Rainy Day Recess
A podcast about Seattle Public Schools. Support our work at http://patreon.com/RainyDayRecess
Episodes
In this first installment of our three-part series unpacking Left to Chance: Student Outcomes in Seattle Public Schools (2024), hosts Christie Robertson and Jasmine Pulido sit down with report author Vivian Van Gelder to trace thirty years of reform and turmoil inside Seattle Public Schools.
The story begins in 1990 with the Cresap Audit, a state-commissioned report that deemed the district “nearly ungovernable,” and follows the arr...
Vivian Song is running for Seattle School Board District 5, which covers Montlake to the Central District, Leschi to Eastlake, Capitol Hill, Madison Valley, and Madison Park. Her opponent is Janis White. This interview is part of our 2025 Seattle School Board Candidate series. Every Seattle voter will vote on four school board races in the general election: Districts 2, 4, 5, and 7.
About Vivian Song
- Finance professional and advo...
Janis White is running for Seattle School Board District 5, which covers the Central Area, part of the International District, Leschi, Madrona, Capitol Hill, Madison Valley, Madison Park, Montlake, and Eastlake. Her opponent is Vivian Song. This interview is part of our 2025 Seattle School Board Candidate series. Every Seattle voter will vote on four school board races in the general election: Districts 2, 4, 5, and 7.
About Janis W...
Laura Marie Rivera is running for Seattle School Board District 4, which covers Queen Anne, Belltown, South Lake Union, Downtown to I-5, Pioneer Square area, and parts of Fremont and Wallingford (including Lincoln High School). Her opponent is Joe Mizrahi. This interview is part of our 2025 Seattle School Board Candidate series. Every Seattle voter will vote on four school board races in the general election: Districts 2, 4, 5, and...
Joe Mizrahi is running for Seattle School Board District 4, which covers Queen Anne, Fremont, Belltown, and South Lake Union. His opponent is Laura Marie Rivera. This interview is part of our 2025 Seattle School Board Candidate series. Every Seattle voter will vote on four school board races in the general election: Districts 2, 4, 5, and 7.
About Joe Mizrahi
- Secretary Treasurer of UFCW 3000 (represents 60,000 frontline workers)
- C...
Sarah Clark is running for Seattle School Board District 2, which covers NW Seattle including Magnolia, Ballard, North Beach, southern Greenwood, and Green Lake. Her opponent is Kathleen Smith. This interview is part of our 2025 Seattle School Board Candidate series. Every Seattle voter will vote on four school board races in the general election: Districts 2, 4, 5, and 7.
About Sarah Clark
- Currently serving as District 2 school ...
Kathleen Smith is running for Seattle School Board District 2, which covers Magnolia, Ballard, North Beach, and Green Lake. Her opponent is Sarah Clark. This interview is part of our 2025 Seattle School Board Candidate series. Every Seattle voter will vote on four school board races in the general election: Districts 2, 4, 5, and 7.
About Kathleen Smith
- Data scientist at Microsoft
- Parent of 5-year-old entering kindergarten in SPS
- C...
Carol Rava is running for Seattle School Board District 7, which covers South Seattle (east of I-5, south of Jackson). Her opponent is Jen LaVallee. This interview is part of our 2025 Seattle School Board Candidate series. Every Seattle voter will vote on four school board races in the general election: Districts 2, 4, 5, and 7.
About Carol Rava
- Manages $150 million grant-making team at Ascendium philanthropy
- Master's in Educ...
Jen LaVallee is running for Seattle School Board District 7, which covers South Seattle (Rainier Beach to Mount Baker, including parts of the International District and First Hill). Her opponent is Carol Rava. This interview is part of our 2025 Seattle School Board Candidate series. Every Seattle voter will vote on four school board races in the general election: Districts 2, 4, 5, and 7.
About Jen LaVallee
- Product designer focus...
Co-hosts Christie, Cherylynne, and Jasmine give updates on some SPS developments over the summer, school board election results, and a big change coming soon to Rainy Day Recess.
Summer School Board Meetings
- July 2 School Board Meeting
- July 30 Special School Board Meeting
- August 27 School Board Meeting
- Fred Podesta Email
School Board Primary Election Results
Ar...
In this episode of Rainy Day Recess, hosts Christie Robertson and Cherylynne Crowther interview Allycea Weil, a candidate for the District 5 seat on the Seattle School Board. Allycea brings a perspective as a gig worker and single parent who moved to Seattle specifically for the public schools. Key topics include her call for a financial audit of the district's billion-dollar budget, her proposal to redistribute PTA/PTO funds ...
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 ...
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