With three Mercer Island School Board seats up for election this year on Nov. 7, the school district will be holding candidate orientation sessions from noon to 1 p.m. on March 16 and 5-6 p.m. on March 23 in the administration building district boardroom at 4160 86th Ave. SE.

Candidate filing dates with King County Elections are May 15-19 for the director seats. The spots are as follows, with current office holders in parentheses: Position 1 (David D’Souza), Position 3 (Maggie Tai Tucker) and Position 5 (Tam Dinh). Directors are elected at large to four-year terms by Mercer Island voters.

Candidates must be Mercer Island residents and registered voters in the school district. If more than two people file for a single position, a primary election will take place on Aug. 1.

Board meetings are usually held at 5 p.m. on the second and fourth Thursday of each month during the school year in the district office boardroom. The board also holds study sessions, executive sessions and exempt sessions in compliance with the Open Public Meeting Act, RCW 42.30.080.

Some of the five-member board’s responsibilities include planning, setting and monitoring goals, employing and evaluating the superintendent, setting district policy and adopting an annual operating budget.

Two Mercer Island High School student representatives also attend meetings.

For more information, visit https://tinyurl.com/3fdcfb5f