The Bellevue School District is proud to announce that our Board of Directors was recently honored by the Washington State School Directors’ Association (WSSDA) by being named a 2023 Board of Distinction in the large district category. This prestigious recognition celebrates school boards across the state that have demonstrated exceptional leadership and commitment to student success.
According to WSSDA’s Director of Leadership Development, Tricia Lubach,
“Each selected school board has shown a clear focus on assessing their students’ outcomes and exploring ways to enhance their leadership. As schools return to fully in-person instruction after a challenging couple of years, it is evident that these school boards have refocused their attention on closing opportunity gaps for students within their districts and committing to consistent communication with their communities.”
Excellence in Educational Leadership
Some of the accomplishments for which the BSD board was nominated for this recognition include their:
- Commitment to equity, including the recent recommitment to deeper community engagement
- Focus on student well-being, mental health, sense of belonging and the gap-closing impact that focus has had on student outcomes
- Work on innovative policies that have impact on students (e.g., student well-being, environmental sustainability)
- Commitment to serving students who have been historically marginalized (e.g., special education, multilingual learners, students of color) and the resulting impact on student outcomes such as gap-closing improvements in math achievement at the elementary level
- Focus not just on broad goals, but on clear and well-defined student outcomes and measures
- Effective legislative advocacy (e.g., special education funding)
Superintendent Aramaki shared his appreciation for the School Board and commended them on the significant work they’ve done for the district. He stated,
“Whether you’ve been on the board for 2 years or over 10 years, you’ve had such a tremendous impact on our district. Your leadership on the last strategic plan alone, with its focus on student wellbeing, mental health, and sense of belonging, carried our community through the pandemic and brought us out with great momentum. Your leadership as a board has been impactful.”
WSSDA Board of the Year
On November 18, three school boards will be named as Boards of the Year — one each in the small, medium and large district categories. This prestigious honor will recognize the exceptional achievements of these school boards and the extraordinary leadership they have shown in driving the success of their students and their communities.
To learn more, visit WSSDA’s Frequently Asked Questions webpage.