Guest Rant: The Stranger Got It Wrong About Sarah Clark

I love The Stranger, because, what’s not to love? Its irreverence, its wit, and its commitment to progressive change are part of what makes Seattle, Seattle. I have been proud to earn The Stranger’s endorsement in my own School Board Director race (in 2023) because I share the paper’s values of bold leadership, transparency, and equity for working families, and public-school students.

But in this year’s race for Seattle School Board Director, District 2, they didn’t get it right, and I’m writing to express my strong support for retaining Sarah Clark.

Sarah has governed with the same progressive values that The Stranger champions—standing up for students, educators, and communities when it matters most.

When the district floated a plan to close dozens of schools, Sarah didn’t flinch. She met with the community, and asked staff hard questions. In a Seattle Times op-ed, she pushed for data, transparency, and accountability. She did the research, looked at what happened when other cities closed schools (such as Chicago and San Antonio), and the negative outcomes they suffered. It was clear that the proposed closures would have a negative impact on students, deepening inequities and destabilizing neighborhoods, without actually solving the budget crisis. She boldly spoke out against austerity —and against her colleagues who pushed for school closures, like Liza Rankin, Michelle Sarju and Evan Briggs—as she stood with families, educators, and students, and led the way to stopping the closure plan. We owe Sarah beyond measure. 

Sarah’s focus has always been on bringing more resources into classrooms, not taking them away. A former Seattle Public Schools student herself, she’s advocated for student mental-health supports, arts and music programs, and equitable access to advanced learning (yep, she was a Highly Capable Cohort student too, then called the “Advanced Progress Program,” another name for a gifted program). She’s also fought for multilingual learners and students with disabilities. In short, she’s governed with heart and with a progressive’s sense of urgency for justice. All of these qualities make Sarah the clear choice in the District 2 race. 

And I know this because I was twice elected to the very seat Sarah is now running to retain. More than anyone else, I know how demanding that specific role is, and how rare it is to find a leader like Sarah, who has both an intrinsic love and dedication to students, combined with the ability to listen deeply and work collaboratively with the adults in the room. 

Representation matters, too. I was proud to be a member of the most racially diverse school board in Seattle’s history; one that reflected the beautiful diversity of our city’s students and families. Sarah Clark would be the only remaining Black school board director if she wins next week’s election. And as the only SPS graduate on the board, and a former foster child, she’s a product of the very system she’s working to strengthen. She knows what it feels like to walk those hallways, to rely on those teachers, and to believe in public education because it believed in her. Replacing Sarah with someone who doesn’t share that lived experience would be a step backward. 

If we’re going to talk about Sarah’s professional work history—she’s currently the director of policy at the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce—then let’s look at her whole record. Sarah Clark worked at the Economic Opportunity Institute, a leading progressive think tank. She worked with the Early Learning Action Alliance, leading support of the successful capital gains tax bill. And she worked for the Children’s Alliance to help fund childcare and early learning programs. All of this is fundamentally progressive work. 

Sarah Clark also has strong progressive support. She has endorsements from nearly every local Democratic Party organization – including King County Democrats – is recommended by the Progressive Voter Guide, and is endorsed by leaders like State Senator Rebecca Saldaña who knows her and trusts her, as well as current School Board Director Joe Mizrahi and former school board director (and now candidate) Vivian Song, both of whom The Stranger has emphatically endorsed this election cycle. 

To say Seattle Public Schools is at a crossroads is an understatement. The next 12 months will include tackling a massive budget deficit, hiring a new superintendent, and bargaining for a new contract with the Seattle Education Association (the teachers’ union), not to mention rebuilding public trust and making bold changes to improve student learning. We need Sarah Clark to be part of a progressive board majority that is committed to taking this opportunity to build a great public school district for our kids. 

Would Kathleen Smith “do a fine job” as a school board director, as The Stranger’s luke-warm endorsement stated? Maybe. Heck, I’ll even give it a “probably,” as I believe any number of people would “do a fine job” if given the chance—and the runway. What really matters are the values a director is guided by, and the proficiency to put them into action. So while Smith and Clark might share similar values, we don’t have the luxury of waiting—and hoping—for Smith to learn the ropes in time to make the immediate changes we need to see. The on-ramp to being an effective board director is a long and winding one, and while Smith gets up to speed, our schools and students will continue to languish in the absence of that leadership. We know Sarah can do the job, because she already is, and she’s doing better than “fine,” she’s doing spectacularly.

Being a school board director is about showing up for school communities, asking tough questions, and voting your values when the stakes are highest. Sarah might have had some missteps as a candidate (yes, staffing changes and health issues caused her to miss the SEA endorsement process), but they should not overshadow or negate her real and impressive work as a school board director. Quite frankly, I’ll take an amazing public servant over a well-staffed candidate any day. 

On every measure that matters—equity, transparency, fiscal responsibility, and courage—Sarah Clark delivers.

I’ll keep loving The Stranger. But on this one, our progressive camps will have to respectfully disagree. Seattle’s students, families, and educators deserve to keep Sarah Clark’s courageous, principled and proven leadership on the school board.