Incumbent Erin Dury is running to retain her seat on Seattle School Board in District 4. Dury was appointed to the seat this March after Director Eden Mack resigned. Her appointment was influenced by positive reviews she received from the NAACP Youth Council during a forum they hosted at the time.

Outside of the school board, Dury runs her own consulting firm that teaches nonprofits how to apply anti-racist practices. Previously, Dury served as the executive director of an organization of court-appointed advocates for kids moving through the foster system. She is the parent of a current Seattle Public Schools student and believes schools must provide an equitable and safe environment for students to learn and thrive in.

If elected, Dury's biggest focus would be ensuring that the school board is responsive, transparent, and communicates better during the transition back to the classroom this fall. As part of this, she wants to advocate for more mental health resources and services in schools. In addition, she wants to continue focusing on cultural representation in both the curriculum and classrooms and would pay particular attention to the needs of students who have been historically marginalized in Seattle’s school system.

The Seattle School Board has experienced high levels of turnover in recent years, with all but one member still serving their first term. Dury is a good choice if you believe the board would benefit from stability and greater institutional knowledge, especially as the district continues the transition back to in-person learning and begins the search for a new superintendent.