E46 - Laura Marie Rivera - D4 Seattle School Board Candidate

[00:00:05] Christie Robertson: Welcome to Rainy Day Recess, where we study and discuss Seattle Public Schools. This is our 2025 Seattle School Board candidate series ahead of the August 5th primary. Each conversation is short and focused. We start with a lightning round, then ask the same two minute questions to each candidate. 

We know the candidates are doing lots of forums and interviews. At Rainy Day Recess, we decided to focus on the role of the school board in leadership and governance. And what is the real impact these candidates believe the school board can have on Seattle Public Schools? 

Today we're releasing all of the interviews with District 4 candidates, which is roughly central Seattle. This week, we're also releasing our interviews with D2 and D5 school board candidates. And we'll cover D7 after the primary, since there's no primary race in that district.

Transcripts are at rainydayrecess.org. 

This episode is our interview with Laura Marie Rivera. Be sure to listen to our interviews with Joe Mizrahi and Bill Campbell which are also in your feed. We'll give a quick preview of those interviews at the end of this episode. 

Harsimran Kaur and Gloria Menchaca did not respond to interview requests. 

 Hello listeners. I'm Christie Robertson.

[00:01:22] Cherylynne Crowther: And I'm Cherylynne Crowther.

[00:01:24] Christie Robertson: And today we're here with Laura Marie Rivera. Thank you for running for school board Laura Marie and welcome to Rainy Day Recess. 

[00:01:31] Laura Marie Rivera: Thank you for having me.

[00:01:33] Lightning Round

[00:01:33] Christie Robertson: So we are gonna start off with a lightning round. And this section is meant to help listeners just get to know you quickly. We'll ask a mix of quick-answer and yes/no questions. So keep your answers brief. And we'll start with- what are your name and pronouns?

[00:01:50] Laura Marie Rivera: My name is Laura Marie Rivera, and I use she her hers pronouns.

[00:01:56] Christie Robertson: and how do you describe, quote, what you do.

[00:01:58] Laura Marie Rivera: I’m a mom and I do it all. I know this is meant to be a quick answer, but it's actually not simple. I spent two decades as an educator, and while I do still teach from time to time, I'm a nonprofit professional who just completed her Doctor of Education. As a matter of fact, I presented and defended my dissertation on Tuesday and received my first media coverage on Wednesday. Thank you very much. 

I don't have a full-time paycheck. I have four kids and I spend my time working with and advocating for the causes and organizations that I care about. So of course, this includes education and the arts. 

And it also includes founding my own nonprofit to further my doctoral research. It's a first of its kind study, examining the intersection of motherhood and leadership. We got nearly 1000 responses, and mothers everywhere deserve to see the incredible results. And the people who are not mothers really need to see these results.

[00:02:50] Christie Robertson: Which director district are you running for, and what neighborhoods does it encompass?

[00:02:55] Laura Marie Rivera: I am running for Seattle School Board District 4, which is Queen Anne, where I live, Belltown, South Lake Union, Downtown over to I-5, and down toward the Pioneer Square area, and parts of Fremont and Wallingford, to include the Lincoln High School. 

[00:03:10] Cherylynne Crowther: Great. This is Cherylynne. Next, some background questions. Answer yes or no where possible, and add a short explanation if something needs context. 

Have you attended a school board meeting?

[00:03:22] Laura Marie Rivera: Yes. Many.

[00:03:24] Cherylynne Crowther: Have you testified at a school board meeting?

[00:03:26] Laura Marie Rivera: Yes. Many times

[00:03:28] Cherylynne Crowther: Have you testified in the state legislature?

[00:03:31] Laura Marie Rivera: Also, yes.

[00:03:33] Cherylynne Crowther: Where did you go to school as a child?

[00:03:36] Laura Marie Rivera: San Juan Unified School District in Sacramento, California.

[00:03:40] Cherylynne Crowther: Now, do you have kids or have had kids in Seattle Public Schools?

[00:03:45] Laura Marie Rivera: Yes. I have four children, two recent SPS grads, and my twins are in elementary school.

