Future Ready: Special Education Conversation with Board Director Nikki Lockwood

In this episode of the SPS Future Ready podcast, Board Director Nikki Lockwood shares her personal journey as a parent of a neurodiverse child and how it inspired her to run for the Spokane Schools Board. The conversation explores progress and ongoing challenges in special education, including inclusion, family advocacy, funding, language, and the importance of collaboration between parents and educators. Listeners also hear a parent story highlighting the impact of connection and advocacy, along with a look ahead at Lockwood’s hopes for inclusive programming, transition services, and strong community for students with disabilities. 

Transcript

STEPHANIE: Welcome to the Future Ready podcast. I'm Stephanie Splater, joined as always by Superintendent Dr. Adam Swinyard and our producer-engineer Jim Hazelton. Today we have a very special guest. She was first elected to the Spokane Schools Board of Directors in 2019 and then reelected fall of 2025. Welcome Board Director Nikki Lockwood.

NIKKI: Thank you. I'm happy to be here. Long time podcast listener, first time guest.

STEPHANIE: So glad to have you. So stick around. This is the SPS Future Ready podcast.

STEPHANIE: So I am curious, Nikki, what inspired you in 2019 to run for school board?

NIKKI: There's a little bit of a backstory there. I mean, the short answer is my younger daughter, Resa. But the full answer starts with this: I'm a proud public school graduate. Public education worked for me. It worked for me and my family. It opened doors. And I've always believed it's one of the most powerful tools that we have for opportunity and changing the trajectory of a person's life.

And that belief became really, really real as a parent. My younger daughter is neurodiverse, and when she entered school, the system simply wasn't prepared to fully meet her needs. She did have amazing educators along the way and definitely was supported, but had some needs that we struggled to work on.

At the time, I was a stay-at-home parent and deeply involved in our schools, more involved than my own parents could be. They had factory jobs and they couldn't do it. So I was really proud of that. And I thought I was doing everything right.

DR. SWINYARD: You grew up locally?

NIKKI: Yeah, I went to Central Valley School District, so graduated from University High School.

You know, so I just needed to figure out how to support my daughter and went from school level issues to district-wide issues, to learning and working with a lot of parents and understanding their stories. And then we ended up working with the district and we all learned together and worked on discipline reform and special education supports, and a lot of good change was starting.

And in 2019, there were three positions open. And I thought, well, this is a chance to strengthen and expand that work. And so I ran.

DR. SWINYARD: Awesome. It can be pretty lonely as a parent, right? Like having a student with special needs, trying to figure out how to navigate the system and get them support. Like, what's that feel like?

NIKKI: Well, it definitely was isolating and frustrating because I had a strong community of friends, but they did not have the experience that I was having. And so, you know, that parent organizing and any parent community that can be built for families of students with disabilities is really important because we can hear each other and see each other and just connect in that way.

So that was really important for me in my transformation to being a positive advocate—hearing those other stories. And I will tell you, the family stories that have been shared with me, I carry those with me in my public service. It's really important.

DR. SWINYARD: Yeah, things are, you know, still work to be done, but lots of progress in creating spaces for families where maybe, you know, in your journey, it felt pretty isolating. And hopefully now there's some better structures and better spaces set up.

NIKKI: Oh, absolutely. I feel like as a district we have a culture—we're building a culture of connection. So that includes families of students with disabilities. And, you know, that's why I ran again in 2025 because change takes time. There's still more work to do. But we've made some good progress.

STEPHANIE: What are some of the biggest successes you've seen in recent years in Spokane schools?

NIKKI: Yeah, well, there are a few. Definitely. We have expanded inclusion. So inclusion, for those that may not know, is when students with disabilities learn alongside their general education peers. So they're in general education classes and then to some degree are learning grade level content. It can be modified.

And, you know, when the board made a priority of that work, Dr. Swinyard and everybody really worked to make that happen. It's ongoing. So all the staff have been trained in universal design for learning, which is—I'm not the education expert, so I am a parent and a school board member—but I did do some learning on this. And it is having different ways for students to access the learning within a class at the same time. So we know there are different ways that we all learn. So it's just expanding on that.

DR. SWINYARD: What do you see as some ongoing challenges? I'm thinking specifically for families. You mentioned that in your introduction. What do you see as some ongoing challenges that we want to continue to address to help families?

NIKKI: Well, there are so many. You know, we continue to serve students with very significant behavior needs. I think that is a big issue. I think that's a national issue. And from what I've heard, they've surveyed teachers, and that is one of the biggest issues across the country. Balancing inclusion with the right supports is hard, but necessary.

We're also seeing very young students entering school without early intervention or preschool services that have special education needs. And so that means there's a big need for intensive supports immediately. So that can be an issue.

Funding is an ongoing challenge. Special education is underfunded at the state level, and federal commitment has never been fully met. I don't know if everybody knows that, but the uncertainty at the federal level right now is deeply concerning. We do what we can, but funding shapes every decision. Definitely.

DR. SWINYARD: Well, you know, in our district, we have around 18% of our kids receive services in special education. And we just continue to see that need increase as we have families oftentimes from some of our surrounding areas. They move into the urban core to access social services and also educational services. And so we welcome them. We love having them as part of our district. And it continues to introduce complexities.

So we're really proud of the programming that we have. And as Director Lockwood shared, funding can be a huge nexus for us. And a lot of advocacy has gone on at the state level, and there's been some progress there.

NIKKI: Well, and we got rid of the cap at the state level. They used to cap what percentage would be funded at the district level. And we had special education needs above that cap. So getting rid of that cap was huge.

