The Seattle School Board recently announced the appointment process for naming a successor for Director Betty Patu, who announced her resignation in May.
Patu, currently serving in her third term and is the longest-serving director on the board, represents District VII, which encompasses southeast Seattle. Her resignation will be effective July 1. With her resignation, the school board is required to appoint a successor to serve for the remainder of her term, which concludes with the November 2021 election. The appointed board member may choose to run for the position in the 2021 election cycle.
Appointment Process
All school board directors, including this successor, must be a U.S. citizen who is registered to vote and lives within the boundaries of the district they represent. In this case, the appointed director must live in District VII.
June 28 – All interested candidates must submit a letter of interest and resume or work experience.
July 8 – SPS will provide all candidates with a questionnaire, which must be returned to the District by July 12, 2019. The questionnaire will be developed through input from board members and the public.
Late July or Early August 2019 – each candidate will have the opportunity to speak at a Public Candidate District VII Forum at Rainier Beach High School. Depending on the number of candidates there may be an opportunity to ask questions from the public.
Depending on the number of candidates for appointments, three finalists may be chosen by a vote of the current School Board. The finalists will then take part in a public interview sometime in August.
August 28, 2019 or a Special Board Meeting to be announced for early August, the Board will swear in the appointee.
For detailed information on the application process, including confirmation of public meeting dates, please see the Director Appointment web page on the SPS website at https://www.seattleschools.org/district/school_board/director_appointment.
