Meet Superintendent Shuldiner

Dear SPS Families, Staff and Community, 

It is an honor and privilege to serve as the new Superintendent of Seattle Public Schools (SPS). Seattle is an incredible city, deeply invested in the success of our schools. I am already grateful to everyone who has reached out to share ideas, encourage the expansion of great work, and flag areas for improvement. 

While we have much to be proud of, we also have a long way to go. And we need to move forward together. 

In the past, our community hasn’t always felt heard. That needs to change. Building trust is central to the work ahead, and I believe the best ideas come from listening to you and learning from your experiences in our schools. 

To start, we have organized seven community conversations based on our School Board Director districts, plus a citywide virtual session. The director who represents each region is planning to join these conversations to hear from you. These are opportunities to connect, share, and dream big together. You do not need to live in a specific region to attend; everyone is welcome at any session. 

Community Engagement Meeting Schedule 

• Thursday, Feb. 26, 7:30–8:30 p.m., Bailey Gatzert Elementary, 1301 E Yesler Way  
• Tuesday, March 3, 7:30–8:30 p.m., South Shore K–8, 4800 S Henderson St. 
• Tuesday, March 10, 7:30–8:30 p.m., Salmon Bay K–8, 1810 NW 65th St.  
• Tuesday, March 17, 7:30–8:30 p.m., Eckstein Middle School, 3003 NE 75th St.  
• Tuesday, March 24, 6:30–7:30 p.m., McClure Middle School, 1915 1st Ave W.  
• Thursday, March 26, 6:30–7:30 p.m., James Baldwin Elementary, 11725 1st Ave NE  
• Tuesday, March 31, 6:30–7:30 p.m., West Seattle Elementary, 6760 34th Ave SW  
• Thursday, April 2, 6–7:30 p.m., Virtual, online; link forthcoming 

What to expect 
These conversations are the first step toward building trust and partnership. Our goals are simple but important: 

• Listen deeply to your experiences, ideas, and concerns 
• Capture what you share so nothing is lost 
• Follow up and follow through because your voice should lead to action 
• Sessions will include introductions, full-group discussions, smaller breakout conversations, and time for open questions 
• Interpretation services will be available at every session in Amharic, American Sign Language, Chinese, Somali, Spanish, and Vietnamese 

Register for the event 

Please RSVP to help us plan for space and interpretation services. RSVP is not required to attend. Everyone is welcome. 

I hope you will join us. Bring your ideas, your questions, and your hopes for our students. Together, we can create schools where every child feels supported, challenged, and inspired. 

If you cannot make one of these sessions, that’s okay. We will be livestreaming and recording them on the SPSTV YouTube channel. And there will be plenty of future opportunities to attend a meeting, join one of the roundtables I am forming, pull me aside when you see me at a school or in the community, or just send me an email at boshuldiner@seattleschools.org.  

I will also be visiting every school in my first 100 days. Please say hello if you see me at drop-off, in your hallways, or out in the community. 

Thank you for welcoming me into this incredible community. I look forward to meeting you and listening. 

In partnership, 

Ben Shuldiner 
Superintendent 
Seattle Public Schools