EVERETT — At a special meeting Thursday, the Everett Public Schools Board of Directors selected Anna Marie Laurence to fill the vacant seat on the school board.
Laurence, a former prosecutor who serves on the board of a Seattle nonprofit, will be on the school board through December.
The seat on the board was left vacant after Caroline Mason, who served on the school board for more than a decade, resigned on March 11.
She will sit on a board helping to oversee 2,500 staff and more than 20,000 students across two cities and parts of unincorporated Snohomish County. Laurence’s appointment came after a marathon five-hour meeting where board members interviewed the five finalists for the position, accepted public comment, then deliberated in executive session before making their decision.
Laurence serves on the board of the Henry M. Jackson Foundation. She was formerly a deputy prosecutor in Snohomish County.
She sought the position because of her passion for students and public education, she said in an interview with the school board. She hoped to become a liaison between the community and the district.
“A free education is a great equalizer that lifts all of us,” Laurence said. “It’s fabulous because public education is a public investment.”
Some of the challenges facing the district, from her perspective, are local, state and federal budget issues, as well as new debates in the Supreme Court which could change the relationship between religion and public education. The Supreme Court is currently hearing a case which could allow Oklahoma to use government money to pay for a religious charter school, The New York Times reported. Laurence also mentioned the debate surrounding religious nonprofit LifeWise Academy’s presence in Everett, a weekly program that pulls students out of Emerson Elementary during the day.
When asked about increasing opportunities for diversity, Laurence said she hoped to add more multicultural events to the district’s calendar. She also said programs at schools should level the playing field for students.
On bonds and levies, she said that investment is necessary to get the best outcomes for local children.
“Public education is an investment in the future, part of that is through bonds and levies,” Laurence said. “The community is a part of that. We’re all raising these kids together because they’re our future.”
In June, a bond committee is set to present a recommendation to the Everett Public Schools superintendent, Ian Saltzman, describing the scope and size of a 2026 capital bond.
Laurence also plans to run for the seat in the November election, she told the board.
The four other finalists the board interviewed were Demi Chatters, Jeffery Doan, Curt Lillibridge and Ryan Weber.
Janice Greene, who is running for mayor of Everett, spoke in favor of appointing Chatters. Paula Rhyne, an Everett City Council member, also spoke in favor of Chatters.
“She has proven over time she is able to bridge emotions and bridge gaps in understanding. She’s supportive of young people and that’s something we need,” Greene said.
Chatters, who helps run a Seattle law firm, is the current head of Everett’s planning commission and the chair of the Snohomish County Human Rights Commission. She plans to run for the school board seat in the November election. Chatters has previously run for a seat on the Everett City Council.
Director Charles Adkins cast his vote for Chatters. The remaining votes were cast for Laurence.
“I’m deeply disappointed by this decision,” Adkins said during the meeting. “I think we have a responsibility to ensure that we’re here for all kids in the district, and with over 60% of the kids in our district being kids of color, it just does not sit right with me to have me, a white-passing mixed race man, be the only representation they have on this board.”
Doan is the vice chair of the Mill Creek Parks and Recreation Board and a former executive at Boeing. One of his focuses if appointed, he said during his interview, would be to create a sustainable and safe built environment for students and faculty in the district.
Weber is the chair of the Delta Neighborhood Association in Everett and works as a business analyst. He sought the position because of his hope to improve access to special programs and implement best practices from other neighboring districts, he said in his interview.
Lillibridge previously worked as a CEO in the banking industry. He said his background in construction and mortgage lending, as well as time in leadership roles, would be good experience for the position.
“The two things that we do for this district that have caused me the most emotion in the past years is the appointment of board members and the appointment of the superintendent,” board president Traci Mitchell said. “You are really the most important people that serve this district on top of the teachers and staff that serve the students every day.”
Will Geschke: 425-339-3443; william.geschke@heraldnet.com; X: @willgeschke.
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