Kent School Board picks pro, con levy committee members
Published 4:56 pm Tuesday, July 28, 2026
Two Kent politicians and one Covington politician will submit a statement in favor of the Nov. 3 Kent School District levy to King County Elections for the Voters’ Pamphlet while one resident critical of Kent School Board decisions will submit a statement against the measure.
The board selected Kent Mayor Dana Ralph, Kent City Councilmember Bill Boyce and Covington City Councilmember Jeff Wagner on July 22 for the Pro Committee. They picked Joseph Riley as the lone member of the Con Committee. Six residents applied for the Pro Committee. Riley, who often speaks via video during the public comment period of board meetings, was the only applicant for the Con Committee.
Leslie Hamada, a former Kent School Board member; Dwayne Alexander Sr. and Dwayne Alexander Jr. also applied for the Pro Committee but were not chosen during a public vote after the board briefly met in executive session to discuss the applicants. The committees could have as many as three members. It took just three votes by the five-member board to approve a nominee.
The board had a discussion period during the open meeting to talk about its choices, but no member spoke.
The board decided earlier this year to place Resolution 1718, a Replacement Educational Programs and Operations Levy, on the Nov. 3 general election ballot.
Ralph, Wagner and Hamada were chosen to the Pro Committee for the November 2024 school district Capital Projects and Technology levy, which voters narrowly approved. Riley and Matthew Parrish were on the Con Committee. Voters had turned down a similar measure in April 2024.
