Christie Robertson is the standout candidate in the race for District 3, with strong backing from students, teachers, unions, and other progressives. And it’s for good reason. Christie is one of the smartest, most insightful, most dedicated school board candidates we’ve seen in a long time. She is deeply knowledgeable about the district and its policies, follows the board and the finances closely, is committed to improving special education, and is determined to restore community input.
Christie has served on the executive board of the Seattle Special Education PTSA for the last two years. In that time she has become an expert on the policies of the Seattle Public Schools, knows the district budget well, and has advocated for improvements to special education services. This experience will serve her well on the school board and has prepared her to effectively advocate for Seattle families.
Her campaign is guided by the principle “Nothing About Us Without Us,” ensuring that those most impacted are involved in the decision-making processes. This is a welcome and much needed change from the status quo, where decisions are made behind closed doors and announced to the public without real public involvement. Christie will help establish a system for parents, teachers, school leaders, and students to participate in planning and decision-making, with a focus on the communities most impacted.
Although Christie has experience beyond special education, it is important that the school board have progressive members who understand special education. Special education is one of the fastest growing parts of the district’s budget. Special education was at the core of the 2022 teachers’ strike. And a universal design for learning effort, which turns the values of inclusion into daily practice, impacts all classrooms and needs an advocate who can help lead it to success. Christie is the only candidate in this race with the skills and knowledge who can do that.
Christie has also pledged to increase transparency in district operations. She is proposing that the district hire a budget analyst that reports directly to the board, so that they can understand how dollars are spent. This is important because at the moment, as several school board directors, past and present, have told us, the district is truly not used to being held accountable by the board and regularly refuses to give board directors information that they request.
Progressive community groups that have endorsed in this race have uniformly lined up in support of Christie Robertson. Her endorsements include the Seattle Student Union, the Seattle Education Association, MLK Labor (the central council for King County’s labor unions), the 43rd District Democrats, the 46th District Democrats, the Progressive Voters Guide, and many others that you can see on her website.
Ben Gitenstein is a good candidate as well, asking the right questions about SPS’s financial woes. Christie brings even deeper familiarity with SPS policy, and has stronger support from the wider progressive community.
Evan Briggs is aligned with the current majority on the school board, recruited by Chandra Hampson to take her place and uphold a failed status quo. Briggs lacks the experience and familiarity with district policies and finances that Christie has. The Seattle Student Union and the Seattle Education Association took a close look at her candidacy and endorsed Christie instead. We agree. Vote for Christie Robertson for District 3.