Issaquah School Board member Marnie Maraldo has announced that she is running for re-election to the District 2 seat on the Issaquah School Board.

Maraldo was first elected to the School Board in 2009 and was re-elected in 2013. Prior to her joining the board, Maraldo had been active in her local Parent Teacher Student Association as secretary, legislative representative and, eventually, co-president. She was also a member of Stand for Children and for issues spearheaded by the League of Education Voters, testifying before the legislature in support of the massive education reform bill, HB 2261.

When Maraldo was first elected to the Issaquah School Board in 2009, the district had about 14,500 students. This year, the district passed the 20,000-student mark. With the district facing continued growth, including a growing number of students facing educational challenges, Maraldo sees significant work still to be done.

“Students are coming to our schools with a variety of experiences. They don’t all start with the same educational experience, but our expectation is that they all get to where they need to be when they graduate,” Maraldo stated in a press release. “Each and every student needs to be prepared for whatever they want to pursue. It’s better for our whole community when students are prepared to contribute to its success.”

A key focus for Maraldo has been ensuring all students can access educational opportunities regardless of outside factors, such as socioeconomic status or family background. She has been working hard to identify areas where students may encounter unintended barriers that will keep them from reaching their full potential. She has been a voice for highlighting these factors when looking at such things as discipline data or students in the district’s highly capable program. As part of this work, Maraldo has attended various conferences focused on equity in education and participates on the school district’s equity advisory board.

Since 2013, Maraldo has been a member of the Washington State School Directors’ Association Legislative Committee board of directors, serving on the Executive Committee as vice president in 2016 and currently serving as president-elect. This role allows Maraldo to represent the school district’s interests statewide, and presents her with a perspective of how other districts are able to provide a quality education for students, bringing ideas back to the Issaquah School District. She has built strong relationships with state and federal legislators, advocating on behalf of the district.

Earlier this year, Maraldo also joined a small group of WSSDA members who attended a meeting with members of the U.S. Department of Education. Her area of concern was the federal government’s significant underfunding of special education for students with disabilities.

While Maraldo noted her primary concern is with students and their education, she said is well in-tune with many other items of importance for the district.

“The district is growing at a rate of about 500 students a year. That’s the size of an elementary school,” Maraldo said. “I am so grateful for the support of our community which is allowing us to build the classrooms to support the influx of kids. And the board is appreciative of the community input on healthier school start times for our teens. Despite the uncertainty of how the state will fund our schools, we are confident we will still be able to provide the world-class education our families have come to expect from the Issaquah School District.”

Maraldo and her husband, Tony, have two children attending schools within the district. Their son will graduate from Liberty High School in June. Their daughter, who is currently a student at Maywood Middle School, will be attending the district’s new innovative school, Gibson Ek High School, in the fall.

The Issaquah School District serves students in Issaquah, Bellevue, Sammamish, Newcastle, Renton and unincorporated King County.