Clark
Sarah Clark
Pronouns: She/Her
Director District 2
Video Statement
Statement of Interest
Candidates were asked to submit a letter of interest describing why they wish to serve and should be selected for appointment.
To Whom it may concern,
Allow me to introduce myself–
My name is Sarah Clark, I am submitting this letter of interest to serve on the Seattle School District’s Board of Directors, representing District 2. I have lived in Crown Hill, 3 blocks north of Ballard High School and 2 blocks west of Whittier Elementary School since 2012, returning to my childhood home to care for my parents. I am a graduate of Seattle Public School District three times, having graduated from the highly capable program at Madrona Elementary, Washington Middle School and Garfield High School in 2003. I am very proud of my roots and have a lot of compassion for the students and families living in my district during these uncertain times.
Policy Director, Educator, Collaborator, Advocate, Community Builder are just a few of the title’s I’ve held as I’ve worked in a variety of roles the last 10 years advocating for system’s change at the local, state and federal level. My humanistic values of compassion, service, integrity, and justice, have driven me to search for solutions within complex systems. I’ve learned from my life experience that a quality education, from birth through college, is one of the best foundations for success later in life–even if you don’t attend college. And unfortunately, there are too many youths in Seattle, in my own district, who don’t have access to quality education. Students, families, and the District are facing uncertain times with looming budget cuts, depletion of certain state revenue sources, educator turn-over, and anticipated school consolidations and closures. I’ve worked with elected leaders to teach them about the issues in our education system, advocating for increased funding across the spectrum and now I’d like to volunteer for public service myself.
Why? The District has evolved in the twenty years since I graduated, providing many more paths forward for students from PreK to College and Career readiness, and in my current role I’m seeing the power of Innovative public private partnerships, like the Core Plus program (Boeing) and how the proliferation of these programs is critical in order to fund and expand programs for students success, not cut them.I know that being an SPS Board member at this time may be challenging but I hope that with my professional and educational background and lived experience can bring a fresh set of eyes to the problems, a fresh perspective and renewed spirit of excitement. I believe that as a board, together we can collectively meet these challenges and that the entire district will come out better on the other end.
I’m going to be honest, my path to where I am today, Director of Policy at the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, has not come easy– I’ve experienced a lot of traumas, even struggled with SUD in my early twenties and had mental health challenges in my teens and early twenties. I was lost for most of my twenties, unsure of myself, afraid of the world, but I believe that because of the quality K-12 education I received, I was able to find my way back and had options that others don’t, like returning to college at age 28 to get a bachelor’s and master’s degree from the UW in four years. I’ve come to realize after the pandemic that this is a common human experience, that working to overcome these challenges is the most important thing and I hope that sharing my experience, strength and hope will help someone else who is struggling.
My mentor has taught me that youth are the hope for our future and that it’s imperative we invest in them, give them every opportunity to be successful and happy in life, starting with quality education. If I am selected for this role, I vow to represent listen to the needs of District 2 students, act in the nest interest of District 2,the teachers who work with those students and the families and communities who raise them and the Seattle Public School District as a whole, all children who attend SPS schools.
Resume / Summary of Related Experience
Tell us about your experience, including any Board or other leadership experience.
I am a policy and advocacy professional with extensive experience working effectively within diverse communities, organizations, across systems to promote equity and social justice, undo systemic racism and address inequities within education, child welfare, tax and revenue, housing stability and civic engagement . Detail oriented, culturally responsive leader with proven success cultivating relationships with community members, managing and designing inclusive programs and coalition leadership.
Equity and Social Justice: 10+ years of experience volunteering and working in public policy and advocacy in Washington State to advance racial equity and social justice within our systems of governance — thorough knowledge, understanding and ability to interpret federal and state regulations, policies, and procedures related to equity, diversity & inclusion and Civil Rights
Tax and Finance: 10+ years experience analyzing state budgets, understanding of state accounts that fund K-12 and appropriations to OSPI, calculations of local school and district budgets and expenditures, teacher wages & benefits and other costs such as labor, food, transportation, administration, extracurricular programs, etc. and role of local gov.
