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Lindsey Yocum

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Lindsey Yocum
Image of Lindsey Yocum

Nonpartisan

Lake Washington School District school board District 5
Tenure

2023 - Present

Term ends

2027

Years in position

1

Elections and appointments
Last elected

November 7, 2023

Education

High school

Joel E. Ferris High School

Bachelor's

Western Washington University, 2003

Graduate

Northwest University, 2008

Personal
Profession
Executive Director
Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Instagram

Campaign YouTube

Lindsey Yocum is a member of the Lake Washington School District School Board, representing District 5. She assumed office on December 4, 2023. Her current term ends in 2027.

Yocum ran for election to the Lake Washington School District School Board to represent District 5. She won in the general election on November 7, 2023.

Yocum completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2023. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Lindsey Yocum earned a high school diploma from Joel E. Ferris High School, a bachelor's degree from Western Washington University in 2003, and a graduate degree from Northwest University in 2008. Her career experience includes working as an executive director of a nonprofit farm, a director of a nonprofit school, and an educator in the Highly Capable program at LWSD.[1]

Elections

2023

See also: Lake Washington School District, Washington, elections (2023)

General election

General election for Lake Washington School District school board District 5

Lindsey Yocum defeated Janel Schermerhorn in the general election for Lake Washington School District school board District 5 on November 7, 2023.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Lindsey Yocum
Lindsey Yocum (Nonpartisan) Candidate Connection
 
72.4
 
28,101
Image of Janel Schermerhorn
Janel Schermerhorn (Nonpartisan) Candidate Connection
 
27.0
 
10,485
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.6
 
250

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 38,836
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Nonpartisan primary election

The primary election was canceled. Janel Schermerhorn and Lindsey Yocum advanced from the primary for Lake Washington School District school board District 5.

Endorsements

Yocum received the following endorsements. To view a full list of Yocum's endorsements as published by their campaign, click here.

Ratings

Yocum received ratings or grades from the following organizations.

  • Citizens Alliance for Property Rights

Pledges

Yocum signed the following pledges.

  • Defense of Democracy
  • Everytown for Gun Safety

Campaign themes

2023

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Candidate Connection

Lindsey Yocum completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2023. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Yocum's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

I am a parent of LWSD students, a teacher, and an advocate for equity and inclusion. After earning my BA in Business Management and MA in Teaching, my 15-year teaching career began in Lake Washington School District (LWSD) as an elementary teacher and member of the Washington Education Association. Currently, I am a PTO president, a PTSA volunteer in our schools, a member of school level and district level equity teams, an IEP Parent Partner through the ARC of King County, and the Executive Director of a non-profit farm that provides an inclusive employment for adults in our community.

In preparation for this election, I’ve focused on meeting with students, families, community members, business owners, current and past school board directors, and LWSD staff.  Through those connections, I consistently hear the need for school board members who understand the complexities of our public educational system from a variety of viewpoints.  My experiences as a teacher in our classrooms, a director of nonprofits, and a parent to school age children, have truly motivated me to continue making a difference in the lives of students in our community. 

  • Experience Matters: It’s time for an experienced educator to help lead our district. As a 15-year community member and teacher, I understand the challenges and opportunities facing our district, the communities LWSD serves, the realities of working in a classroom and school, and have the desire to engage and collaborate with all community members. It’s important for our school board to have representation from someone who understands the intricacies of our classrooms while shaping and monitoring district policy.
  • Improved Community Engagement: Our students, families, and staff need to feel empowered and welcome to contribute to decisions that impact them. This will only happen if we build a culture of transparency, respect, and trust where ALL voices are heard. So many issues facing our district and communities, such as mental health, workforce housing, sustainability, and post high school education, need to involve more voices in decision making. I hope to bridge the relationships between our district, city leaders, local organizations, and local unions.
  • Equity and Inclusion: Our schools and staff need the resources and training to effectively provide inclusive and equitable environments and education for all students. Providing these resources will help attract and retain quality teachers who are committed to teaching in an inclusive system. Without these resources, our teachers and staff will burn out and continue to leave this profession at alarming rates.
I am extremely passionate about advocating for fully funded education in our state. Our state’s paramount duty is to fund basic education, yet many districts, including LWSD, rely on voter approved levies to fund basic education. Our state is not fulfilling its constitutional duty to fund schools. Ultimately, advocacy for equitable K-12 funding needs to happen at the state level. The opportunity to advocate on behalf of LWSD, and all districts in our state, was a large factor in my decision to run for School Director. With a solid understanding of effective advocacy, I hope to educate and engage community members, so they feel empowered to raise their voices in solidarity. If elected, I also look forward to working with local and state legislators to ensure that our state government is adequately funding basic education. Our lawmakers need to understand that special education, gifted education, nurses, counselors, mental health professionals, and paraeducators are all part of basic education.
Serving in a leadership role is very similar to teaching a classroom full of diverse students. As a teacher, I always integrated soft skill instruction and critical thinking into my daily lessons. These all ring true for elected officials as well.

1. Strong communicators and collaborators: Elected officials need to be able to interact with their board, superintendent, district leaders, staff, parents, students, and community members. Building relationships is what I enjoy most. This requires transparent communication and the dedication to work together as a team that is committed to education and improving the quality of education in our district.

