president of the Washington State School Directors' Association.