Change Management: Designed and implemented racial equity change management strategies for two of the most influential early learning in Washington State. Experience using tools such as racial equity impact assessments and structural racism theory of change to evaluate the effectiveness of proposed and/or existing policies and practices
People Management: Adept in creating, leading & facilitating large local and statewide coalitions; highly skilled in listening, relationship building, thought-partnership, negotiation, conflict resolution, communication, collaboration and project management.
Research & Analysis: Highly adept in secondary and original research; gathering and compiling data from various sources to identify trends and concerns associated with existing policies and procedures. Complementary aptitude in program management, curriculum development, and using data to advance policy solutions at the state, county and municipal levels
Key Strengths: Passionate native Seattleite who is committed to eliminating structural barriers for BIPOC children and families in WA., creating inclusive communities, connecting individuals to opportunities and resources, and balancing power and privilege. Dedicated to creating opportunities and intersectional policy pathways and implementing programs that promote equity and social justice in communities across WA.
Educational Background
University of Washington
Early Childhood Education: 61 credits M.Ed., Education Policy & Leadership (2017) & B.S., Comparative History of Ideas (2016)
Professional Development
- Leadership Tomorrow Class of 2024
- Dismantling Racism with Dr. McDade and Delbert Richardson, 2017
- Strategic Storytelling with Lakeisha Jackson, September 2017
- Communicating Towards Equity with Dr. Jondou Chen, February 2017
- Storytelling Strategies to Dismantle Racism with Natasha Marin, April 2017
- Equity Trainings with Dr. Cheryl Ingraham, 2016-2017
Equity centered, values-based, collective leadership programs, teaching participants how to navigate intersectional elements of a healthy community, gain skills to tackle today’s challenges in collaboration with others and how to grow in humility and courage.
Relevant Volunteer Experience
- P.EO. (Philanthropic Educational Organization), Chapter B.V. Member, Seattle, WA 2022-current
- Volunteer Voting Member, Child Welfare Action Coalition, Seattle, WA 2019-current
- Volunteer Activist, Reacher & Grant Writer, Not This Time (gun violence prevention coalition), Seattle, WA 2019-2023
- Board Secretary and Equity & Diversity Committee Chair, MEP Alumni Advisory Board, University of Washington 2017-2020
- Mentor for MEP students, University of Washington 2017-2020
Application questions
What is your connection to the Director District 2 or 4 community, schools, families, and students? How do you foresee growing or expanding on those connections and relationships in your role as a School Board Director?
I have deep roots in District two, having lived here most of my life (29 out of 39 years). I have relationships with many families in the district, and have mentored many children who have graduated from Ballard High School.
If I become the district two representative, I plan to grow and expand those connections and relationships so I can make decisions that are rooted in the needs of the students and families that live in the district. I plan to be intentional about this, hold office hours, attend school activities and make an effort to connect with, listen to and learn. I plan to solicit feedback using zoom, social media, email and other tools to be accessible and make informed decisions, weighing my knowledge of systems and solutions, with the needs of those students in my district.
What is your understanding of the role and responsibilities of a School Board Director and the Seattle School Board? How do you foresee working with your fellow Directors, the Superintendent, staff, and the public?
I have a very good understanding for the roles and responsibilities of a School Board Director, and the role of the Seattle School Board from my education and experience working in policy/advocacy in education. I hope that my humanistic values and belief in collective leadership will lend to amicable, collaborative relationships with the Superintendent, staff and the public. I plan to stay focused on what brings us together– the governance of the district, collaboration with other school leaders outside the Board, in the best interest of the students and will strive to find common ground as much as possible.
Having never held political office, but working with many who do, I know that honesty is the best policy which is why I’ve been so honest in this application about my past and where I am today. I hope that is a good first step in building trust with District two parents, teachers and students and current Directors. I know that it will be a challenging environment, with looming budget cuts and uncertain times ahead, but I hope that we can work together, stay focused on our common goals, and find a path forward that puts the students first.
Describe the areas of strength you bring to collaboration and building positive working relationships with fellow Board directors.
