School Board Vacancies

The Highline School Board appointed two new members to fill the board seats representing District 4 and 5.  

Appointment Process

The appointment process was guided by state law and Highline Board Policy 1114 and Procedure 1114. 

Application and Candidate Selection

Following the resignation of two board members in January, an open application process drew 13 applicants from the community—eight for District 4 and five for District 5—demonstrating strong local engagement.

After review, the board advanced five candidates per district to the first round of interviews on February 26. Before the interviews took place, two candidates for District 5 withdrew their names from consideration.

Interview and Selection Process

During the March 5 board meeting, the board narrowed the candidate pool to three finalists for District 4. The board also voted to re-open the application window for District 5 to hear from more perspectives after two candidates withdrew before the first round of public interviews.

On March 15, the board interviewed the two remaining finalists for District 4 after one candidate withdrew from consideration, as well as two candidates for District 5 who applied when the application window was reopened.

Board Decision and Appointments

On March 19, the school board voted to appoint Dr. Damarys Espinoza to represent District 4 and Blaine Holien to represent District 5.

Term and Representation

The new directors for District 4 and District 5 will serve until the directors elected in the November 2025 election take their oath.  

• District 4 represents the communities of Normandy Park and portions of the North Hill neighborhood and City of SeaTac.  
• District 5 represents the southernmost portion of the district, primarily in the city of Des Moines. 

Board Expectations for New Members 

Newly appointed board members are expected to attend all school board meetings listed on the district calendar, and be available for additional meetings as needed, including any schedule adjustments.