Katy Sassara, Co-Content Editor
Rheagan Sparks was sworn in as a new board member on Nov. 30, beating one-time board member Jake Jacobovitch in the November election for VISD school board position no. 2, taking the position most recently filled by Bob Hennessey.
Sparks grew up on Vashon and has long been involved in the schools; first as a student at the junior high and high school, and later as a volunteer for the Vashon Schools Foundation.
“I’ve been working with the Vashon Schools Foundation for the past three years to help raise money for the public schools on the island, and I got interested in helping develop the programs that [the] money was paying for,” she said.
Sparks feels her greatest asset to the board and the community lies in her ability communicate. She cites an increase in communication between the school district and the greater island community as her goal.
“I think everyone’s kind of operating in their own silo,” Sparks said. “A lot of [the] time, the general public on the island seems pretty misinformed about the drivers for policies and practices, and a lot of bad rumors get started. And when those rumors go around, people are less willing to help support the schools; either financially or with volunteer time.”
Sparks intends to use social media to keep the community updated on not only the actions of the board, but also on the more specific happenings inside the schools — such as field trips, learning opportunities and daily classroom activities.
For Sparks, the most important aspect of a position such as hers is collaboration. She feels that the best work gets done when all voices are represented, and a group functions as a team.
Her greatest hope is to help the district take more steps towards equity, a concept near and dear to her heart.
“I think inequity is what’s driving a lot of the issues in the larger country right now … I think if we start that with the younger generation of people so that those separations and labels aren’t so hard applied to everybody … society generally [will have] more empathy, more inclusion [and] more willingness to support people who need support.”
Sparks was sworn in on Nov. 30 and will serve as a board member for the next four years.
