P-I Endorsement: Strong school field

With a new superintendent bringing a period of potentially promising ferment to Seattle Public Schools, voters also have a chance to pick from the strongest field of School Board candidates in years.

The composition of the next board will change after this year's elections, as two incumbents decided against running. The Aug. 21 primary will narrow the fields in two of the four positions up for election in November. In the primary, voters will pick through fields of five candidates from their own neighborhoods to decide who will be the two finalists on citywide ballots in November.

Incumbent Darlene Flynn and challenger Sherry Carr are the clear picks of the field in District 2, which includes Green Lake, Wallingford, Greenwood and Fremont.

Carr is a significant factor in the overall optimism about the quality of candidates. Carr says her experience as a Boeing finance manager will help assure accountability. She has an outstanding record of involvement as a district PTSA president, levy campaign co-chairwoman and member of a high-power district advisory committee in 2005.

Flynn, who helped turn out a lost-at-sea board majority four years ago, is campaigning on experience. She is a notably smart, well-versed member of the board, sometimes pointed in her questioning of staff. She has strong dedication to overcoming schools' achievement gaps.

For District 6, which includes West Seattle and South Park, two candidates also stand out as clear choices, Maria Ramirez and Steve Sundquist.

Ramirez has been a leader in PTSA groups at various schools and has been involved with advocacy groups concerned about equity. She serves on the school district's bilingual advisory committee. She advocates more attention to parental involvement and the dropout rate.

As a former executive at the Russell Investment Group, Sundquist brings an impressive business background. His community involvement includes leading the board of Climate Solutions, a group concerned about global warming. He stresses accountability, confidence and equity.

On the Net: Candidate interviews are under Opinion Leaders at: seattlepi.com/podcast