[00:03:53] Cherylynne Crowther: Have you worked in education?

[00:03:55] Laura Marie Rivera: Yes, I have.

[00:03:57] Cherylynne Crowther: Have you been in a union?

[00:03:59] Laura Marie Rivera: Yes. And as a matter of fact, I joined my first of four unions in the last century.

[00:04:07] Cherylynne Crowther: Have you been on a board

[00:04:09] Laura Marie Rivera: Yes, several.

[00:04:11] Cherylynne Crowther: And have you ever worked with a large budget?

[00:04:14] Laura Marie Rivera: Yes. And “large budget” is a relative term, but they all come down to the same thing. A budget is a moral document, and we need to be mindful of the very human impact that each line item represents. A large budget doesn't scare me, but the large deficit does cause me some very real concerns.

[00:04:35] Christie Robertson: And now for some quick-take questions. Who is an educational leader you admire?

[00:04:41] Laura Marie Rivera: Gina Davis. And can I tell you why I.

[00:04:44] Christie Robertson: Yes.

[00:04:45] Laura Marie Rivera: Most people know her as an Academy Award-winning actress, and even as an Olympian, but I really appreciate her role as the founder of the Gina Davis Institute on Gender in Media. Their work on representation in media has been really important. And the way they tell the stories or educate, if you will, has made a huge difference.

It took 20 years to get from 11% female lead characters in family TV and films to reaching gender parity in 2024. There is obviously still a ton of work to do in other entertainment genres and additional types of representation. But you asked about an educational leader and that kind of creativity and flexibility to think outside the box is exactly what I think SPS needs.

[00:05:30] Christie Robertson: Who is a school board director, you're looking forward to working with.

[00:05:35] Laura Marie Rivera: Liza Rankin. She's been on the board for a while and knows a lot of people and a lot of history, and I've heard many people that like to draw similarities between the two of us. I'm guessing because they apparently think that all theater people or all neurodivergent people are the same. I like Liza as a person, but we don't see eye to eye on a lot of things, and I think that's okay. I'm also hopeful that the differing viewpoints will lead to stronger solutions for our kids. We have four seats on the ballot this year, and we have got to make a change.

[00:06:09] Christie Robertson: What's one education policy you strongly support?

[00:06:13] Laura Marie Rivera: I strongly and proudly support the SPS non-discrimination policy, and I need to add that this is a really good example of a policy that sounds good but doesn't always work in practice. So this shows up in a myriad of ways and the fact that our current board members have decided to remove themselves from any day-to-day operations or responsibilities is sad. Where are students and families supposed to go when the policies are not working as they're intended? 

I've worked with both of you with special education, and I think each of us has experienced this breakdown. And even with our level of education and privilege, we've not been able to get what our students need from the schools or the district, and this has to change.

[00:06:56] Christie Robertson: And there'll be another chance to talk about that in the main questions. 

Do you see the school board role more as a trustee with a duty to the institution or as an elected representative role, accountable to voters.

[00:07:12] Laura Marie Rivera: Both, and I guess I sort of answered that in the other question, but the trustee 30,000-foot perspective is a good goal to have. But the truth is, in reality, our students are individuals and they need some flexibility. So when these systems are not working, the board does need to do their part to facilitate a response and solve the problem.

[00:07:35] Christie Robertson: What's one thing you'd change about the school board immediately?

[00:07:39] Laura Marie Rivera: More public engagement. And better partnering with communication with the staff. It's unrealistic to think that seven members could do the customer service role for nearly 50,000 students and 8,000 staff members, but our students deserve a system that sees them and actually helps them to succeed. My first ask would be to restore the second school board meeting every month. Our current board voted unanimously to reduce those meetings and that engagement. I think that's another prime example of SPS trending in the wrong direction.

[00:08:12] Cherylynne Crowther: This is Cherylynne. And lastly, what one lightning round question would you add for other candidates?

[00:08:20] Laura Marie Rivera: I would like to know what made you run for school board. 

