We co-create just and humanizing educational communities where every student thrives and succeeds, benefiting future generations. 

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Community Conversations: Pandemic Learning & Returning to School in South King County

In 2020 PSESD invited community leaders to join a Road Map Wisdom Council to elevate voices, expertise, and partnership opportunities of our Communities of Color across the region. In a little over a year, the council has grown to a group of 15 Youth, Community-Based Organization Leaders, Parents, and Educators of Color. One of the goals of the council was to create a sustainable path for listening to and better acting on behalf of our Communities of Color through ongoing community conversations with Youth, Community Leaders, Parents, and Educators of Color.

We are excited to share with you all ‘Community Conversations: Pandemic Learning & Returning to School in South King County’. Forty-four Youth, Parents, Community Leaders, and Educators of Color across our 7 Road Map school districts engaged in over 35 hours of conversations with trusted peers. Conversation participants engaged in all aspects of the project, including meaning-making, generating recommendations, and shaping reporting and communication strategies. 

Here we center Youth of Color voices (23 conversations), and then share perspectives of parents (9 conversations), community leaders (7 conversations), and educators (5 conversations). We are excited for you to hear what we have to say and ask that our perspectives inform school and classroom decisions for the coming year. We also encourage you to ask questions of your own students, families, and communities impacted by the pandemic AND systemic racial inequities and adapt your responsive decisions in partnership. Together we can return to school in ways that value and cultivate the well-being of our Youth, Families, and Educators of Color. 

Read the English Report Here!      Read the Spanish Report Here!

For all inquiries, please contact Angelica Alvarez.

 

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A photo of Ron Banner with the 2026 President's Award.

Earlier this summer, Clover Park School District Superintendent Ron Banner received the 2026 President's Award from the Association of Washington School Principals (AWSP). The award recognizes an educational leader who is a relentless advocate for principals, assistant principals and the principalship in support of student success.

Read More about Clover Park SD Superintendent Banner Receives 2026 AWSP President's Award
Lake Washington School District (LWSD) students at the Washington State School for the Blind (WSSB) Annual Track Meet.

Six Lake Washington School District (LWSD) students recently demonstrated determination, resilience, and athletic achievement at the Washington State School for the Blind (WSSB) Annual Track Meet in Vancouver, Washington. The event brings together students ages 5-21 who are blind or have low vision from across Washington state for a day of competition, connection, and celebration of athletic accomplishment.

Read More about Lake Washington School District Students Shine at State Track Meet for Students with Vision Impairments
A graphic depicting a statue's chained hands and the words, Slavery Remembrance Day, August 23 2026. International Day for the remembrance of the victims of the slave trade and the transatlantic slave trade.

Created by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Slavery Remembrance Day, also known as the International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition, is observed on August 23 worldwide. The day honors the millions who died under enslavement while also promoting education and awareness of the slave trade’s global violation of human rights across human history.

Read More about It's Slavery Remembrance Day
A graphic image with the words Celebrating Civil Rights - Civil Rights Act and an image of Black marchers.

July 2 marks the anniversary of our Civil Rights Act—a landmark moment in U.S. history of the Act signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson on July 2, 1964. It prohibited racial discrimination in public places, as well as providing for the integration of schools and other public facilities. It also made employment discrimination illegal and was considered the most sweeping civil rights legislation since Reconstruction.
 

Read More about Honoring Civil Rights for All on the Anniversary of the Civil Rights Act
A picture of young students examining a container of river water for science.

Across PSESD, today’s students are doing more than studying the environment—they’re working to save it.

In Snoqualmie Valley School District, Meadowbrook School’s (MBS) secondary students recently took their commitment to environmental stewardship to the banks of the Snoqualmie River. Students partnered with Nature Vision and the Changing Seasons Farm, as part of their Blue Team program, to continue a vital, multi-year study of the local salmon spawning watershed near Carnation.

Read More about Students Work to Restore Local Watershed
A picture of Bethel Librarian Amy Dalin

The arrival of warmer weather at Kapowsin Elementary in Bethel School District means that teacher librarian Amy Dalin’s library is on the move.

While some might picture a library as a place of hushed silence and heavy curtains, Dalin prefers a bit of "controlled chaos" and the fresh air of the Pacific Northwest as another wonderful location for encouraging students to discover a love of reading.

Read More about School Librarian Brings Stories into the Sunshine in Bethel
A graphic of two hands signing and the words "Deafblind Awareness Week"

Helen Keller lost her sight and hearing in early infancy, yet she overcame those obstacles to become a celebrated author and representative of the deafblind community and its potential during her lifetime. Taking place during the week of her birthday on June 27, Deafblind Awareness Week takes place each year during the last week of June, and this year, it will be observed from June 25 to July 1.

Read More about Deafblind Awareness Week and the Legacy of Helen Keller
A painted wall mural depicting a diverse group of happy children in a Northwest setting.

There's a common saying that "A picture is worth a thousand words." Here at PSESD, we decided to add two pictures to bring to life a visual depiction of our End: “We co-create just and humanizing educational communities where every student thrives and succeeds, benefiting future generations."

As a result, the lobby at our main PSESD Renton office now features two beautiful new wall murals by artists Nofo Porter and Leslie Khounsombath, who collaborated to transform those words into vibrant images.

Read More about Our New Murals Are a Vibrant Connection of “Land, Water, and People”
Gustavo Balderas’ headshot

The YouTube show "Capacito Cultural" provides an opportunity for conversation in the professional learning community, in a space where culture meets leadership for meaningful conversation that inspires action.

Hosted by founder Dr. Rosa Maria Bell, the most recent episode, "When Funding Fades, Leadership Is Revealed: A Call to Act for Multilingual Learners," features a timely discussion between Bell and PSESD Superintendent Dr. Gustavo Balderas that emphasized how educational leadership isn't measured by resources, but by the vision, courage, and commitment they demonstrate in service to their students and communities.

Read More about When Funding Fades, Leadership is Revealed