Laura Marie Rivera is running for Seattle School Board District 4, which covers Queen Anne, Belltown, South Lake Union, Downtown to I-5, Pioneer Square area, and parts of Fremont and Wallingford (including Lincoln High School). Her opponent is Joe Mizrahi. This interview is part of our 2025 Seattle School Board Candidate series. Every Seattle voter will vote on four school board races in the general election: Districts 2, 4, 5, and 7.
About Laura Marie Rivera
- Recently completed Doctor of Education (defended dissertation during campaign)
- Two decades as educator, nonprofit professional
- Founded nonprofit on motherhood and leadership (first-of-its-kind study with nearly 1,000 responses)
- Parent of four: two recent SPS graduates, twins in elementary school
- Member of four unions throughout career
- Went to school in San Juan Unified School District, Sacramento, California
Key Positions
First Priority:
- Restore second school board meeting every month
- More public engagement and better communication with staff
On School Board Role:
- Directors need to be more flexible beyond policy-setting
- Should look at individual students and how they're reaching goals
- Board should facilitate responses when systems aren't working for students
On Superintendent Search:
- Need someone with experience managing large budget and deficit
- Want actual education experience to understand classroom impact
- Board needs to improve relationship with superintendent's office and public
- Concerned current board hasn't set up next superintendent for success
On District Structure:
- Flexibility is key
- Front-line educators and staff should make decisions (they see kids daily)
- All kids don't need same things—they're individuals
- Can't set one approach for 50,000 students at district policy level
On When Goals Aren't Met:
- Goals are modest; would like higher goals
- Must step down to individual level to understand what each child needs
- Could be classroom support, breakfast, undiagnosed learning disability
- Each individual child needs to meet standards for best chance at success
On Community Engagement:
- SPS has talked about engagement and communication for entire decade
- Reducing public engagement was a mistake
- Need to be thoughtful about what to do with community input
- Task force recommendations should not be ignored
Other Positions:
- Strongly supports SPS non-discrimination policy (though notes it doesn't always work in practice)
- Sees board role as both trustee and representative
- Believes budget is a moral document
Educational Leader She Admires: Gina Davis (founder of Gina Davis Institute on Gender in Media)
Looking Forward to Working With: Liza Rankin (though they don't see eye to eye on many things)
Important Info
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Rainy Day Recess music by Lester Mayo, logo by Cheryl Jenrow.
