The Seattle Times editorial board recommends: Gina Topp for Seattle School Board, District 6

It’s common for a hyperlocal issue, such as plans around one particular school, to galvanize candidates to run for a seat on the Board of Education.

That is the case for at least one of the two people vying to represent West Seattle, where plans to expand a worn-down elementary school — during a time of declining enrollment — have raised questions about spending priorities at Seattle Public Schools.

Incumbent Leslie Harris is stepping down, and Maryanne Wood’s impassioned candidacy, spurred by her opposition to what she calls “the megaschool” plan, should serve as a barometer of community sentiment in Harris’ wake. It is also a reflection of anger across the school district at a marked lack of transparency around the current school board’s decision-making.

Despite some important issues raised by Wood, The Seattle Times editorial board is endorsing Gina Topp to represent District 6, because of her wider lens and valuable experience bringing people together on complex policy questions. Topp, a lawyer, spent five years as senior legal adviser to King County Executive Dow Constantine, and those skills will be helpful as the board navigates a tsunami of challenges.

In the face of a looming $131 million budget hole, Wood is adamant that expanding Alki Elementary is the wrong move. Topp was more sanguine, calling the prospect of a new school “exciting for the community,” while gently chiding the district for its “disappointing” failure to engage West Seattle families — “a missed opportunity,” as she put it.

To be sure, a career in politics brings its own baggage, and Topp is clearly practiced at the kind of palatable conflict-avoidance that makes outsiders deride Seattle as a city enamored of consensus to the point of paralysis.

She describes herself as “drama-free.” But that may be tested by parents frustrated with the district’s intention to dismantle its Highly Capable student cohort within the next five years and blend accelerated learners into general-education classrooms, a plan Topp supports.

Her answer to Seattle’s “staggering” budget hole is to turn back to the Legislature and demand that state funding models better align with realities on the ground. This may be appropriate, but it’s not much of a response to problems facing the district today. It also suggests a willingness to accept spending plans issued by school district leaders — without asking tough questions about what’s really necessary.

Ideally, if elected to the school board, Topp will put her negotiating skills to work on behalf of students, above her taste for consensus.

Editor’s note: This post was updated after the August primary.