Joe Mizrahi

Introduce Yourself

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

I’m a SPS parent, union leader, and current School Board Director (appointed about 1 year ago). I’m running to continue pushing for progressive funding, strong academics, and community voice in decisions that affect students. Working people are often left out in decisionmaking that impact them deeply and I want to ensure all have a seat at the table.

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

I bring two key skills we need more of: experience leading complex budgets and a background in grassroots organizing. I understand both systems and people and I know how to bridge that gap so we can build public trust and make our policies work and build back trust.

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

Our biggest challenge is the collision of budget cuts and declining trust. I’d push for more transparent decision-making, values centered budgeting, and bold advocacy for progressive revenue, affordable housing, and solutions to increase enrollment, so we stop asking schools to do more with less and give every kid what they need.

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

I meet regularly with families, staff, and community leaders to listen, build trust, and problem-solve together. An heart I'm an organizer, and successful organizing is all about listening. I’ll keep pushing for clear timelines, early engagement, and stronger relationships, because we won't ever build back trust until we actually do the listening part right.

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 opposed the recent closures. They lacked community input, a coherent strategy, and failed to account for the role schools play in neighborhood life. 5 years? No, we have lost community trust. If closures are considered someday, they must be community-driven, and guided by student success; not driven by budget fears. Closing schools will not fix our budget.

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

I support policies that target resources where they’re needed most: improving early learning and literacy supports, expanding community schools, expanding popular programs like highly capable and dual language to all communities. Equity is also about who has a seat at the table, which is why I center my engagement on low wage workers and communities of color

Academic Rigor and Advanced Learning 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? Should advanced learning services be available at every school or only certain locations?

Academic rigor should be the baseline for every student. I support expanding access to Walk to Math, Highly Capable services, and other enrichment, but with universal screening, stronger outreach, and programming at every school. I believe in HCS in every school, but we need A PLAN and to give teachers the training, support, and resources to do it well.

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?

We must ensure students get timely evaluations, services, and inclusive environments. We can't just say " inclusion" ; we have to resource it. That means more staff, better support for educators, and accountability for IEPs. For ELL students, I support bilingual hiring, family engagement, and stronger investments in duallanguage programs across the district.

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?

We should absolutely work to attract and retain more families. That means building trust through stronger academics, safe and welcoming schools, and a culture of listening. I support enrollment choice, that is guided by equity and should promote access, predictability, and diverse, integrated school communities. See my op-ed on this topic in the urbanist!

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, students aren't cookie cutter, why should our schools be? We must offer a range of models to reflect our city’s diversity; DLI, STEM, K–8 schools, expeditionary learning. These options must be equitably funded and accessible. And if we do this right, we will actually grow our enrollment and build back community trust and support.

Budget & Efficiency

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

We need an independent forensic audit of the services we offer. There are many areas where SPS spends far more than other districts, which would be fine, if we were getting better results, which we are not. We also need to stabilize and increase enrollment (see above) and advocate for mroe affordable housing in our city so families can afford to stay here.

Student Safety

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

Safety is about more than physical security. It means mental health supports, safe routes to school, culturally responsive staff, and trusted adults students can turn to. I support expanding trauma-informed practices, partnering with community organizations, and ensuring students feel safe, seen, and supported in every school building.

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?

No it has not, and we must look elsewhere. It's important for a board to have some kind of governance model and we should have goals! But our model cannot be a straitjacket. Boards can't have topics that are off-limits if families care about them. We have to be able to dig into tough topics in committees, and we need to be able to respond to community needs.