Lacking school board support, Seattle superintendent announces resignation

Seattle Superintendent of Public Schools Denise Juneau announced Tuesday that she won’t be seeking a contract renewal at the end of her term in June 2021.

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This came after Seattle School Board President Chandra Hampson told Juneau Monday that she was “pretty sure” there wouldn’t be enough votes to get the superintendent’s contract renewed.

Juneau announced her resignation in a written statement, saying that “for progress to continue in Seattle, the full-throated support of a united school board is essential.”

“This school board must choose a superintendent with whom they can co-lead and move forward together,” she added.

Juneau has served as Seattle’s superintendent since 2018.

She had faced controversy in recent months, brought on by claims from the Seattle-King County NAACP that she had encouraged racist and sexist policies, and “purged” Black employees from leadership positions.

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“She lacks vision, she lacks leadership, she does not want to be held accountable, and we have gone backwards,” NAACP Education Chair for Alaska, Oregon and Washington Rita Green said in October. “It’s just been a more racist environment in our district.”

Juneau countered those allegations in the days to follow, saying that she remained “committed” to a more equitable public school system, and that “several” of the Black men that had left Seattle Public Schools leadership positions had done so voluntarily for “bigger and better roles in other districts and organizations.”

In her statement announcing her resignation, she highlighted a “dream to drive a powerful anti-racist agenda for Seattle’s school leaders, educators, parents, and students.”

“I worked aggressively to build a bold strategic plan focused on a better, fairer system for students of color furthest from educational justice,” Juneau said.

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