Seattle Public Schools, Washington, elections (2021)

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2023 → ← 2019
Seattle Public Schools elections
Primary date
August 3, 2021
General election date
November 2, 2021
Enrollment ('17-'18)
54,573 students

Three seats on the Seattle Public Schools school board in Washington were up for general election on November 2, 2021. A primary was scheduled for August 3, 2021. The filing deadline for this election was May 21, 2021.

Elections

Click on the tabs below to show more information about those topics.

Candidates and results

District 4

General election

General election for Seattle Public Schools Board of Directors District 4

Vivian Song defeated Laura Marie Rivera in the general election for Seattle Public Schools Board of Directors District 4 on November 2, 2021.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Vivian Song (Nonpartisan)	72.0	170,364
		Laura Marie Rivera (Nonpartisan)	27.7	65,469
		Other/Write-in votes	0.4	851

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 236,684
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Seattle Public Schools Board of Directors District 4

Vivian Song and Laura Marie Rivera defeated incumbent Erin Dury and Herbert Camet Jr. in the primary for Seattle Public Schools Board of Directors District 4 on August 3, 2021.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Vivian Song (Nonpartisan)	59.8	18,268
✔		Laura Marie Rivera (Nonpartisan)	21.4	6,534
		Erin Dury (Nonpartisan)	10.7	3,276
		Herbert Camet Jr. (Nonpartisan)	7.5	2,297
		Other/Write-in votes	0.6	170

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 30,545
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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District 5

General election

General election for Seattle Public Schools Board of Directors District 5

Michelle Sarju defeated Dan Harder in the general election for Seattle Public Schools Board of Directors District 5 on November 2, 2021.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Michelle Sarju (Nonpartisan)	85.1	203,591
	Submit photo	Dan Harder (Nonpartisan)	14.6	34,961
		Other/Write-in votes	0.2	557

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 239,109
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Seattle Public Schools Board of Directors District 5

Michelle Sarju and Dan Harder defeated Crystal Liston in the primary for Seattle Public Schools Board of Directors District 5 on August 3, 2021.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Michelle Sarju (Nonpartisan)	85.8	22,983
✔	Submit photo	Dan Harder (Nonpartisan)	10.4	2,799
	Submit photo	Crystal Liston (Nonpartisan)	3.3	890
		Other/Write-in votes	0.4	117

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 26,789
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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District 7

General election

General election for Seattle Public Schools Board of Directors District 7

Incumbent Brandon Hersey defeated Genesis Williamson in the general election for Seattle Public Schools Board of Directors District 7 on November 2, 2021.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Brandon Hersey (Nonpartisan)	92.7	213,782
	Submit photo	Genesis Williamson (Nonpartisan)	6.6	15,293
		Other/Write-in votes	0.7	1,520

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 230,595
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Nonpartisan primary election

The primary election was canceled. Incumbent Brandon Hersey and Genesis Williamson advanced from the primary for Seattle Public Schools Board of Directors District 7.

Additional elections on the ballot

See also: Washington elections, 2021

What's on your ballot?

Click here to find out using My Vote

Candidate profiles

This section includes candidate profiles created in one of two ways: either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey, or Ballotpedia staff compiled a profile based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements after identifying the candidate as noteworthy.

Vivian Song

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Submitted Biography:  "Vivian is a daughter of immigrants and a proud public school graduate who benefited greatly from special needs services due to her hearing impairment. She is a mom of 4 young children who are current and future Seattle Public School students. Vivian currently serves as a PTSA president, a member of Seattle Public Schools’ Superintendent Parent Advisory Council, and as board director for the Washington State Leadership Board, a nonprofit that serves Washington state’s youth with leadership development opportunities and programs. Prior to her involvement in education, Vivian worked for 15 years in finance and operations at Google and Goldman Sachs. She received her B.A. in Economics from Harvard University and a M.B.A. from Harvard Business School. "

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Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.

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I have the lived experience as a person of color, an English as a Second Language student, and a special education student (hearing loss) to know the challenges of our marginalized student populations. I seek this position to represent them and to work to ensure all Seattle Public School students have equitable access to an excellent public education.

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Our $1B budget must reflect our values. I will dive into our capital and operating budgets to ensure that our students and staff are getting the support they need to succeed. I have over 15 years of professional finance and operations experience in organizations at the scale of our district and seek to use these skills to serve our community.

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We must work collaboratively with our city and state leaders to "build back better." I will advocate fiercely for the resources, policy, and support our students and staff need.

This information was current as of the candidate's run for Seattle Public Schools Board of Directors District 4 in 2021.

