[RE-RELEASE] Janis White - D5 Seattle School Board Candidate

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 WhiteLawyer with over 40 years of practiceParent of three kids who attended Seattle Public Schools K-12 (graduated 2019 and 2023)Former president of Seattle Special Education PTSAFormer president of Ken Haven Music School boardAttended public school K-12 in Great Neck, New YorkHas testified at board meetings and state legislature many timesKey PositionsFirst Priority:Bring back standing committees, most urgently budget and finance committeeOn School Board Role:School board is accountable for proper operation of district (per state law)Must have processes to know if district is operating as intended by policiesNeeds regular reporting, school visits, community meetingsCannot say reviewing operations isn't part of the jobOn Superintendent Search:Need proven track record of implementing clear communication standards across large organizationExperience addressing problematic culture issuesMust have curiosity mindset about making change happenMust identify and address structural issues causing budget deficitsOn District Structure:Need to find right balance between centralization and site-based managementToo much centralization discourages community engagementNeed standards, expectations, and oversight for healthy systemProcess of finding balance would build community supportOn When Goals Aren't Met:Current goals don't properly follow Targeted Universalism frameworkBoard needs to ask more probing questions when goals not metShould express concern if staff are resistant to thinking outside the boxProgress monitoring system has encouraged attention to dataOn Community Engagement:Large turnouts at board meetings are symptom of failed communicationBoard not aware enough of how community experiences school systemGuardrails written too negatively (should state what you want, not what you don't)Board should respond to issues brought via public testimonyOther Positions:Strongly supports inclusive classrooms for students with disabilitiesDoesn't support over-reliance on standardized testingSchool board responsible to students and public at largeEducational Leader She Admires: Vivian Gussin Paley (her kindergarten teacher, MacArthur Fellow)Looking Forward to Working With: All directors (believes collaboration with all colleagues is essential)Important InfoBallots mailed: October 15th | Due: November 4thAlso listen to: Interviews with all District 2, 4, 5, and 7 candidates at rainydayrecess.orgJanis's campaign: https://www.janisforseattleschools.com/Podcast info: rainydayrecess.org | [email protected] the showContact us at [email protected] Day Recess music by Lester Mayo, logo by Cheryl Jenrow.