Seattle School District Director, District 4
Suzanne Dale Estey ▼

Suzanne Dale Estey

Government relations and economic/ business development consultant, 43

Persona
Longtime government-affairs official who can get things done.
Big idea
Make Seattle a national leader in early childhood education with a major new investment.
Residence
Magnolia
Conventional wisdom
With nearly $95,000 in contributions, she has the cash and support to win.
Baggage
Adamantly opposes charter schools, but is taking a lot of money from uber-wealthy donors who support them.
Family
Married to Mike Estey; two sons at Blaine K-8.

"I want to work with anyone and everyone who wants to improve public schools." — Suzanne Dale Estey

Primary election results

44.8%

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Suzanne Dale Estey on the issues

Role of the school board

Create policy, provide oversight and accountability, be the eyes and ears of the community, help form partnerships with other government entities. Compared with her opponent, she asserts she would bring “more diverse array” of people together to help improve schools.

Short-term solution to overcrowding

Use portables, and minimize boundary changes to avoid jerking families around. Believes younger siblings should be able to enroll in schools that older brothers and sisters already attend.

Testing

Agrees with opponent Sue Peters that Seattle students are tested too much. Says MAP exams, which hundreds of Seattle teachers, students and parents protested this year, should not be used to evaluate teachers or to test high-school students. Supports some testing as a tool to help teachers and students, but stresses that tests should be more like physicals than autopsies.

Where new money should go first

The classroom. Also wants to “grow the pie” by working with legislators in Olympia

Major endorsements

King County Executive Dow Constantine, state senator and mayoral hopeful Ed Murray, a dozen state legislators, seven members of the Seattle City Council. Also two current school board members (Sherry Carr and Michael DeBell), four former school board members, the political arm of the Seattle Metro Chamber of Commerce, the Seattle Building and Construction Trades Council, three former presidents of the Seattle Council PTSA, Former King County Executive and Deputy HUD Secretary Ron Sims, Schools First President Greg Wong. Received highest rating (“outstanding”) of all four school board candidates from Municipal League of King County.