Jen LaVallee

Introduce Yourself

Why do you want to serve as a Seattle Public School Board Director?

I want to serve because students and families need to rebuild trust in SPS through transparency, community collaboration and accountability. I came to this work organizing with All Together and through my own data analysis and I believe we can do better.

Board Skills
What skills or perspectives do you bring that are currently missing or underrepresented on the
school board?

I am in constant communication with families and students, and I pride myself on being a careful listener who considers diverse perspectives. Beyond that, I bring strong data analysis and organizing skills that enable me to critically evaluate and question what I hear from SPS leadership.

Top Challenge
What is SPS’s biggest challenge, and what specific action would you take to help solve it?

SPS’s biggest challenge outside of state underfunding is accountability. Families, staff, and the community deserve clear, transparent information, and confidence that what they’re being told is accurate and backed by evidence. I will push for stronger accountability at every level, starting with the superintendent. That means ensuring the superintendent holds district staff accountable, and that the board holds the superintendent accountable in turn. My focus will be on making sure that decisions are data-driven, transparent, and follow-through is measurable and visible to the public.

Community Partnership and Board Operations
What will you do to improve relationships with the community, specifically with parents and
educators?

To rebuild trust with parents, educators, and the broader community, we must create real opportunities for meaningful two-way conversations. This means hosting community sessions that are intentionally designed to foster deep, honest dialogue — not one-way presentations. Board members and district leaders must show up where families are, including at school drop-offs and pick-ups, to listen and engage directly. We also need to reestablish task forces that center community voices and take a deep look at key issues. Most importantly, we must be willing to act on what we hear and provide transparent follow-up, so families know their input leads to real change, not empty promises.

School Closures
Did you support or oppose the recent school closure proposals? Do you think that school
closures/consolidations should be considered in the coming 5 years?

I strongly opposed the recent mass school closure proposals and worked alongside All Together to push back against them. That said, I also recognize that not everyone in our community shares the same view. While I will never support mass closures, I do believe that individual school closures could be considered if it is beneficial to the community and its students and thoughtfully planned.

Socioeconomic Equity
What policies or budget actions would you support that would reduce socioeconomic and racial
disparities among Seattle Public Schools students?

My first priority would be to address how enrollment impacts the budget because it directly contributes to racial and socioeconomic disparities. My own analysis along with that of others I’ve collaborated with, shows that enrollment projections are consistently less accurate for Title I schools compared to non-Title I schools. Leading to understaffing from targets at a 6.5x higher rate. This leads to staffing and funding shortfalls that disproportionately harm our most vulnerable students. When this issue was raised, the district claimed it was in the name of supporting small, diverse schools, but neither the data nor conversations with school communities supported that claim. Fixing enrollment accuracy is a concrete, immediate step toward greater equity, ensuring that resources are allocated fairly and predictably to the schools that need them most.

Academic Rigor and Highly Capable Services What should SPS do to improve academic rigor? Do you believe SPS should provide advanced learning opportunities such as Walk to Math and Highly Capable Services? How do you envision delivering Highly Capable Services within SPS?

SPS needs to raise the bar for all students, and that includes expanding access to rigorous academic opportunities. This means investing in additional services like reinstating the newcomer program and strengthening Highly Capable (HC) services. I believe programs like Walk to Math are valuable because they allow students to access advanced learning while staying in their neighborhood schools. At the same time, I recognize that for some students, centralized programs that group learners with similar needs can provide huge academic and social benefits. Both models should be available to meet diverse student needs. Right now, there is an urgent need for expanded HC services, especially in the South and Southeast regions of the district and addressing that cannot wait.

Special Education and English Language Learners
How will you improve the delivery of special education services to students in SPS? How will you
improve the delivery of education to English language learners?

Proven strategies for improving special education include providing strong supports, investing in early intervention, ensuring consistent IEP monitoring and implementation, and fostering true family-centered collaboration. Unfortunately, our state continues to underfund special education, leaving districts to fill the gaps. Within the limited budget we have, we must prioritize hiring more special education staff and create systems to monitor where services are falling short and take action to improve.

We also need to reinstate the newcomer program. Its success over the years is well-documented, and it’s had a lasting impact, with some of its graduates now serving as beloved educators in our schools.

Enrollment Decline More than 20% of Seattle children are enrolled in private school (second-highest in the country). Do you believe SPS should try to attract and enroll more families? If so, what would you do to achieve that goal? What degree of enrollment choice should be allowed?

Yes, SPS must work to attract and retain more families. The district’s enrollment study shows 43% left due to dissatisfaction with educational quality, with Black families leaving at higher rates—a serious concern. We need to engage families earlier and listen deeply, not dismiss their concerns. Parents shouldn’t face a binary choice: accept a school that isn’t working or leave. SPS should offer flexible, responsive school models that adapt to student needs. Contrary to fears, data shows segregation is driven more by lack of affordable housing than school choice. Instead of cutting programs without alternatives, the district must expand highquality options that serve diverse learners to rebuild trust and keep families in our public schools.

School Diversity

Should SPS offer a variety of schools with different building sizes, curriculum formats (e.g., STEM, DLI, expeditionary) and grade bands (e.g., K-8)? Why or why not?

Yes. We do need some consistency in order to ensure that all schools are held to a high standard and are able to provide for students but families deeply care for these options. Dual Language programs are highly sought after and need to be expanded, these programs draw people into SPS and begin to regrow interest in what public schools offer. These programs also need to be in more than only option schools. The success in enrollment at Dearborn Park is a testament to that. We also need the ability to sample out some additional curriculum at times. I know parents who would love to be able to attend a school that has Dyslexia friendly curriculums guaranteed in classrooms (Orton-Gillingham) however rolling it out in all schools could talk time and prove unnecessarily hard on teachers.

We need flexibility and programs that meet our individual students needs.

Budget & Efficiency
Beyond advocating for more state funding, what specific steps should SPS take to improve its
operational efficiency and fiscal health?

First, we need a comprehensive internal budget audit to fully understand where our money is going and how resources are being used. We also need clear, transparent accounting of the budget gap—what it actually is, not just estimates. One key step is ensuring that the district reconciles its books correctly, so the actual ending fund balance matches the beginning balance for the following year. Additionally, we must improve the accuracy of both budget forecasts and enrollment projections to better plan for the resources we truly have.

Student Safety

What should SPS do to improve physical safety for students at school and in getting to and from school?

The city failed our students by not delivering the mental health supports that voters approved. Our schools urgently need more mental health professionals and intervention specialists, strategies that are proven to make schools safer. What we don’t need is police in schools, there is no evidence of its effectiveness and neither SPS nor school communities have any say in which officers are assigned. Real safety comes from building strong frameworks of support and fostering positive relationships. That starts with simply having more trusted, caring adults present in our buildings to help prevent conflicts before they escalate.

Role of the School Board (SOFG)

Since 2021 the board has followed a way of operating called Student Outcomes Focused Governance (SOFG) that has been the subject of recent media questioning. Do you believe SOFG has been a successful model for the board to date and do you support continuing to implement it?

While SOFG may have been created with good intentions, it has failed to achieve its goals and has not adhered to its own guardrails. It also suppresses healthy dissent within the community and among board members, often concealing it, and only takes testing data into account as success. Additionally, it diverts critical budget resources in ways that are not beneficial. I do not support its continued use as it is being used today. That said, I do agree with some of its supporters that having a governance framework to help the board collaborate toward common goals can be valuable — but not one comes at the expense of open, meaningful discussions that ultimately serve our communities and our kids.