Elect DEVIN LESHIN for Tahoma School Board
Safety. Support. Success.
Hello! My name is Devin Leshin and I am running for the position of Tahoma School Board Director, Position 4. I appreciate you taking the time to come to my website and get a glimpse at who I am, what I am hoping to do, and what is motivating me to take this step. As you read through the site, know that I am always ready to have conversations with you on the schools in general, specific issues you and your children may be facing, or any other topic that is of interest to you. Feel free to reach out to me and let’s chat. All of my information is on the Contact page.
The Quick Overview
Devin is a parent of two current Tahoma SD students: one is currently at Tahoma High School and the other is at Rock Creek Elementary School. He has grown up surrounded by the public school system with both parents being career-long teachers – His mom taught primarily 2nd grade and his father taught middle school (typically math). Both of his parents selected their grades of choice because it was the age group they felt like that could make the most impact on a student’s trajectory and success. It was this mentality that embedded itself in Devin’s mind about what motivates people to teach. With his background in IT, marketing, and early childhood technology, along with experience with curriculum construction and time in the classroom, Devin is eager to join the school board and have a positive impact.
Please read more about Devin’s background on our “About” page.
Key Issues / Platform
- Student Safety & Well-Being
- Strengthen anti-bullying policies and introduce proactive measures
- Address over-crowding issues
- Focus efforts to enable the most vulnerable students are in a position for success
- Increase support for teachers, including professional development opportunities
- A fully developed High Cap program from elementary through graduation
- Fiscal responsibility and transparency to ensure resources go where needed most
- Ensure the arts programs are fully supported and able to handle the demand
- Integration of technology (including AI) as a mechanism to personalize learning and prepare student’s for the future
Please see our “Issues” page for more details on these topics.
To read more about my research and plan to stop bullying, please read here: https://devin4tsd.com/blog/?viewDetailed=20250723239
Why Am I Running?
It’s very common to hear that a parent is running for the School Board because they want to make things better for their kids or some variation of that. I originally hesitated to share some of the story of my children publicly. That said, over the past few years, with all of the conversations I have had with other parents, at least 90% of the time (if not more), I hear a story from them about similar struggles that their kids have had and the difficulty they as parents have faced in getting the resources needed for their children.
Both of my kids are Autistic. Very different presentations of that (it’s why it’s a Spectrum, right?). They have had some good experiences. They have some bad experiences. They have had some downright horrific experiences. They have had some great friends. They have also been bullied. I would never had expected that a 5th grader would tell a 4th grader that “everyone hates you,” “you should just go jump off a bridge and die,” and “no one wants you here.” Yet, that happened. It continued without intervention. It finally stopped when something was said to him and my son hugged the other student (he’s a hugger) and said “I know you’re saying mean things because you’re sad about something. I hope that turns around for you and your day gets better.” Despite that bully stopping, it has factored into my son’s fear of attending school. That should never be the case.
We have encountered some teachers and administrators who are extremely gifted and were great with both kids. Some, I would even say, turned the entire course of my oldest kid’s education around. Others, while having good intentions, just did not have the training and support needed to do what they needed to help. It’s not their fault. It takes special training or certified staff to support them that they just do not have access to. While I understand that, it is heartbreaking to see one or both of my children suffering for the inadequacies of the district.
I would bet for many of you reading this, this sounds all-to-familiar. This is why I am running. Not just because this happened to my kids but because I hear story after story that situations like this (and worse in many cases) keep happening here. It’s time to put a stop to it. No kid should fear school. That is where my passion is coming from. That is why I hope I get the opportunity to work with the district administrators, teachers, and staff along with the parents and other community members to leave this district better than we found it. I hope you will join me on that mission. ALL of our kids deserve it. Safety. Support. Success.
