By Stuart Jenner
This year, there are three director positions up for election on the Highline School Board. Are you interested in running or know someone who would be interested? Filing is coming up fast. Candidate filing is May 15 – 19, closing at 4:00 pm on May 19. [King County Link here]
The primary election is on August 1, 2023, and the general election is November 7, 2023.
Three seats out of the five are up for election:
Current Board members Aaron Garcia, Carrie Howell and Azeb Hagos are all in seats that will be up for vote this year. Meet your board https://www.highlineschools.org/about/school-board
- Aaron Garcia represents District 1, an area comprised of White Center, plus parts of Burien.
- Carrie Howell, District 4, represents an area that includes a large part of Normandy Park plus some of Des Moines (North Hill) and part of Seatac.
- Azeb Hagos, District 5, represents much of Des Moines, plus a tiny part of Normandy Park.
The boundaries do not correspond to specific city or school zone attendance areas such as a high school’s service area. To see exact boundaries, view the director boundary map.
School board members take office in December, after the election is certified. Board members attend two regular meetings each month, plus occasional work study sessions or board retreats, held on site at the school district headquarters in Burien.
Key responsibilities include managing the superintendent, Dr Ivan Duran, approving the budget, reviewing and approving policies, and representing the Highline community’s academic and other goals to district staff.
Board members over the years have come from a variety of backgrounds with work or volunteer experience in education, community organizations, business, and other areas. Only some have been parents or grandparents of children currently in schools. There are training sessions and resources available to help board members learn about responsibilities.