2. Strategic thinkers: Elected officials make decisions based on data and trends. They can set priorities for the district, develop long term plans during the strategic planning process (happening in 2024), and continually monitor policies and progress toward the long-term goals. THIS IS TEACHING! Most don’t realize that teachers are constantly analyzing data thrown at them in a variety of ways during each school day. Every decision made by a teacher is data driven.

3. Ethical: High ethical standards are required from elected officials. They need to always be making decisions that are best for students. Thankfully, this is one of the most important attributes my parents ingrained in me growing up. Stick to your values that ensure you treat everyone the way you want to be treated: with respect, honesty, confidentiality, and integrity.

4. Continuous learner: A board director must always be well-informed on what is happening in public education. Not just in our district, but also surrounding districts, the state, and our nation. As change makers, it’s important that elected officials are always learning and asking questions.
During my summers in high school, I was a certified lifeguard and swim instructor. This job provided an early glimpse at my passion for working with children. As an instructor, I had my own class of students and was responsible for designing swim “curriculum” to meet each of their needs. I continued this job for several summers well into my college years.
I have loved Dr. Seuss my entire life. As a teacher, I appreciate how Seuss transformed books into more creative stories that engaged young learners. While there are many Dr. Seuss books lining my shelves, my favorite story he wrote is The Lorax. This was written over fifty years ago, but the message is more appropriate now than ever. As we deal with the consequences of climate change, The Lorax is a harsh reminder of the negative impact humans have on our world. On the other hand, this story also gives us great hope. With the one word “UNLESS”, we can challenge ourselves to do better for future generations.

“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It is not.”

If you have read this far, I am leaving you with a fun fact. My only tattoo is the word unless written on my arm.
One struggle I’ve faced in my life has been living with a hidden disability. Until recently, I didn’t have the tools, strategies, and medication to help me. These struggles have given me the opportunity to connect with neurodiverse students and staff as they navigate the challenges of living in a world that is not always equipped and prepared to meet their needs.
School board members have a variety of jobs. They set and monitor policy that governs the school district, approve the district’s budget and ensure that funds are allocated in a way that support the districts values and goals, and work alongside local leaders and legislators to improve public education across our district and state.

I believe one of the most important jobs of a school director is to serve as a connector between community members and the district. Board members meet and communicate with their constituents and seek feedback on district programs and policies.
If elected as a school board leader, my primary responsibility is to the current and future students of our district. As a board member, I am responsible to press for the best solution for students, not the easy solution, as I work to ensure equity, diversity, and inclusion across our district and bring meaning to the district motto:  EVERY STUDENT FUTURE-READY.

All members of the LWSD community are my constituents. We are all impacted by schools and want the best for future generations. For the past year I’ve been meeting with my constituents to learn what is important to them. These individuals include students, educators, staff, and families. Additionally, I’ve met with business, civic, and community leaders to learn about their concerns and how I can best support our community if elected.  
It’s no surprise that our students, educators, and staff are impacted by the mental health crisis we are experiencing. The first step to making progress is to destigmatize mental health issues in our homes, schools, and community. Support and change cannot occur unless we develop understanding and empathy for those in need of help. Additionally, we need to look at and address the root causes of this mental health crisis, rather than using a band-aid approach that can only offer short term solutions. COVID, climate change, academic pressures, and social media are often the culprits listed when asking our community what they believe to be the main causes of this crisis. Giving students and staff a voice in how to combat these culprits will generate innovative solutions and buy-in from those impacted by mental health struggles.
ORGANIZATIONS

Lake Washington Education Association

Teamsters Local Union No. 763

LiUNA! Local 242

King County Democrats

45th Legislative District Democrats

41st Legislative District Democrats

1st Legislative District Democrats

Washington State High School Democrats

Washington State National Organization for Women

National Women's Political Caucus of WA

Vote Mama

Mom’s Demand Action—Gun Sense Candidate



STATE LEGISLATORS

Senator Patty Kuderer

Senator Derek Stanford

Senator Lisa Wellman

Representative Roger Goodman

Representative Shelly Kloba

Representative Tana Senn

Representative Larry Springer

Representative My-Linh Thai

Representative Amy Walen



LOCAL LEADERS

Councilmember Sarah Perry, King County

Mayor Penny Sweet, Kirkland

Mayor Angela Birney, Redmond

Mayor Kali Clark, Sammamish

Councilmember Kelli Curtis, Kirkland

Councilmember Amy Falcone, Kirkland

Councilmember Neal Black, Kirkland

Councilmember Jessica Forsythe, Redmond

Councilmember Melissa Stuart, Redmond

Councilmember Karen Howe, Sammamish

Councilmember Pam Stuart, Sammamish



FORMER LOCAL LEADERS

Former LWSD School Board President, Jackie Pendergrass

Former LWSD School Board Director, Doug Eglington

Former 41st District State Representative, Marcie Maxwell

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Other survey responses

Ballotpedia identified the following surveys, interviews, and questionnaires Yocum completed for other organizations. If you are aware of a link that should be added, email us.

See also

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External links

Candidate

Lake Washington School District school board District 5
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    Footnotes

    1. ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on October 7, 2023
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