You two know me and know that I've been engaged with the district's advocacy and policy for years, but I had never seen or heard from the other D4 candidates when they filed to run for office or for the vacancy that the previous director had to resign.

So I'm curious. What made them decide to run all of a sudden?

[00:08:42] Cherylynne Crowther: And what's your answer to that question?

[00:08:45] Laura Marie Rivera: I am here for the kids. For their education, for their future. Public education truly is their best shot at success, and it's just too important to leave in the hands of a system that's not working. 

[00:08:58] 2-minute questions

[00:08:58] Christie Robertson: Alright, thanks Laura Marie. And now we'll move onto the main questions. These focus on institutional change and the role of the board. You'll have up to two minutes to answer each one, but don't feel like you have to use all the time. Ok, ready.

[00:09:11] Cherylynne Crowther: What does a school board director actually do?

[00:09:16] Laura Marie Rivera: The school board directors have a very important, incredible, and often overlooked role. I have had a lot of conversations with people that don't even realize it's an elective office. They have no idea what it does, and they certainly don't realize that these are done by volunteers. So it's something that we need to consider a lot.

And one of the things they do is set policy. And our current board has set a goal of removing themselves from the day-to-day activities and working only on the policy level. Which is an interesting goal to have, but it doesn't translate to what is happening in our schools, what is happening in our students' lives, and even with the educators and staff.

I would like to see the school board be a lot more flexible. That includes looking at that board level policy-setting goals. And it also includes looking at each individual student and how they're reaching those goals or not reaching those goals and what it is we can do both in policy and in practice to make sure that each of our 50,000 students is a success.

[00:10:30] Christie Robertson: And what do you think the board should focus on most when it comes to finding the next superintendent?

[00:10:36] Laura Marie Rivera: This is a question that has been on everyone's mind. And as we shop for our latest superintendent in a long line of new superintendents, I think that our board needs to work on the relationship with the superintendent's office, with the district office, and with the public so that we can have a more positive job description.

We need a superintendent with experience to manage a budget of this size and a budget deficit of this size, and this many students and this many stakeholders in this arrangement. And I'm afraid that the current board has not done a great job of setting up our next superintendent for success. When we look at attracting a candidate with experience, I'm afraid that they may see the current state and be a little deterred.

So we really need someone that not only has experience managing a very large organization, but I would like to see someone with actual education experience so that they too can understand what it means when they make a decision in their superintendent office or at the board policy level and how that actually translates to kids and educators in the classroom.

[00:11:52] Cherylynne Crowther: Okay. Next question. What do you think is the right balance between centralized control versus school-based decision making?

[00:12:01] Laura Marie Rivera: So as an educator myself, and I come from a theater performing background before that, flexibility is key. And when we look at the balance between centralized control and school-based decision making, while we do need some checks and balances, we absolutely need to let our front line educators and staff make those decisions. Because they're the ones that are seeing the kids every day. They know what's going on and they know what those kids need. 

And in the context of equity, of course, all kids do not need the same things. They're individuals. They come with their own strengths and challenges. And what they're hoping for in the future varies as well. And so we need to make sure that we are offering an education that addresses those needs and their desires for the future.

And this is not something that can be done at the district policy level and set for 50,000 students. It has to be done on an individualized basis. And we have to make sure that our classrooms have the supports and the flexibility to be able to address those needs and get those students what they need to succeed.

[00:13:15] Christie Robertson: And what should the board do if the district isn't meeting its goals for students?

[00:13:21] Laura Marie Rivera: This is a perfect example of the flexibility that the school board needs to have because if they want to remain at that top policy level and not getting involved, then they're not gonna make the difference that the kids need. 

And I think that our goals for the students are very modest. I would like to see much higher goals for the district, and I would like to see us meeting those goals.

But the truth is the goals don't mean anything if your student is not able to attain them. So it comes to a question of what is the problem and why are they not able to meet those goals? Is it lack of classroom support? Is it lack of a school breakfast in the morning? Is it because there's an undiagnosed learning disability? What is it that the child needs? 

