Rainy Day Recess

In this episode of Rainy Day Recess, hosts Christie Robertson and Cherylynne Crowther interview Janis White, a candidate for the District 5 seat on the Seattle School Board. As a lawyer who put three children through Seattle Public Schools K-12, Janis argues that school board directors have broader legal responsibilities than commonly understood - that the board, not the superintendent, is accountable for proper district operation....

In this episode of Rainy Day Recess, hosts Christie Robertson and Cherylynne Crowther interview Julissa Sanchez, a candidate for the District 5 seat on the Seattle School Board. As a Director of Advocacy who grew up in the Central District before being gentrified out, Julissa brings a community organizer's perspective to education policy. She emphasizes being "shoulder to shoulder, elbow to elbow" with her community ...

In this re-released episode of Rainy Day Recess (originally episode 26 from March 2025), host Christie Robertson interviews Landon Labosky, a candidate for the District 5 seat on the Seattle School Board. With a Masters in Public Administration and nearly a decade of youth development experience, Landon was motivated to run after witnessing the district's "communication downfall" during the 21-school closure proposal...

In this episode of Rainy Day Recess, host Christie Robertson interviews Vivian Song, a candidate for the District 5 seat on the Seattle School Board. As a former school board director making a comeback run, Vivian brings insider knowledge of Seattle Public Schools' $1.2 billion budget and her perspective on the board's challenges. She expresses frustration that "we haven't made much progress" on equitable b...

In this episode of Rainy Day Recess, hosts Christie Robertson and Cherylynne Crowther interview Vivian Van Gelder, a candidate for the District 5 seat on the Seattle School Board. Note: Vivian has since stopped campaigning and is endorsing Janis White, but her name will still appear on the ballot. Vivian  diagnoses Seattle Public Schools as needing fundamental restructuring rather than reform. She argues that the district's fa...

In this episode of Rainy Day Recess, hosts Christie Robertson and Cherylynne Crowther interview Bill Campbell, a candidate for Seattle School Board District 4. The interview, part of the 2025 Seattle School Board candidate series, includes a lightning round to get to know Bill, followed by in-depth questions on the role of the school board in leadership and governance. Bill discusses his background, unique perspectives on education...

In this episode of Rainy Day Recess, hosted by Christie Robertson, Joe Mizrahi, the current school board director for District 4, discusses his candidacy for the 2025 Seattle School Board. The discussion covers Mizrahi's background, including his roles in labor education, his focus on governance and policy as a school board director, and his views on education policy, school autonomy, and centralization. Mizrahi also emphasize...

In this episode of Rainy Day Recess, hosts Christie Robertson and Cherylynne Crowther interview Laura Marie Rivera, a candidate for the Seattle School Board District 4. Rivera discusses her extensive background in education and nonprofit work, and her views on the role of the school board in leadership and governance. Following a lightning round of quick questions, the conversation delves into Rivera's perspectives on school b...

In this episode of Rainy Day Recess, hosts Christie Robertson and Cherylynne Crowther interview Kathleen Smith, a candidate for the Seattle School Board District 2 seat. 

The conversation begins with lightning-round questions to quickly familiarize listeners with Smith, who is a data scientist at Microsoft. Smith shares her educational background, professional experience, and thoughts on the role of the school board. She emphasizes ...

In this episode of Rainy Day Recess, hosts Christie Robertson and Colin Meyer interview 2025 Seattle School Board candidate Eric Feeny from District 2. The discussion begins with a lightning round of quick questions covering Feeny's background, qualifications, and viewpoints on education and school board roles. Key topics include his approach to school board leadership, specific policies he supports, and his strategies for imp...

In this episode of Rainy Day Recess, hosts Christie Robertson and Jasmine Pulido interview Sarah Clark, a current Seattle School Board member running to retain her seat in District 2, which encompasses northwest Seattle. 

Sarah discusses her background in education policy, her motivations for running, and the challenges the district faces, particularly regarding the budget and school safety. She emphasizes the importance of communit...

Seattle Public Schools is quietly eliminating specialized programs for newcomer students - recent immigrants with limited English skills who need intensive support. Teachers at Dunlap Elementary brought this story to our attention because they've been sitting in empty classrooms for four years while newcomer students struggle in overcrowded mainstream classrooms.

We speak with Tricia DeVille, a newcomer teacher with over 20 yea...

In this episode of Rainy Day Recess, we dive into the Seattle Public Schools board’s May 21 special meeting. Hear the latest on the district’s 2025–26 budget proposal, which balances through one-time fixes and new state funding, but leaves the structural deficit unresolved. We also explore the ongoing development of interim guardrail metrics designed to hold the district accountable to its values of safety, equity, and community en...

In this episode of Rainy Day Recess, Cherylynne Crowther takes the reins to discuss the ongoing exclusion of Deaf and Hard of Hearing (D/HH) families in Seattle Public Schools. After a group of Deaf parents testified about enrollment barriers at the April 23 board meeting, many returned two weeks later to a district engagement event, only to find there were no interpreters. The district apologized, but the apology wasn’t interprete...

In this student-reported episode, Garfield High School sophomore Rafael Brewer takes us inside the Quincy Jones Performing Arts Center, a space used for theater, music, assemblies, and community events. He shares the importance of the theater, how long-standing maintenance issues have impacted student learning, and the challenges of getting repairs addressed by Seattle Public Schools.

You can get tickets now for Garfield’s 2025 spri...

In this final Big 3 Briefing of the 2025 legislative session, we walk through where things landed for education funding in Washington state. We cover what passed around special education, MSOC, and transportation, break down key budget numbers, and reflect on the progress made—and the gaps that remain. It’s our wrap-up of the session, and a look ahead to what comes next.

- Megan Larkin & Christie Robertson

See our comprehensive S...

In this episode of Rainy Day Recess, we take a closer look at the Seattle Public Schools April 23 school board meeting, with the major focus on the Enrollment Planning presentation given at the end of the 6-hour meeting. Here is the result of our attempts to decipher meaning. For excellent background, you’ll want to watch this video episode by Dawson Nichols - Waitlists in Seattle.

See our Show Notes

Key Concepts:

1. Stability vs. Ch...

This is a VIDEO.

This episode explores the questions surrounding school waitlists in Seattle Public Schools — particularly for option schools — including how they’re handled, why they often don’t move, and what the impacts are for students and families. Thanks for the many contributions from educators, students, and community members. including:

• Liza Rankin
• Shraddha Shirude
• Janeal Maurera
• Jessica Baxter
• Erin Combs
• Kaitlin Murdock
• Vivia...