King County Local Voters Pamphlet

Joanna Cullen -

I have a broad background of involvement in Seattle Schools and I know that cooperation with parents, teachers and community is crucial to ensuring strong, engaging, successful educational programs that will provide opportunities for all students to thrive. Constituent involvement must be welcome.

The chaos of opening and closing schools in a rushed and poorly-justified process has been destabilizing to our public education system. We must do better as the District considers a new student assignment plan--School Board members must insist on a fair and equitable process.

I have served as Seattle Council PTSA President and on the board of Schools First supporting successful levies, along with many other oversight committees. I know the District and will invite your help.

After raising my two Garfield-grad daughters, I have the commitment, experience, and common sense to build true collaborative efforts.

Please vote for me on August 18.

Andre Helmstetter -

Hello, I am Andre Helmstetter.

It is time for Seattle public schools to be the best they can possibly be.

After repeated support by Seattle voters we are simply not doing the best that we can to keep all of our kids safe, interested and motivated in class.

Our children deserve consistent, quality instruction. Our families need predictable and equitable school programs, with assignments that make sense.

We need a current parents perspective. I have served on the Squire Park Community council and the TT Minor PTSA where the eldest of my two children is a 3^rd Grader.

I am a committed parent, an active member of the community, and a strong supporter of education. I graduated from The Evergreen State College, spent several years managing quality assurance teams, and am a local business owner.

Now I ask for your vote for School Board District #5.

Mary E. Bass -

Mary Bass has served with distinction as the School Board Director of District 5 for 8 years. The hallmark of her service has been a commitment to public involvement. Mary Bass was the first Board member to hold community meetings, improving access to information about District operations. Mary Bass was the first to institute breaks at School Board meetings so that Board members can engage attendees and answer questions. Mary Bass was the first to institute Superintendent response to concerns raised during public testimony.

Mary is an independent voice, demanding accountability. Mary pushed the District to publicly acknowledge the budget crisis that developed just months into her first term. Mary voted against budgets that were not balanced or disproportionately affected vulnerable populations. Mary opposed closures three times while providing creative costs-saving solutions.

Selected endorsements: 37^th Democrats, Sen. Adam Kline, Rep. Sharon Tomiko Santos, Rep. Eric Pettigrew, and many educators.

Kay Smith-Blum -

We need to reframe the conversation. This is about an achievement gap – a city not providing the appropriate education for all our children. Since 1992, Kay Smith-Blum has created community-building strategies that have generated thousands of volunteer hours and poured millions of dollars into our Seattle Public Schools. She knows we can bridge the gap by engaging ALL stakeholders NOW.

We must hear the community’s voice PRIOR to policy proposals that affect the client – our students. We must provide pre-school and from kindergarten on: •Foreign language •Rigorous academics •Daily PE •Arts & Music curriculum •Courses for fiscal literacy, citizenship, vocational & entrepreneurial training, environmental and wellness training. 

Kay and Butch Blum, are Capitol Hill residents, with 3 sons. Kay has balanced multi-million dollar budgets and been a business owner for 28 years. She has served on the PTSA boards of Montlake, Lowell, WMS and Garfield.