School board

Members of the Vancouver Public Schools board of directors are elected by the citizens of the community to four-year terms. The board sets the district’s goals and policies and is the governing body for adoption of school budgets.

Acting as secretary to the school board, the superintendent is responsible to them for implementing policies and operation of the schools.

Board meetings are accessible to all regardless of sex, race, creed, religion, color, national origin, age, veteran or military status, sexual orientation, gender expression or identity, disability or the use a dog guide or trained service animal. If you require special accommodations or an interpreter, please contact the superintendent’s office at 360-313-1200, before 4 p.m., at least four school days prior to the meeting date to allow sufficient time to make appropriate accommodations.

Kyle Sproul
Kyle SproulPresident

Marketing director

Kyle Sproul was born and raised in Washington state and moved to Vancouver in 2006. Sproul has a Master of Business Administration degree from Indiana University. Her career includes working as a marketing strategist for two Fortune 500 companies. Currently, she is a part-time marketing director for a small business. She and her husband, David, have three children; two are VPS students and one is a future VPS student.

Served since 2019 • Term expires 2027 • Position 1

Meet the directors

Kathy Decker
Kathy DeckerVice president

Retired teacher

Kathy Decker, a former VPS teacher, began her career after earning her Bachelor of Arts in elementary education from the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. She has taught in three states and Japan. She and her husband, Mark, have three children; two are VPS graduates and one is currently at Columbia River High School.

Served since 2019 • Term expires 2027 • Position 4

Tracie Barrows
Tracie BarrowsDirector

School psychologist in Evergreen Public Schools

Tracie Barrows is a school psychologist in Evergreen Public Schools. She has been a school psychologist for more than a decade and has lived in Vancouver since 2009. Barrows earned a master’s degree from Argosy University in Hawaii. Her husband, Doug, is a teacher in Evergreen Public Schools.

Served since 2019 • Term expires 2027 • Position 5

Wendy Smith
Wendy SmithDirector

Teacher at Heritage High School in Evergreen Public Schools

Wendy Smith is a lifelong Vancouver resident and product of Vancouver Public Schools. She attended Felida Elementary School, Jason Lee Middle School and Columbia River High School. After graduating, she earned bachelor’s degrees in history and anthropology from the University of Washington and a master’s degree in education from Washington State University Vancouver.

Smith, a social studies teacher, sees her work on the school board as a natural extension of her commitment to public education.

Smith and her husband, Rob Lutz, have two young children: George and Eleanor.

Served since 2017 • Term expires 2025 • Position 3

Sandra Zavala-Ortega
Sandra Zavala-OrtegaDirector

Business owner

Sandra Zavala-Ortega has served in several capacities as a representative of the local Latino community to improve cultural diversity and increase opportunities for people of color.

Zavala-Ortega grew up in Vancouver and attended VPS schools. She also was previously employed by the district as a Family-Community Resource Center coordinator at Harney Elementary School.

She is currently pursuing her master’s degree at Washington State University Vancouver. She and her husband, Enrique, have a son who attends school in VPS.

Served since 2021 • Term expires 2025 • Position 2

Meet the Board

We are excited to bring you a series of interviews featuring each of our School Board Directors. Learn about their goals for serving our students and get to know them a little better.

Sandra Zavala-Ortega, VPS Board President

Sandra Zavala-Ortega, VPS Board President (Interview in Spanish)

Kyle Sproul, VPS Vice President

Tracie Barrows, VPS Director

Wendy Smith, VPS Director

Kathy Decker, VPS Director