And you have to, have to step down to the individual level to figure out what the child needs and help them meet their goals. Because when we have a percentage of kids that are meeting or not meeting the standards, that's fine. Maybe we wanna see that improved. But it doesn't matter to the individual. Each individual child needs to meet those standards and have their best chance at success in the future.

[00:14:36] Cherylynne Crowther: What should the board do when the district isn't meeting community expectations?

[00:14:41] Laura Marie Rivera: This is another one of those questions where the school board is in that real limbo space. Because so many people do not think about or care about the school board until there's a problem. So all of a sudden when the district isn't meeting those community expectations, what can, or what should the board do to make the difference?

And I go back to community engagement. Engagement and communication is something that SPS has been talking about the entire decade that I have lived in Seattle. And you know, even coming down to the last time we revamped the website... There's a lot of information on that website. But then when they go and revamp it, it crashed on the very first day.

And so there's a lot of thought that needs to go back into those communications, but it's really more about the engagement. And I think that reducing the public engagement was a mistake and we need to fix that. But also we need to think about that engagement because when we have a task force and we have community members that are dedicating their time and talents for months on end, and then they go and ignore the exact recommendations of the task force, it's not serving anyone. It's not serving the community, and it's not even serving the board. So we need to be a lot more thoughtful about how we approach it and what we do with it.

[00:16:02] Christie Robertson: Thanks. And the last question here is, what's something you want voters to take away about your approach to being a school board director?

[00:16:10] Laura Marie Rivera: Well first of all, there are four school board seats on the ballot this year, and this is important. It's important to vote. To use our voices because this is our opportunity for change. The primary ballots are due back on August 5th, and only the people in those districted zones will vote on their primary director. But the November general election is citywide for school boards, so we need everyone to vote all the way down their ballots in this election and in every election. 

I truly believe that if we had been prioritizing education, our country wouldn't be in the state that it's in today. 

And I really appreciate you taking the time to do this and all of the work that you do for our schools and for the city.

And I'm happy to answer questions and talk to more people. They can find my schedule at votelauramarie.com. 

Oh, and if I could add one more thing, I'd ask parents and community members to get involved. I know things can seem overwhelming, especially in today's political environment, but there are things that we can do. Working together, advocating, listening to other points of view, supporting the causes and candidates that we believe in.

I had never run for office until I did. I had never testified at a school board meeting until I did. I had never taught in a classroom until I did. So new things can be different or intimidating, but they can also be amazing and empowering. 

I encourage everyone to get out there. And reach out if you need help finding a place to start, there are lots of folks out there that will be happy to have your support or help you find a place to dedicate your talents. You can find me at votelauramarie.com.

[00:17:48] Christie Robertson: Great. Thank you so much for being here today, Laura Marie Rivera. We really appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts with us and with Seattle voters, and good luck with your campaign.

[00:17:59] Laura Marie Rivera: Thank you, Christie. Thank you, Cherylynne.

[00:18:02] Christie Robertson: Be sure to listen to our other D4 candidates,  Joe Mizrahi 

[00:18:08] Joe Mizrahi: I think that it's important to also talk about what the role of the board isn't. I'm not someone who wants to go in and tell these lifelong educators how to do their jobs. I have enough educators in my family, I've worked with educators long enough to have too much respect for the work that they do to go in and say “this is how you should do this”.

What we do is we hire experts, we set goals, we hold them to a community standard, and then we let them do the work to figure it out. It's my job to carry the community concerns and then give them feedback on that.

[00:18:36] Christie Robertson: And Bill Campbell. 

[00:18:37] Bill Campbell: My plan in the first 90 days of being on the school board is to return the board to two public traditional meetings a month, to create and found a citizens budget review committee so that the public can review, audit, and make recommendations on the annual budgets, and control what goes out for the levies, and then to fire the Texas consultants who are currently telling Seattleites how to teach our kids.

[00:19:08] Christie Robertson: Ballots will be mailed Friday, July 18th, and the primary election is Tuesday, August 5. As always, stay curious, stay cozy, and thanks for listening to Rainy Day Recess.