Kent School Board names 3 candidates for vacant position

Published 5:12 pm Thursday, May 21, 2026

The Kent School Board will consider three candidates to fill a vacant seat.

Stephani Braicks, Jimmy Kahl and Christopher Vasquez were announced after a May 20 board executive session as the three candidates.

“There were three applicants,” according to a May 21 Kent School District communications team email to the Kent Reporter.

When asked for a brief profile of the candidates, the district replied:

“There is not a profile available,” according to the communications team.

The four board members will interview the candidates at 5 p.m. Tuesday, June 9 at the Kent School District Administration Center, 12033 SE 256th St. The interviews are open to the public. The board will go into executive session after the interviews to discuss the candidates before reopening the meeting to the public and naming a replacement.

Andy Song, who represented District 1, resigned April 17 from the board because he is moving out of town. The replacement will complete the remaining time on his four-year term. He or she will start on June 10 of this year and serve until Dec. 8, 2027. The replacement director is scheduled to be sworn in June 24.

The appointed director will be eligible to run in the November 2027 election for the position and must file during the May 2027 period with King County Elections.

Applicants had to have a permanent residence within the boundaries of Director District 1, whose boundaries are roughly S/SE 240th Street to the south; SE 192nd Street to the north; 116th Avenue SE to the east; and Military Road to the west. Kent schools within the boundaries include River Ridge, Neely-O’Brien and Panther Lake elementary schools.