Superintendent Newsletter - 2/1/26

Dear Seattle Public Schools Community,

It is an honor and a privilege to write to you today, on my first day as the superintendent of Seattle Public Schools (SPS). I cannot begin to tell you how excited I am to be of service to all of you.

In the time since I was named superintendent, I have tried my best to meet with as many students, educators, families, and community members as possible. The response has been overwhelming. I have been thrilled to sit in meetings with parents and family members discussing their hopes and desires for a better district for their children. It brings me great joy to have already met with students to talk about what is going well and what needs to be changed at their schools. I have loved every interaction, every email, and every text message. It feels like my cell phone number is in the hands of more people than anyone else's in Seattle, and I love that.

I have always seen the role of superintendent as a listener and a convener, as well as someone who will take action for the betterment of our students. I have spent my entire career in service of children, and I cannot wait to be able to do so for the youth of Seattle.

As part of that role, I will be writing this newsletter. It is my hope that I will be writing these updates every week (with the exception of major school holidays) so that I can share what is happening in the district - both the wonderful and the challenges — and to ask for help. I truly believe we are all in this together, and I want to always share with you as a partner in our work. Together we will make SPS even more wonderful than it already is.

I can promise you three things today, to help ground our collaborative work:

1. I will always put the students first. My role is first and foremost to serve the 50,000 children that wake up every day and attend our schools. It is they whom I work for.
2. I will be present. As superintendent, I will show up. I will be with you whenever and wherever you need. I am of service and that means being alongside each and every one of you.
3. I will disappoint you. There will be times when I make decisions that some of you won't like. Sometimes we must act when not everyone is in favor, but you will always have a rationale from me. Nothing I do will be without explanation.

And with that, I hope I can ask you all to try to see any decision we as a district make with positive intent. I appreciate that I am brand new to Seattle and have not been here long enough to earn your trust. So, it is a big ask of me, and I understand that. Hopefully, as we get to know each other, I will begin to be worthy of that trust. And the best way I know to build trust is to address difficult situations honestly, openly, and clearly. And sadly, I must do that on today, my first day.

As you all know, on Friday afternoon, two SPS students were shot and killed. It is a tragedy of unspeakable proportions. My heart breaks for the families, friends, and our entire community. The death of a child is a special kind of pain. The violent death of a child is almost unbearable. It digs deep into the marrow of the family. It sits painfully on the chest of the friends. And it lives in the ether of the entire community, hanging there as a reminder of what we need to change so that events like this stop occurring.

Today, Sunday, is the Sabbath for many faiths. It is a day to reflect, a day to mourn, a day to love, and a day to embrace grace and understanding. In many traditions we ask for abundant peace in times of death. In many religions there is a ritual purification, a sanctification, an act of cleansing. I hope that today we all, as a community, can mourn together in whatever way you and your family do so. We need the time to console and grieve. We need time to find peace and to be cleansed. Even if you did not know the two students, they are ours, they are our family, and we should mourn.

But if today is the day to mourn, tomorrow must be the day for us all to come together and act.

Gun violence is a scourge of our community and our country. Youth homicide is a terrible action, but its occurrence is holistic in nature. It happens because we, collectively, have not stopped it. Thus, I ask that each and every one of us think critically about what we can do to address this issue. How can we make our streets safer and our children free from harm?

I know there are already amazing and wonderful people working on this. There are non-profit organizations devoted to the cause. I know the Seattle Police Department is working tirelessly to address this issue. I know the mayor, the city council, the county executive, and so many other public servants, are devoted to finding a way to make our community more secure. I know the School Board is doing everything they can to help. But, as the superintendent, I am asking that we all — all 50,000 students, all the families, and all the denizens of Seattle — rally together.

The question, of course, is how. How can we help to address this issue? This question, I will ask to you. I am open for ideas. I am open to conversation. I am open to anything we can do to stop one more child from dying. Please feel free to email me at boshuldiner@seattleschools.org. I know that together, we will be able to move forward.

So again, today we mourn. We mourn for our fallen family members. And tomorrow, we act to help stop this from happening again.

Thank you all for your support of Seattle Public Schools.

Ben