Seattle Public Schools is searching at breakneck speed for a new superintendent. The district sent out an email to its list of parents and families inviting us all to a public forum at the end of the month to meet the three finalists for the supe job.

This is important. We can submit questions ahead of time by emailing them to boardoffice@seattleschools.org. Please feel free to copy me (matt.a.halvorson@gmail.com)! I'd love to know what questions we're asking.

Let's make sure it's impossible for these candidates to be confused about the fact that equity is our singular top priority. We need to force these potential district leaders to demonstrate whether or not they know what's at stake, and we need to find out for ourselves if any of the three people the Seattle School Board introduces us to will be willing and able to take the kind of radical, bold action that could lead to unprecedented educational equity.

Let me reiterate that: our goal is unprecedented. That means the leadership to bring us there must be without precedent as well. If we hear a candidate borrowing from existing blueprints, or making suggestions that lack urgency, then we'll know better than to support that person. Unless we do things that have never been done, we will only remain stuck in these intolerable, inequitable realities that have always characterized our schools.

A school with an opportunity gap is not a "good" school. Period. A district with an opportunity gap is not a "good" school district. Period.

We need our new superintendent to reframe success and failure in these ways and commit to a system of schools that "first does no harm." Let's raise our collective voices and demand nothing less.

Here's the full letter from SPS:

Dear families, 

Thank you to those of you who participated in the Superintendent Search survey and Town Hall in January. The feedback gathered was reviewed by the Board and used to create promotional materials to recruit Superintendent candidates. In the first three weeks of March, the field of candidates will be narrowed to 2-3 finalists. These finalists will be announced the week of March 26.

You are invited to a Public Forum for all members of the community to meet the finalists for the next Superintendent of Seattle Public Schools. It will be held on Thursday, March 29 from 5-8:15 p.m. at the John Stanford Center Auditorium. It will also be broadcast live on the District’s Channel 26.

Schedule:

• 5:00 to 5:30 p.m.  Attendees from the public will be invited to mingle with the Board and submit written suggested questions to ask the candidates. These questions will be collected by the moderator, organized by theme, and narrowed to the number able to be asked within the time period.

• 5:30 to 6:15 p.m. The first candidate will provide a 5-10 minute introduction and then answer the questions collected from the audience and presented by the moderator.

• 6:30 to 7:15 p.m. This process will repeat for the second candidate.

• 7:30 to 8:15 p.m. This process will repeat for the third candidate.

After each candidate presents and answers questions, the audience will be invited to comment in writing on the strengths and weaknesses of the candidate. These comments will be reviewed by the Board.

If you would like to submit your question for the candidates ahead of time, or have any other questions or concerns, they may be directed to boardoffice@seattleschools.org.

Interpreters will be onsite for Amharic, Chinese, Spanish and Somali languages. Other languages, including American Sign Language, are available by request.

The Board takes the responsibility of choosing the next superintendent very seriously and would like to receive your input on the candidates before making a final hiring decision.

Thank you.

You're welcome.