Puyallup School Board elects Kathy Yang as its new president

The Puyallup School Board elected Kathy Yang as its new president of the board at a school board meeting on Dec. 11.

Yang, 47, has been on the school board since 2013 and was reelected to board director Pos. 4 in the November election.

Yang wants to continue the work she started for the students and families in the community and improve Puyallup School District programs.

“This board has been just amazing to me — very collaborative, very willing to listen and everyone’s focus is on what is best for our kids,” Yang said.

The school board has the option to elect a new president annually, but board members usually serve two years in the position. Yang took over the role of president from board member Dane Looker with a unanimous vote. She’d been vice president previously.

As president, Yang works closely with Puyallup School District Superintendent Tim Yeomans and is the “mouthpiece” of the board.

Yang played a big role in bringing after-school programs to elementary schools across the district and expanding the number of students they can serve, Yeomans said.

“Kathy is exceptionally dedicated to the betterment of our community,” Yeomans said. “Her background and her law degrees allow her to assess very accurately where potential challenges may reside as the board navigates future steps and initiatives.”

Yang was born in Korea and lived in France for three years before coming to the United States. She grew up in Edmonds and attended Northwestern College in Chicago, earning a degree in English. Later, she returned to the University of Washington for her masters in tax law, graduating in 1995.

Yang’s husband, a surgeon, started a position at Good Samaritan Hospital, and they moved to Puyallup. At the time, they had two kids in the Puyallup School District. Yang found herself getting involved with volunteer opportunities at their schools.

“It gave me an idea what went on in the schools, what concerns there were,” Yang said.

But it would be years of volunteer work with the community before Yang pursued a position on the school board. When first brought on board, the district was facing huge growth.

“The biggest issue Puyallup had when I came on board was capacity,” Yang said.

The district had more portables than most other districts in that state, and it didn’t have room to lower the number of students per classrooms. The board worked together to produce a bond that passed in 2015, which not only expanded current schools but planned to build an entirely new one.

Now, some of those projects are completed, and the new elementary school — in the process of being named — is on its way to construction with an expected completion date of 2019.

The board has also improved its communication with the community and families through weekly newsletters, a brand new website and social media.

“We’ve done such a great job the last few years improving the communications with our community,” Yang said. “The time that I’ve been on board, it’s been about making every department as efficient as possible.”

Moving forward, board members are focusing on how they can continue to improve communication with families and accommodate for growth, which is expected to continue. The board is exploring the possibility of running another bond, which would focus on upgrades on the district’s junior high and high schools.

The board also approved to place an Educational Programs and Operations Replacement Levy on the February special election ballot. The levy supports day-to-day operations and programs for the district.

The levy is just one example of the work the board is doing to provide their students with the best learning opportunities, Yang said.

“This is the greatest investment we can make in our community, because (students) are going grow and make a difference,” she said. “It’s a privilege to be a part of that.”

Now, she’s involved not only with the school board, but also with downtown Puyallup Rotary, the Good Samaritan Hospital Foundation and the early childhood center at the Bethany Baptist Church in Puyallup.

“Kathy shows a level of commitment to the students, staff and community through her presence at many community and school events,” Yeomans said. “We are very fortunate to have her serving as president and building on the great work of the Puyallup School Board over the recent past.”

This story was originally published January 4, 2018 at 10:36 AM with the headline "Puyallup School Board elects Kathy Yang as its new president."