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Chelsea Byers
Chelsea Byers was a candidate for District 7 representative on the Seattle Public Schools Board of Directors in Washington. Byers was defeated in the by-district general election on November 7, 2017.
Biography
Byers' professional experience includes working as the vice president of instruction at a technology education organization, an education-based product manager, and as a director of instructor development for education startups. She earned a master's degree in quantitative analysis political science from the London School of Economics and economics and political science degrees from the Clark Honors College at the University of Oregon.[1]
Elections
2017
- See also: Seattle Public Schools elections (2017)
Three of the seven seats on the Seattle Public Schools Board of Directors in Washington were up for at-large general election on November 7, 2017. A primary election for all three seats was held on August 1, 2017, because more than two candidates filed for each seat. Although the general election was held at large, the primary election was held by district.
Eden Mack was the District 4 winner, defeating fellow challenger Herbert Camet Jr. in the general. The two fended off Sean Champagne, Jennifer Crow, Megan Hyska, Lisa Melenyzer, and Darrell Toland in the primary. In District 5, Zachary DeWolf was victorious over Omar Vasquez. They both defeated Alec Cooper, Andre Helmstetter, and Candace Vaivadas in the primary. District 7 board member Betty Patu successfully defended her seat against challenger Chelsea Byers. They both defeated Tony Hemphill in the primary.[2]
Results
| Seattle Public Schools, District 7 General Election, 4-year term, 2017 |
||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Betty Patu Incumbent |
68.35% | 131,351 |
| Chelsea Byers | 31.65% | 60,829 |
| Total Votes | 192,180 | |
| Source: King County, "November 7, 2017 General Election," accessed November 30, 2017 | ||
| Seattle Public Schools, District 7 Primary Election, 4-year term, 2017 |
||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Betty Patu Incumbent |
68.41% | 12,226 |
| Chelsea Byers |
20.98% | 3,750 |
| Tony Hemphill | 10.03% | 1,792 |
| Write-in votes | 0.58% | 103 |
| Total Votes | 17,871 | |
| Source: King County, "2017 Results," accessed August 15, 2017 | ||
Funding
Byers reported $12,906.78 in contributions and $6,252.73 in expenditures to the Washington Public Disclosure Commission, leaving her campaign with $6,654.05 on hand as of October 16, 2017.[3]
Endorsements
Byers received an official endorsement from the King County Young Democrats and The Seattle Times.[4][5]
Campaign themes
2017
Byers' campaign website stated the following in the section "Why I'm Running:"[6]
| “ | The Washington economy is booming, but we aren’t preparing all of our students to be able to participate in these gains. Our state ranks 49th out of 50 in preparing students for STEM careers, and Seattle Public Schools has the 5th worst black-white achievement gap of any urban school district in the country.
I'm running because our kids have so much potential, and yet our public schools are failing in their duty to prepare students for a 21st century education and ensure access to quality education across Seattle. We can't build an economy in Washington that we don't educate our own kids to participate in. I became an educator because I believe all students deserve the chance to succeed, and it’s time to have a school board that shares this belief and fights for all kids. Graduation Rates Many students from Seattle Public Schools are stuck in a school system that has low expectations for them, graduating with limited choices - if they graduate at all. In one of the fastest growing cities in the US, it is unacceptable that nearly a quarter of our youth don’t graduate from high school, and it’s an urgent problem that all of our students don’t have access to high-quality education. I believe that all students can be high achievers if they are challenged and inspired by school. Equal Educational Opportunity Seattle has the 5th worst black-white achievement gap in the country, and the worst in the state of Washington. Access to science and technology courses (STEM) and career and college counseling isn’t provided to all, limiting opportunities for student success and creating one of the largest equity gaps in the country. We must work together to close this gap and show that educational equity is a core value in our district, and state. A 21st Century Education Working in technology education for adults, I see a huge gap between the skills the Washington workplace needs and how we are preparing our students. The most common well-paying job posting in Seattle is “software developer”, yet many Seattle students don’t even have access to AP computer science courses. Washington’s economy will be driven by technology jobs, and we don’t want our kids to be left out. As a Seattle School Board Director, I will use my proven track record as a STEM educator to prepare students for a future they can succeed in. Early Childhood Education Access to high quality early childhood education is one of the best ways to set children up for success in school, and life. Seattle voters support universal pre-K, and yet program expansion hasn't yet lived up to what was promised. We still aren't a city that offers high quality early childhood education to every child, and need to work together to keep this mission front and center so that universal pre-K truly becomes a reality.[7] |
” |
| —Chelsea Byers (2017)[6] | ||
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Chelsea Byers for School Board, "My Background," accessed June 19, 2017
- ↑ King County, "Who Has Filed," accessed May 22, 2017
- ↑ Washington Public Disclosure Commission, "Local Candidates," accessed October 16, 2017
- ↑ Elisabeth Moore, "Email exchange with Herbert Camet," June 8, 2017
- ↑ The Seattle Times, "The Times Recommends: Chelsea Byers for Seattle school board District 7," July 11, 2017
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Chelsea Byers for School Board, "Why I'm Running," accessed June 19, 2017
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
| Seattle Public Schools elections in 2017 | |
| King County, Washington | |
| Election date: | Primary: August 1, 2017 General: November 7, 2017 |
| Candidates: | District 4: Herbert Camet Jr. • Sean Champagne • Jennifer Crow • Megan Hyska • Eden Mack • Lisa Melenyzer • Darrell Toland District 5: Alec Cooper • Zachary DeWolf • Andre Helmstetter • Candace Vaivadas • Omar Vasquez |
| Important information: | What was at stake? |
