One way or another, three school board seats are up for grabs

Published 1:30 am Wednesday, October 27, 2021

Soon, three new members will be seated on Vashon’s school board — the result of both the upcoming Nov. 2 election and a separate selection process now underway to appoint a new member to the seat vacated by Bob Hennessey, who resigned in September.

Of current members, only board chair Zabette Macomber and Toby Holmes will remain on the board, as Spring Hecht and Rheagan Sparks did not run for re-election.

Selection

Richard Hazzard, who was selected last week by the Vashon school board to be one of two finalists to fill the school board seat vacated when Hennessey resigned, has withdrawn from consideration for the post, endorsing Kali Aguilera, the other finalist in the selection process.

“She is of Vashon and of the world,” Hazzard said of Aguilera, in a letter to board members informing them of his decision to withdraw. “I believe her to be passionate about Vashon and public education and more than qualified to serve. Our Hispanic/Latinx students, families, community members and stakeholders need representation on the board in order to steward an improving school and community culture that honors diversity and ensures equity and inclusion for all.”

With Hazzard’s withdrawal from consideration, the board now plans to interview Aguilera at its next meeting, to be held at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 28, in the district’s conference room at Chautauqua Elementary School, as well as streamed on the district’s YouTube channel (tinyurl.com/t3v7tzax). The board will meet in executive session and then make a decision, in public, about its decision whether to ask Aguilera to join the board or to continue to seek other applicants.

Election

The races to fill Hecht’s and Sparks’ board seats show three candidates total on the ballot — but of the candidates, only Allison Krutsinger, who is running for Position 4, wants to serve on the board. Her opponent on the ballot, Kristen Cohen, earlier announced her intention to withdraw from the race. Similarly, the only candidate on the ballot for Position 2, Renee Henson, has also announced her intention to resign from the board, if elected.

Both VISD Superintendent Slade McSheehy and Macomber told The Beachcomber that the next steps to fill Position 2 cannot be determined until after the election.

In a letter to The Beachcomber last week, Krutsinger said she is eager to serve — citing as qualifications her own history as an at-risk child, her current commitment to her community, and her long professional experience as an advocate for children and youth.

“As a board member, I will use my expertise in state government to work with our elected officials to increase resources for our school district to use in ways that meet our unique community needs,” she said.