Seattle School Board Special Meeting - October 15, 2025

All right, it is 4.31.

Just confirming here that our ASL interpretation is up and running.

It looks like we are good there.

Awesome.

Thank you.

Well, this is President Topp and I am now calling the special board meeting to order at 4.31 p.m.

Please note that this meeting is being recorded.

we would like to acknowledge that we are on ancestral lands and the traditional territories of the Puget Sound Coast Salish people.

For the record I will call the roll Vice President Briggs.

Here.

Director Clark.

Present.

Director Hersey.

Here.

Director Mizrahi.

Here.

Director Rankin?

Here.

Director Sarju?

See, Director Sarju listed in the participant, so you're on mute, Director Sarju.

Okay, I was muted until just this second.

I could not unmute.

Perfect.

Got Director Sarju, and this is President Taub.

Wonderful well good evening or afternoon everyone heard there's this thing called the Mariners game happening tonight so I think we will be able to get out of here before the first pitch but this is important work so we'll take as long as we need to do it right today the board is going to be discussing the next steps in our superintendent selection process and identifying the candidates who will move forward into the final stage gonna just list off a few things and we can move to a little bit of discussion.

I want to just start by thanking everyone who continues to follow and engage in this process.

I just want to reiterate your participation matters.

It keeps us board directors grounded in this work and what is really important, our students, our families and the educators who make Seattle Public Schools what it is.

Just from the very beginning, this search has been shaped by Community Voice.

Earlier this year, more than 3000 students, families, staff and community members shared their hopes and expectations for our next leader of our public education system here in Seattle.

Through surveys, focus groups, listening sessions, we've gathered input and that input helped guide the drafting of our leadership profile report, an actual report that outlines what Seattle is looking for in their next superintendent and what our community values most in public education leadership.

Once the draft was complete, we went back out to share it with community.

And in those engagement sessions, what stood out was how deeply Seattle values public education.

The hope people have for the future and really the insistence that we can do better and we must strive every day to do better for our students.

You feel that in every conversation, the pride, the care, the shared belief that our school systems are access to opportunity in our city's future.

There remain.

So thank you again to everyone who participated and gave your time, your ideas, your energy to make our education system stronger.

we know that comes at a cost time away from families busy schedules and other commitments and we are so grateful.

Since then the board has there was an application process the application process closed on September 15th and the board out of over 40 applicants narrowed it down to we selected eight for interviews and over two full days we conducted interviews with our narrowed pool of candidates.

We had deep and meaningful conversations about leadership alignment to the leadership profile report and what kind of superintendent would serve best the Seattle students as far as their qualifications and aligning it to our leadership profile report.

I was very impressed by the caliber of every candidate, their experience, their readiness to serve, their commitment to students.

This has been a closed search process, which means candidates' names have not been made public, and I think that decision allowed us to attract a strong pool of applicants, including sitting superintendents and other exceptional leaders who may not have applied in the open process and assured we can do the very best we can for Seattle.

So tonight marks an important step forward.

to where we've sort of listened, we've learned, and now we're move ahead, guided by our community's voice and united in our commitment to Seattle students.

So as far as next steps, we're moving into sort of the final phase here in our superintendent search, working with our search firm, HYA and board officers, Vice President Briggs and member at large Mizrahi kind of worked to outline the next steps in this process.

After we select final candidates this evening, the board will move into reference checks and background checks with HYA, continue to review their leadership records and hold interviews with our final candidates.

Each finalist will present a 100-day plan to the board in executive session so we can see how each candidate would approach the work from day one and how they set priorities right out of the gate.

and this will help the board make decisions thoughtful and well informed that align with our leadership profile report.

So those are sort of the next steps in this process.

I want to open it up to board discussion about those next steps before we move on to the actual action item, which is the naming of those finalists this evening.

What exactly are you asking or putting on the table?

If there's any discussion about our next steps in this process.

Discussion about next steps?

Yes.

We will next on our agenda is an action item where we will narrow down finalists.

I will make a motion and open up for discussion.

This is mainly just on our next steps in this in this process.

That was worked on with HYA and our board officer, seeing if there's any questions, concerns or things that people want to know more about.

All right, doesn't mean it's the last time to ask question or but we will then move on to the action items in today's agenda.

So again, because all candidates currently hold leadership positions, their names will remain confidential while the board continues its due diligence.

This will ensure a fair and professional process that protects both the candidates and their current districts.

Last week we did do interviews and we discussed as a board there the qualifications of the candidates.

There were specifically two candidates that stood out to me in last week's interviews and as board discussion I think had similar feeling amongst fellow board directors.

That was candidate seven and candidate eight.

Are there any other candidates that the directors would like to move forward?

All right, I'm not seeing any, so I will make a motion.

I move that the Seattle School Board select candidate number seven and candidate number eight to advance in the superintendent selection process with their identities remaining confidential during the final interview and due diligence phase.

Is there a second?

Thank you, Director.

Thank you, Director Mizrahi.

We will now I will call on staff for a roll call for the vote.

Vice President Briggs.

Aye.

Director Clark.

Aye.

Director Hersey.

Aye.

Director Mizrahi.

Aye.

Director Rankin Director Sarju President Topp This motion has passed unanimously.

I love it.

This is exciting folks and that was the one action item on our agenda today.

This means that we will move and move these two finalists forward in this process.

I just again want to thank everyone who shared their voice and perspective.

My colleagues for the caring commitment they've brought to this work.

I'm proud of the caliber of leaders who have stepped forward in this process and I think We're united in our goal to find the right leader for Seattle Public Schools, someone who reflects our community's values, builds trust, keeps all students at the center of every decision.

So that includes our work for the evening.

As there is no further business on the agenda, the meeting stands adjourned at 4 41 p.m.

Thank you all so much.

Have a wonderful evening.

Go Mariners!

Thank you!

Go Mariners!

Bye!