For the Reporter

Auburn voters elected Robyn Mulenga in an uncontested race during Tuesday’s election to succeed retiring director Carol Seng.

Seng represents district two and has been on the Auburn School District board of directors since 2002.

Mulenga attended Pacific Lutheran University and works on federal construction projects.

She is looking forward to working on the district’s strategic direction and serving the community. She will be sworn in at the board meeting at 7 p.m. Dec. 14 in the James P. Fugate Administration building, 915 Fourth St. NE.

Incumbent board members Anne Baunach, Ray Vefik and Ryan Van Quill ran unopposed in the election and will continue to serve on the school board.

Laurie Bishop is also on the board.

Mulenga is from Kent and has lived in Auburn for 10 years. She has a son who attends elementary school in Auburn.

A Board of Distinction

The Auburn School District board of directors was one of nine school boards in the state to be recently named a Board of Distinction by the Washington State School Directors’ Association (WSSDA).

“Each of these boards is a great example of the excellent work of Washington’s 295 school boards and 1,477 school board members,” said Chris Nieuwenhuis, WSSDA president. “We applaud their commitment to their students and communities.”

The annual Boards of Distinction program honors school boards that demonstrate effective use of the Washington School Board Standards. The standards, developed and adopted by WSSDA in 2009, promote research-based governance practices that lead to high levels of student and district achievement, and help close the opportunity gap.

The Auburn School Board also earned a meritorious award for having attained Board of Distinction status five times.

Award applicants submit an essay and supporting evidence to demonstrate how they are putting the standards into practice. This year, applicants addressed the following:

• Conducting business in a fair, respectful and responsible manner.

• Leading the development, articulation and stewardship of a vision of learning.

• Providing for the safety and security of students and staff.

• Measuring student academic progress and needs based on valid assessments.

• Ensuring board and district transparency through an open and accountable process.

Applications are evaluated by an independent review panel.

The boards will be honored Nov. 20 during the WSSDA Annual Conference in Bellevue. At that time, the association also will announce the 2015 Boards of the Year winners.