Laura Marie Rivera

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Submitted Biography:  "I am an educator with 30 years of experience, I have spent a lifetime in the arts community, I am a mom of four Seattle Public Schools students, and I am a lifelong learner. The imminent, post pandemic, in-person school year for 2021-22 presents an opportunity for new leadership to reimagine what our public schools can be for our children. I'm ready to hit the ground running for decisions which will set our course for at least a generation. In this role, my knowledge and experience as an SPS parent and an educator matters. I have taught in multiple disciplines, from Kindergarten to UW, school programs at an urban museum, and arts education for children and adults in the public and private sector. I am on the board of the Coe Elementary School PTA and Friends of Seattle’s Olmsted Parks, and I currently serve as the local Reflections Art Chair and Coordinator for the National PTA Arts Competition. I have an M.S. in Education from Bank Street College of Education in NYC and a B.A. from UCLA. Giving the gift of education to our kids is what centers me and my commitment to our Seattle Public Schools community in a meaningful way. Endorsed by The Seattle Times, the Teamsters and the 11th District Democrats. "

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Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.

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Accessibility and the best possible education for all Seattle Public Schools students. We must be inclusive regardless of race, gender, ability, economics, first language, religion. Seattle is a leader in technology, innovation, and the arts. Our schools need to be leading as well. We need to protect the learning opportunities that we have and work to open up more options for our students.

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Transparency and Communication. Parents, caregivers, and even experienced advocates are daunted by the barriers to accessing school leaders to meaningfully hear our voices. I will work to change the process of creating advisory groups and task forces to ensure that we are seeking out community in their spaces. I firmly believe: Nothing About Us Without Us. As a SPS Director I will work to ensure that those impacted by administrative decisions are both informed and have the opportunity to provide feedback.

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I will be physically, mentally, and emotionally engaged and present in seeking out and listening to families of color. I will work to eliminate disproportionate discipline, isolation and restraint, and the school to prison pipeline, and create an environment where students of color see themselves, are seen and supported, and are given opportunities to develop and demonstrate their talents and work. The intersections of students of color with LGBTQIA+, cognitively atypical, disabled, and more mean that space must be held in every conversation for families of color to be heard, seen, and supported.

This information was current as of the candidate's run for Seattle Public Schools Board of Directors District 4 in 2021.

Michelle Sarju

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Submitted Biography:  "For 34 years I’ve called the Central District home, and as a Seattle Public Schools mom I have experienced both the promise and the failure of our public schools. As a parent I was constantly put in the position of advocating for basic fair treatment, when my child faced disparate punishment compared to their white peers. Education is a birthright, and every child deserves a high quality public school education that supports and validates their quest to learn. Far too often, demographics like race, zip code, socio-economic status, different abilities, first language, or the location of a child’s school determine the quality of education a student receives. This inequity is unacceptable."

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Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.

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COVID Re-entry and Recovery Plan: Safely re-integrate students into the classroom. Prioritize student and teacher socio-emotional health, and advocate for additional mental health funding. Provide high quality virtual options so vulnerable students and families can learn safely.

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Eliminating the Educational Opportunity Gap: Increase focus on K-3rd grade support, the most foundational educational period of a child’s life. Re-imagine our child-school relationships. Utilize trauma informed approaches instead of suspensions & expulsions.

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Standardized Testing: Evaluate the negative impact of standardized testing on our students, particularly students of color. Suspend standardized testing for the 2020-2022 school years so students are not punished for pandemic losses. Replace standardized testing with evidence-based metrics of success.

This information was current as of the candidate's run for Seattle Public Schools Board of Directors District 5 in 2021.

August 3, 2021

• Washington intermediate appellate court elections, 2021
• Municipal elections in King County, Washington (2021)
• City elections in Seattle, Washington (2021)
• Mayoral election in Seattle, Washington (2021)
• King County, Washington, Proposition 1, Property Tax for Youth and Family Support Services (August 2021)

November 2, 2021

• Washington intermediate appellate court elections, 2021
• Washington Advisory Vote 36, Nonbinding Question on Telephone Tax to Fund Behavioral Health Crisis Response and Suicide Prevention (2021)
• Washington Advisory Vote 37, Nonbinding Question on Capital Gains Tax to Fund Education and Child Care (2021)
• Washington Advisory Vote 38, Nonbinding Question on Captive Insurers Tax (2021)
• Municipal elections in King County, Washington (2021)
• City elections in Seattle, Washington (2021)
• Mayoral election in Seattle, Washington (2021)
• King County, Washington, Charter Amendment 1, Preamble Changes and Corrections (November 2021)
• King County, Washington, Charter Amendment 2, Initiative, Referendum, and Charter Amendment Processes and Timeline Changes (November 2021)

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About the district

See also: Seattle Public Schools, Washington

Seattle Public Schools is located in King County, Washington. The district served 53,317 students during the 2015-2016 school year.

See also

Seattle Public Schools	Washington	School Boards
Seattle Public Schools, Washington, elections (2019) List of school districts in Washington	Washington school board elections, 2021 Public education in Washington Local ballot measures, Washington	School board elections, 2021 School board elections, 2020 School board election data analysis, 2021 School board election data analysis, 2020

External links

• Search Google News for this topic
• Seattle Public Schools

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