Laura Obara Gramer

Laura Obara Gramer

Education

Bachelor's

University of Illinois

Personal

Profession

Occupational therapist

Contact

Personal website

Laura Obara Gramer was a candidate for District 2 representative on the Seattle Board of Directors in Washington. The general election was held on November 3, 2015. Laura Obara Gramer lost the general election on November 3, 2015.

The 2015 board elections drew increased competition as the district wrestled legislative attempts to reform the district's board and size. Meanwhile, local teacher protests were part of the statewide discourse on education funding.

Biography

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Gramer is an occupational therapist and stay-at-home parent. She earned a B.S. in occupational therapy from the University of Illinois in 1996.

Elections

2015

See also: Seattle Public Schools elections (2015)

Four of the seven seats on the Seattle Board of Directors were up for election in 2015. Because more than two candidates filed for the District 3 and 6 seats, a primary election was held on August 4, 2015. The top two vote recipients in those races and the candidates for District 1 and 2 appeared on the general election ballot on November 3, 2015.

District 1 incumbent Sharon Peaslee, District 2 incumbent Sherry Carr, District 3 incumbent Harium Martin-Morris and District 6 incumbent Marty McLaren were up for re-election, but only McLaren filed to run for another term.

The race for District 6 was the most competitive in 2015. Incumbent Marty McLaren faced challengers Leslie Harris and Nick Esparza in the primary. Harris and McLaren advanced to the general election, but the primary election results and campaign finance indicated a difficult general election race for the incumbent. McLaren placed second in the primary, more than 10 points behind Harris. As of campaign finance reports available on October 21, 2015, Harris had raised more than four times McLaren's campaign contributions and outspent her by a factor of almost seven. Harris defeated McLaren in the general election.

District 3 saw four candidates seeking the open seat: Lauren McGuire, David Blomstrom, Stephen Clayton and Jill Geary. Geary and McGuire advanced to the general election, garnering over $100,000 in combined campaign contributions as of October 21, 2015. Geary won the general election.

The District 1 and 2 seats saw just two candidates advance to the ballot each. Michael Christophersen and Scott Pinkham vied for the District 1 seat, while Laura Obara Gramer and Rick Burke ran for the District 2 seat. Pinkham and Burke won election to the board.

Multiple candidates withdrew from their races prior to the deadline. Therefore, they did not appear on the ballot. Arik Korman withdrew from the District 1 race, Julie McCleery and Deborah Leblang withdrew from the District 2 race and Suzanne Sutton withdrew from the District 6 race.

Results

Seattle Public Schools Board of Directors, District 2 General Election, 4-year term, 2015
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Rick Burke	80.7%	124,381
Laura Obara Gramer	18.9%	29,112
Write-in votes	0.36%	554
Total Votes		154,047
Source: King County Elections, "Election Results: General and Special Elections November 4, 2015," November 24, 2015

Funding

Gramer reported $2,870.00 in contributions and $92.32 in expenditures to the Washington Public Disclosure Commission, which left her campaign with $2,777.68 on hand as of October 21, 2015.

Endorsements

Gramer was endorsed by the following organizations and individuals:

• 34th Legislative District Democrats
• 37th Legislative District Democrats
• Tom Rasmussen, Seattle City Council Member
• Irene Stewart, former Seattle School Board Director
• Lisa Stuebing, former chair of 43rd Democrats
• Marja Brandon, former founding Head of School of Seattle Girls' School

Campaign themes

2015

King County voters' pamphlet

Gramer provided the following statement for the King County voters' pamphlet:

“	I have a stake in Seattle Public Schools (SPS) because my children are entering the school system. My husband, Brendan, and I have two deaf children, a preschooler and a toddler. I care about school issues and regularly attend board meetings. I have worked as an occupational therapist for 15 years. I have sat on various boards and commissions such as Seattle Commission for People with Disabilities. -When my oldest son entered the school system, I saw a crucial need to improve the deaf and hard of hearing program (DHH). I helped bring people together to address the DHH program. The program is starting to transform; SPS hired a new supervisor, and is in the process of changing programming. -We need to fix the education gap for students with disabilities and students of color. -In providing capacity through mega schools, the district must not trade away the children’s playgrounds. (Thornton Creek, Wilson Pacific, and Loyal Heights.) -Our children need more time for lunch and recess. Recess brings better focus and attention in class because children are able to “recharge.” Recess helps balance physical and sedentary activities, and children need space to move.	”
—Laura Obara Grame, King County Local Voters' Pamphlet (2015)

Campaign website

Gramer provided the following statements on her campaign website:

“	More Transparency and Accountability: Seattle Public Schools must be held accountable for the decisions they make that affect our children’s education and future. There must be more transparency by sharing these decisions through improved communication on a regular basis. Hold on to Playground Space: In providing capacity through mega schools, the district must not trade away the children’s playgrounds. (Thornton Creek, Wilson Pacific, and Loyal Heights.) Reduce Standardized Testing: The schools push too much testing on our children. We need to focus on learning and give them an environment where they are safe and able to learn. Fix The Equity Gap: We need to fix the education gap for students with disabilities and students of color. Longer Recess: As a long-time Occupational Therapist, I know the importance of recess activity for young children. The American Occupational Therapy Association states that “It is a child’s "job" or "occupation" to play to develop physical coordination, emotional maturity, social skills to interact with other children, and self-confidence to try new experiences and explore new environments.” Fix Special Education: I was successful in forcing the district to address the Deaf/hard of hearing program by voicing my concerns, educating the district, and bringing the community together. As a school board director with a disability, I will also be the voice to tell the district to stop looking at students with disabilities as a money issue: it should instead be a people/priority issue. And I will listen to your concerns!	”
—Laura Gramer's campaign website (2015)

Recent news

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Laura Obara Seattle+Public+Schools School District. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

Laura Obara Gramer - Google News

See also

• Seattle Public Schools, Washington
• Seattle Public Schools elections (2015)
• Incumbency no guarantee of success in Nov. 3 school board elections (November 6, 2015)
• What happened in Nov.'s top board elections? (November 4, 2015)

External links

Suggest a link

• Seattle Public Schools
• Campaign website
• Campaign Facebook page