Like sticky flypaper. As soon as you get your foot unstuck from one issue, you get stuck on the very next step.

Improving schools is sticky business. There's no simple solution, and with every proposal, everybody who ever went to school provides their expert opinion.

But that's the way it should be. Our kids are complex beings, with different backgrounds, interests and learning styles, and everybody should care about their current and future success. There's no more important work than providing for their futures.

Because it's so important, let's rise above the muck that sells newspapers and take a look at the very real successes of Seattle Public Schools.

I was elected to the board three years ago in what was described as a landslide election. The voters cleaned house because the school district was in a financial crisis. Ledgers that were balanced by zero-ing out $20 million in reserve funds and the district projected a $14 million shortfall in state funding the following year.

Over the last three years, through conservative fiscal policy, tight financial management, and tough decision-making, our school district has recovered $26 million in unrestricted reserve funds. That's not an exorbitant amount of money - it's about 5 percent of our total budget, exactly where we should be.

In addition, in the time I've served on the school board, the district has not had a negative ledger balance and the state has issued no general fund financial management audit findings. Our Standard & Poor's credit rating has gone up. The previous financial debacle has been resolved and the district is stable.

There is no financial crisis, but that doesn't mean we have enough money. Every school district in this state experiences an annual shortfall in their budget projections, because we budget given what we know for sure. It is impossible to predict the state budget, which is approved by the governor and Legislature in the middle of each school year. We are chronically under-funded. Washington ranks among the bottom 10 states in per pupil state funding. Every year, we make cuts and the Legislature provides a little more money. It is a constant juggle, and a struggle, to make ends meet. It always has been.

To relieve that struggle to some degree, the board concluded it was necessary to close schools. In June, following a lengthy public engagement process, we voted to close seven school buildings. The outcry from affected families was predictable and understandable. This difficult but necessary action will save $4 million to $5 million each year, money that can be reinvested in improving academic quality.

We continue to look for efficiencies and cost savings so that we can improve schools. For example, in a recent vote, the board passed a natural resources policy that will reduce utility, paper and fuel costs by at least five percent, saving another $450,000 each year. We are carefully analyzing our transportation options. We will continue to establish policies that support the Superintendent in making the most efficient use of limited dollars - putting as many dollars as possible into the classroom.

Academically, we should also take time to celebrate success. We have outpaced the state average on gains in academic achievement for seven consecutive years, and our disaggregated test scores (as reported by race and poverty indicators) compare favorably to neighboring school districts. SAT scores continue to rise. We can share success stories about every school.

Our new chief academic officer, Carla Santorno, brings Seattle a strong focus on academics. Perhaps for the first time in Seattle's history, central operations are aligned to support our academic plan. Ms. Santorno pushes for academic effectiveness, including expansion of international education and art and music programs, and regular evaluations for every educator and administrator. Our success story continues.

Three years ago, the board took aggressive steps to resolve an urgent water quality issue. We developed one of the stiffest water quality testing programs in the nation. An external panel of experts monitors implementation of the policy. The district continues to find irregularities in school drinking water because the board directed the superintendent to conduct periodic tests in perpetuity to ensure the safety of our students, staff and visitors. I know of no other public institution that regularly tests its drinking water to ensure the safety of employees and the people they serve.

The school board has prompted greater community involvement at all levels of school administration. Parents are now regularly included in principal selection committees. Outreach to families with limited English has never been as strong as it is today. Parents can now monitor their child's day-to-day progress via their home computers, and communication between schools and parents has improved immensely.

The Board's commitment to open process has resulted in your opportunity to watch sausage-making - sometimes it's messy, it always has been, but now you can watch every board meeting on television. You can view all board meeting documents online. Through e-mail, communications with board members have increased 10-fold in as many years.

Our school district isn't perfect, but our board and superintendent have pushed for and achieved greater accountability than Seattle has seen before. We're beginning to close gaps in achievement between white students and students of color. While the majority of school-age children and youth attend public schools, for decades a large number of Seattle families have chosen private schools.

Frankly, it's time to push the muck aside and work harder to convey our school success stories. With the help of this newspaper, I look forward to telling those stories in the weeks to come.

Irene Stewart represents West Seattle and South Park on the Seattle School Board and she can be reached at irene.stewart@seattleschools.org