Lusnia

Kelly Lusnia

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.

I am a compassionate learner and experienced educator who recently learned about this position. Thank you for sending it out to the entire SPS community. It shows value of the equity lens within our district.

I currently work at Magnolia Elementary school, a school with a vision based deep in equity practices. I, myself, have almost 15 years of experience in the education field. I have taught in the most culturally diverse zip codes in Seattle and the most economically diverse schools.

I am eager to bring my experience to the school board setting. I would be grateful for the chance to make a true change in the disparages I have experienced across the district.

Resume / Summary of Related Experience

Tell us about your experience, including any Board or other leadership experience.

Profile

Certified Seattle Public Schools teacher inspired to support struggling literacy programs and close the equity gap. Experienced in data analysis and technology implementation.

Education

City University of Seattle (Bellevue, WA) May 2010
M.I.T. Elementary Education, K-8 Teacher Certification

Georgia State University (Atlanta, GA) December 2007
B.A. in Speech Communication, Public and Political Concentration

Teaching Experience

Elementary Teacher (Seattle, WA) October 2019 – Present
Magnolia Elementary – Kindergarten and Reading Specialist

Active member of the racial equity team
Lead professional development amongst staff
Leading member of culture and climate committees
Participated in reframing vision of the building as well as a cultivating new learner profile of students

Elementary Teacher (Seattle, WA) September 2011 – September 2019
Lowell Elementary – 4th Grade and 3rd Grade Classroom Teacher

Established learning communities in a variety of subject areas including Reading Intervention, ELA
Common Core, MTSS, and Social Studies
Cultivated a multi-age classroom focused on intensive reading intervention models including ACCESS
Lead workshops based on best teaching practices for reading instruction during Summer Institutes
Modeled student goal setting conferences and data interpretation for other reading intervention teachers
Supervised teacher candidates from the University of Washington teacher preparation program
Implemented and fulfilled technology replacement programs within our school
Attended various professional development offerings based in intervention methods

Substitute Teacher (Seattle, WA) September 2010 – June 2011
K-5 Music Teacher, APP – ALO – SPED
S.T.E.M. Based Curriculum Teacher
Teaching Assistant, 4th Grade

Planned curriculum for eight classes at day, 500+ students in three week cycles
Expertly managed a variety of specialized learning programs
Facilitated assessments and prepped students for final projects submitted to major organizations
Modified classroom technology to meet the needs of students

Van Asselt Elementary (Seattle, WA) Sept 2009 – March 2010
Student Teacher, Grade 3 Title I School

Managed a classroom of 25 diverse and transitional students at a variety of levels
Developed designed curriculum to meet academic standards, and intellectual needs of students
Employed kinesthetic, visual, and auditory approach lessons that are both interesting and interactive
Supported a balanced reading program through the application of reading and writing workshops
Enhanced academic growth through the implementation of varied teaching strategies
Taught lessons in accordance with High Leverage Teaching Moves
Focused on Technology Integration in all available instructional approaches

Business Experience

Sony Music (Atlanta, GA) January 2002 – December 2007
Marketing Representative

Maintained relationships with a variety of retail accounts linking musical artists and physical locations
Outlined efforts in weekly progress reports submitted to the New York office for review

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 feel extremely connected to Director District 2. I support the environment in Friends of Discovery Park. I supports the community by leading a Girl Scout troop in the district. I know many families from a CoOp preschool program and students from teaching kindergarten age children. My own children are in the school age program. I have advocated for my families needing support in the area.

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?

The roles and responsibilities of a school board director include working together with the superintendent, assisting with the vision and mission of the district, shaping policies, adapting nuances around the budget, serving a community representative, having a pulse on the district’s progress towards its goals. Also, I wouldn’t fail to mention the equity lens the board should seek to operate through.

First, anyone taking this position would learn the history and progress historically made by the school board and seek to work towards furthering goals in the most collaborative efforts possible.

Next, shaping the vision towards the best possible outcomes for future leaders in society would be an excellent place to start.

Lastly, communication and representation of all stakeholder voices are important to decide any matter as the lives of the most important children, the collective whole, are at stake.

Describe the areas of strength you bring to collaboration and building positive working relationships with fellow Board directors.

To first build the blocks for authentic collaborative efforts one must start by getting to know the people involved in the collaboration. Relationships are essential. Learning climate and culture is essential to building all voices equally. Clear understanding of the long term vision and how everyone can become adaptable to the outcomes that may arise. All of these skills must be nutured inside the established meeting space as well as outside in the community.

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.

In the workplace I’ve always attempted to address conflict by being solution focused. In an example from my practice, a fellow educator felt threatened by me having had been in the workspace a bit longer than myself. We planned a time to meet and have open communication. We were able to keep the conversation solution focused and give time for each stakeholder to be heard. In the end, it all felt like solutions we could feel successful with and execute.

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?

As a student of historically black schools in Atlanta, Georgia I believe the foundational understanding of collective value. The idea of Maslow before Bloom. Currently, as a LAP Interventionist I choose to spend my hours closing gaps of students furthest from educational justice. Finding joy in the journey and the outcomes together with students, families, fellow instructors and administrators.

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.

My direct experience with students farthest from educational justice stems from a reading intervention program adopted and used by the district in the past. The visible goal setting experience with black boys was extremely valuable to their overall confidence in learning. After seeing the progress that needed to made, they were able to challenge themselves to work harder and complete to stay on track with the learning of nationwide peers.

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?

An ongoing educational issue that seems extremely pressing is the mental health of many students in the district. Life seems to be more challenging for kids and young adults in 2024. Hopeful, that additional training could become budgeted. This training could allow all staff to be trained to talk to a kids and young adults about how they are feeling and additional ways to screen for mental health flags.