I know public education and educators have the ability to change students’ lives. My life was transformed by my education, and I want every student in Olympia to have the same opportunities that I did--to go to a school that helps them discover their sense of self, pursue their academic passions, and be successful.

I credit my public education with saving my life. I grew up in poverty and was homeless multiple times during my childhood. My only constant and safe place was my school. Compassionate, knowledgeable teachers met me where I was at, had high expectations for me regardless of my circumstances, and connected my family with the resources we needed to survive. Their fierce belief and support helped me to not only survive but to excel. I graduated high school with a scholarship to Whitman College in Walla Walla, and became the first person in my family to go to college.

Attending Whitman was a revelation. For the first time, my life did not feel limited by my poverty and I began to believe that I could achieve anything I put my mind to. It also felt fundamentally unfair that I had this opportunity and so many of my friends at home did not. It strengthened my commitment to ensuring that all students had the same excellent public education that I did and were able to realize their full potential regardless of their background.

After graduating from Whitman with a BA in Politics and Environmental Studies, I faced substantial student debt. I moved to New Mexico and taught on the Navajo Nation, where I could give back to students experiencing poverty, take an alternative route to teacher certification, and have my some of my loans forgiven for my service. My first classroom was 2nd grade, with students who did not know the full alphabet and struggled to read. My students were just as inquisitive and full of potential as any other students--their only difference was the circumstances of their birth. They had never been given the opportunity to succeed and their achievement gaps were actually opportunity gaps. I focused on improving their literacy and by the end of my first year teaching, all of my students were reading at or above grade level.

I went on to teach 4th grade and 8th grade chemistry, physics and algebra, helping my students close their opportunity gaps. I’ve never gotten over the revolutionary feeling of teaching and helping students learn and find themselves.

As much as I loved teaching, I struggled with not being able to affect systemic change in the education system and I wanted to do more. I could love, support and teach my students within the four walls of my classroom, but I could not change what they might encounter when they left my class. This broke my heart and was unacceptable to me. I moved home to Washington to work on public education policy.

Upon my return, I was hired as an Education Ombudsman in the Office of the Education Ombuds (OEO), Office of the Governor. I had never heard of an ombudsman before this, and I learned that it was a neutral mediator to help people understand, navigate, and resolve issues. As an ombudsman, I created policies to assist families and educators while mediating and resolving conflicts that affected students’ ability to succeed in school.

To deepen my policy knowledge, I pursued a Masters in Public Administration with a public policy focus at The Evergreen State College. I also began working at the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) as a facilitator in the Center for the Improvement of Student Learning (CISL), developing  family engagement strategies and staffing the Educational Opportunity Gap Oversight and Accountability Committee. I then served as research analyst for the Compensation Technical Working Group, researching and writing the legislative report that was used by the Supreme Court to address fully funding basic education and teacher compensation, as required by McCleary case.

After graduating with my MPA, I was promoted to Assistant Director in School Improvement, serving for three years in this role. I was promoted again to my current position as the Director for Title II, Part A (Supporting Effective Teaching and Leading) and Special Programs. I lead state and federal policy to support educators with mentoring, recruitment and retention strategies, and professional learning, managing 34 million dollars in grants to each school district. I also lead Special Programs, which supports policy committees created by the Legislature and special projects. Currently, these include the Language Access Workgroup, the Educational Opportunity Gap Oversight and Accountability Committee, equity and cultural competence training and redesigning of the school recognition system.

I have found nothing as sacred and transformational as education. My life is devoted to making sure every student receives an excellent public education and every educator is supported. I would be honored to serve as your next member of the Olympia School Board. I will bring my passion and my 16 years of experience in multiple levels of the education system to support our schools and our district.

I hope to earn your support and your vote!

Sincerely,
Maria Flores

2019