I often say that I’d rather be happy than be right. I think this attitude is the biggest strength I will bring to the board of directors. I also am very analytical, and inquisitive, and while I may ask a lot of questions to understand, I rarely take things personally which makes it much easier to work in collaboration with others.
Over the years, I’ve realized that collective leadership leads to better outcomes. I share when I am passionate about something, but I am also very openminded, willing to consider other people’s ideas and try them. I think these practices will help me build positive working relationships with fellow Board Directors, they’ve certainly worked well in my professional life.
Please give an example of how you have addressed conflict and overcame it to build alignment as a member of a group decision-making body.
I am a member of P.E.O., in a Chapter that has very few women my age and even fewer women of color. I was assigned to the outreach committee, who was responsible for making decisions on an annual calendar of activities, that would help to build our Chapter’s relationships with the community and connect with more people.
It became apparent to me pretty quickly that the members in my group were relying on me to brainstorm, develop ideas and make decisions for them, and it felt like it was because of my identity which was very upsetting to me and in expressing my displeasure and hurt feelings a conflict arose with another member of the committee. I tried to remain calm, refraining from any judgements or harsh words, but I was upset so I asked for time to process my feelings and think things through, asking that the other person did the same.
After a few days, and in a better place and understanding of what took place, I reached out to mend fences. In a calmer place, I opened up about my experience in the past where I felt put in an impossible to position, given too much responsibility over a project and outcomes and having been punished if things didn’t work out. I shared that I would much rather be a part of the team, brainstorm ideas together and share responsibility for whatever the outcomes are.
The other person shared how they were just excited to have me on the team and thought I was smart, young, with many bright ideas, and apologized for singling me out and putting pressure on me. We both felt better on the other side, built more alignment with each other and were able to work together to make decisions for the entire Chapter.
School Board Policy No, 0030, Ensuring Educational and Racial Equity, includes the following commitment:
The Seattle School Board is committed to the success of every student in each of our schools and to achieving our mission of ensuring that all students graduate ready for college, career and life. We believe that the responsibility for student success is broadly shared by District Staff, administrators, instructors, communities and families. We are focused on closing the opportunity gap and creating learning communities that provide support and academic enrichment programs for all students. Additionally, we believe that it is the right of every student to have an equitable educational experience within the Seattle Public School District.
What does this statement mean to you?
To me, this statement means that the Seattle School Board, District Staff, administrators, instructors, communities and families all have a unique role to play in collaboration with each other to ensure that every student receives an equitable education experience that culminates with graduation and readiness for college, career and life. Its clear from this statement the collaborative approach the district takes, and the deep focus and commitment to student well-being with some specific areas of focus, like closing the opportunity gap and creating learning communities to increase outcomes.
The Seattle School Board has set three goals for student outcomes with accompanying metrics that serve as broader indicators of the school system’s performance. Provide your insights into how setting goals and monitoring progress influences student success.
I think its great that the Seattle School Board has set goals for student performance accompanied by metrics and that they are tracking results to gain a broader understanding of the school systems performance. I’ve learned in my education and experience in systems change that in order to make real, lasting change, we have to be creative and try new things–programs and policies that are new to Washington State. Whenever something new is tried, it’s important to track and evaluate the results, collect data on outcomes but most importantly then use this information to make data-informed decision to sed policy or programs to improve the results overtime.
System’s change is a process–design, implement, evaluate–usually when you target interventions to meet the needs of the most vulnerable students, the outcomes for all improve. I’m glad to see the district implement these measure and it looks like they are making slow progress in the college readiness goal, but may need to evaluate the math and early literacy programs that aren’t on track to meeting their goals.
Please share your knowledge and/or thoughts on an ongoing educational issue that is a high priority for you. How do you see the Board’s role in this issue?
There are a couple of issues that are high priority for me. First is the lack of mental health resources students have at school, and a seeming lack of a plan from the state to increase these resources to scale and long term. Speaking of resources, I am concerned that the looming City of Seattle budget challenges within the city of Seattle may lead to further cuts which have in the past meant fewer counselors, fewer arts and sports programs, fewer support staff. I believe the School Board has a role in these issues as they help develop and monitor the District’s budget, set goals for outcomes and have the authority to approve cuts.