Steve Sundquist for
School Board

P.O. Box 21671
Seattle, WA  98111
(206) 938-3129

 

Questions & Answers

Question: Why are you running for the Seattle School Board?

Answer from Steve: I'm running for School Board because I believe deeply in high quality public education for every child, and because we need to dramatically improve public confidence in the Seattle Public Schools.

We need to work hard to ensure a quality education is offered to all of our children, as education is a great equalizer and creates many opportunities for the upward mobility of all citizens. As a school board member, I will focus my energy on raising the achievement levels for all of our kids, on closing the achievement gap, and on turning around failing schools, which disproportionately impact the poor.

My objective is to increase the public's confidence in the school board itself. To accomplish that, I plan to:

  1. Lead by Example. Create a stronger culture of leadership, results, and accountability at the board level through the personal example I set;
  2. Student Achievement. Focus on raising the achievement levels for all of our kids, and on closing the achievement gap;
  3. Quality & Equity. Work to ensure all of our schools provide students with a quality education as a matter of basic educational equity;
  4. Financial Health. Restore long-term financial health to our district;
  5. Focus on the Classroom. Allocate more of our available budget resources to our classrooms, where they can buy smaller class sizes, more professional development for our teachers, and more leadership development for our principals.

Question: What relevant experience would you bring to the Seattle School Board?

Answer from Steve: First, I am a parent and have first-hand experience with my two daughters. My wife Liann and I have been inspired by the dedicated teachers and education our children have received; along the way we have touched Pathfinder Elementary, Salmon Bay School and now Chief Sealth H.S. I want the same for all of Seattle's children.

I have significant management, non-profit board governance, and community service experience to bring to bear on the challenges of our public schools, and a deep passion for public education. These experiences have helped develop me as a leader, a team player, a listener, an analyst, and a consensus builder. They have also helped me understand the need for transparency, for appropriate processes, for a results orientation, for responsiveness, and for a need to be data-driven in decision-making.

I recently retired from Russell Investment Group, where I held management positions overseeing large staffs, budgets, systems and revenues. In those jobs, leadership, results, consensus-building and accountability were critical.

I have brought these professional skills to our community, as I am chairing two non-profit boards, serving on two others, and helped to establish the International Baccalaureate Program at Chief Sealth High School. I am also a Lead Partner with Social Venture Partners, a Seattle-based community of social investors dedicated to addressing social, educational, and environmental issues in the Puget Sound region.

My board experience has also helped me to better understand the governance responsibilities and role of a board, how it is separate from management and staff, and how to build accountability for a vision, plan, and results between the two.

Locally in West Seattle, I recently led a cross-organization team that built consensus within Fauntleroy Church and the Fauntleroy YMCA for a co-location agreement that will serve our youth and community long into the future.

I am confident that my experience and approach will produce positive results on the Seattle School Board as well.

Question: Describe your past commitment to and involvement in public schools.

Answer from Steve: I attended public schools all the way through my own K-12 education, starting at Lafayette Elementary here in West Seattle, and graduated from Washington State University, as did my wife Liann. We have both been long-time active parent volunteers and contributors to our children's schools.

Along their own way our two daughters have attended Pathfinder Elementary, Salmon Bay School and both will be attending Chief Sealth High School this fall. My wife Liann has been active day-to-day, most recently serving as PTSA co-President at Chief Sealth High School in 2005-2006. I have made presentations in classrooms, such as a recent day spent delivering a landmine awareness program to 9th grade students at Ballard High School.

For the past two years I have worked with parents and the school community to help establish the International Baccalaureate program at Chief Sealth High School. The program will offer students an international education program that encourages well-rounded individuals and engaged world citizens. The program received its accreditation this spring and begins with its first class of students this fall.

Although not in the K-12 realm, I have served for many years on the Washington State University Honors College Advisory Board. This work has given me an opportunity to see where our graduates are succeeding and where they are struggling as college undergraduates.

Finally, I am a supporter of the League of Education Voters, and the Alliance for Education.

Question: Describe your community ties and involvement in West Seattle.

Answer from Steve: My early years were spent in West Seattle, as my parents owned a home in the North Admiral area from the time I was two years old until I was 11. I attended Lafayette Elementary from kindergarten through the fifth grade, when my family moved out of Seattle.

More recently as an adult, I have been a 17-year resident of West Seattle, life-long Democrat, and parent of two daughters, both of whom attended Pathfinder Elementary school on Genesee Hill, and both of whom will be attending Chief Sealth High School in the fall. I am the Moderator (lay leader) of Fauntleroy Church, United Church of Christ, which will be celebrating its centennial in 2008. I am also a long-time member of the West Seattle YMCA, and a member of Seattle Rotary.

In addition to my school and church involvement, I have a demonstrated track record as an effective consensus builder, and as a person who reaches out to individuals and groups with a stake in an outcome. One example of this is my work as a Lead Partner with Social Venture Partners, a Seattle-based community of social investors dedicated to addressing social, educational, and environmental issues in King County.

Another recent example was my leadership of a joint Fauntleroy Church/Fauntleroy YMCA team on a year-plus effort to create a new lease and co-location agreement for our two organizations. The consensus we built in these two organizations will enable us to jointly serve our youth and community long into the future.