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 community involvement, coalition-building, and her vision for improving Seattle Public Schools. The episode also includes a student-recorded safety question from Rafael Brewer, highlighting the need for enhanced security measures in schools.

Sarah's campaign website https://www.sarah4schoolboard.org/

03:26 Reasons for running, then and now
09:52 Budget
12:56 Student Question
15:59 One Thing

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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 improving Seattle Public Schools. Feeny emphasizes the importance of community engagement, transparent communication, and institutional reform.

Eric's campaign page: https://www.feenys.net/

The episode also highlights other District 2 candidates, Sarah Clark and Kathleen Smith, and provides election information ahead of the August 5 primary.

01:08 Interview with Eric Feeny Begins

01:38 Lightning Round with Eric Feeny

07:23 Main Interview Questions

07:42 Eric Feeny's Vision and Policies

12:23 Community Engagement and Communication

13:59 Final Thoughts and Conclusion

16:37 Closing Remarks and Other Candidates

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District 2 Seattle School Board Candidate Kathleen Smith

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 the importance of data-driven decision-making, community engagement, and finding a superintendent who genuinely listens to the community. Smith also discusses the challenges of balancing centralized control with school-based decision-making and advocates for clearer metrics to measure equity in education.

Kathleen's campaign website - https://www.smith-for-schools.com/

The episode concludes with information about other candidates in District 2, Eric Feeny and Sarah Clark, and reminds listeners about the upcoming primary election on August 5.

00:00 Introduction
00:50 Overview of the Candidate Series
01:23 Interview with Kathleen Smith Begins
01:37 Lightning Round Questions
05:40 Main Interview Questions
11:43 Final Thoughts and Wrap Up
13:13 Closing Remarks and Additional Interviews

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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 years of experience, and Nhi Nguyen, who was DeVille's student in the program back in 2008 and is now a kindergarten teacher at Dunlap herself. We explore how these programs used to work, why a 2008 audit recommended strengthening them, and what's being lost as the district chooses to scatter specialized teachers across multiple schools instead of maintaining dedicated newcomer classrooms.

This is accountability reporting on a policy decision that's affecting real kids, but happening largely out of public view.

See our Show Notes

-- Christie Robertson & Cherylynne Crowther

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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 engagement. With the superintendent transition underway, the board debates how best to proceed with these metrics amid leadership changes. Plus, a note about the Rainy Day Recess podcast and ways you can get involved.

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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 interpreted either.

We explore the long history of inaccessibility in SPS along with the specific changes families are calling for now, including: enrollment at DHH schools for children of deaf adults (CODAs), consistent ASL interpretation, and a community-led DHH task force.

Are we on a better trajectory at last?

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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 spring musical Footloose. (Please buy tickets! It helps support the theatre and we have worked really hard on this production!)

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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

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Rainy Day Recess music by Lester Mayo, logo by Cheryl Jenrow.