STEPHANIE: Something I want to tap into is your expertise around language. Because when we talk about Future Ready and we want our listeners, our community, our stakeholders—all things that touch Spokane schools—what do you see as the challenges and what can you share with us about language when we talk about students with disabilities in our community who may have disabilities?

NIKKI: Well, words matter. You know, we want all of our kids to feel valued and seen. And part of that is learning how to address the issues and how people want to be identified.

We usually try to consider first person language, like "students with disabilities," "students with autism." However, some people, some students—and this changes, right—some communities within the disability communities like the term "autistic" or "neurodiverse." That's how they identify. And so really coming at it with curiosity and openness to learning is important. And then kind of respecting it, keeping up on it, I guess, and asking.

Even like there's a movie that's called Crip Camp. Have you heard of that?

DR. SWINYARD: I haven't heard of that.

NIKKI: Yeah, it's really good. It is about a groundbreaking high school teen camp, like summer camp, that was put together by some hippies, college kids. But it built a space for kids, teens with disabilities. And then some of the later leaders of disability rights came from that camp. So people that are known in history that helped to create the ADA legislation at the federal level went to that camp. And it's really cool because you just see them as kids.

I only bring that up because some people are starting to use that word "crip" more. But really that is specific to certain communities. And you'd have to ask about that. But like, taking back their language.

DR. SWINYARD: So it sounds like your advice is just really entering those spaces, really trying to put that sense of awareness and curiosity of how people want to be referenced, whether that's special education student or student with special needs. And it sounds like there's variability in that, but it's really the curiosity and the relational piece that we're after.

NIKKI: Yeah, I believe so. And, you know, everything that I'm saying I just want to share—I'm sharing as a board member and as a family member of a student with a disability. So I do still have that external lens. I'm not from the disability community at this time. I mean, things change over time and you never know. But that is something that's important to share.

But, you know, I certainly have that lens with me—that lived experience as a mom and organizing with other families that I try to bring. Even in our commitments to our students, I really pushed us to make sure that every student and family would see themselves in that. So when we have "reading by fourth grade," you know, there are some students that won't be able to do that. So what language can we use to make sure that every student will see themselves in that? And so we have "reading by fourth grade or personalized plan."

DR. SWINYARD: I remember how important that conversation was. And I know some of the unpacking of that is just that intentionality of how a little bit of extra language and thoughtfulness goes so far in building connection and community and making people feel like they're seen in all parts of our school district.

NIKKI: Yeah. Because they are part of our school district.

DR. SWINYARD: You mentioned just like, you know, some of the feelings that you had as a parent and as an advocate. You came to lots of school board meetings, you've been to quite a few as an advocate. And now, you know, quite a few years as a really incredibly successful board member. What advice do you have for families that have students with special needs? Some of the advice that you have for maybe a parent that's just starting that journey—being someone who has traveled that road in a lot of iterations, and now you've seen it from multiple vantage points: you've seen it as a parent, you've seen it as a side-by-side advocate, and then you've seen it as the president of the school board. What advice would you have for parents listening to this as they're starting out on their journey?

NIKKI: Right. Well, it's interesting because a friend of mine who we've been friends for a long time, and her youngest child—her oldest child was graduating when her youngest child was going into kindergarten. And somewhere along the way, she was diagnosed with a disability. So I've had to share that advice.

Well, it's the same child that you've always been loving, so, you know, remember that. And as far as working with the school district, it depends on where they are in the system, but they really are an expert. They have lived experience about what works for that child, what that child needs. They might not know everything because there is a steep learning curve for families that haven't been exposed to a disability of any type. So they are learning, and that learning continues throughout life, I think.

But they are the expert on their child. And so that's important to honor for themselves and bring that in. I think it's also important to prepare for meeting with the school district or meeting for the Individualized Education Plan, which is a legal document. It has a lot of legal requirements to it.

So I would say, you know, preparing, reading books, connecting with other families. There are advocates out there. There's so many resources to know how to write an effective IEP and to allow, you know, really focusing on what your child needs to learn. Stay curious and work towards a partnership with the educators that your student is working with. Advocacy and collaboration can and should exist together, I would say.

DR. SWINYARD: I love that—advocacy and collaboration live together. Can you talk a little bit more about how both of those kind of live in the same space of how important it is for parents to be asking critical questions and be really continuing to service their students' needs while at the same time entering that space, right?

NIKKI: Well, I've learned a lot doing this myself. I think part of that is being prepared—knowing what your rights are, but speaking to it in an affirmative way towards the IEP team. Like, "This is what I want for my child. I think my child needs to learn how to organize their work to make sure that they get it done. How can we help them do that?" Those types of things.

And I've learned the more affirmative language that you can have about what you want to happen, it really helps and it opens it up. I mean, we're all human. So if you come at somebody attacking, they're going to get defensive. But that goes both ways. Parents might not know everything, but if you can honor their showing up—you know they love their kid. If they're there, they're trying. And so that really goes both ways of honoring what each of you are there to do. And it's going to be a better product if you work together as a team.

JIM: Advice for teachers, though, from the other side of it? 

NIKKI: You know, I think just honoring that parents really are experts with their children and being curious about what they've seen at home and what works. And I've heard a lot of parents over the years say, "They just didn't listen to me." So listening to parents is really important.

STEPHANIE: It's so key that they're the expert on their student and their child. And sometimes we can get caught in the busyness of checking the boxes and making the plan and executing the plan and making sure that people are involved. But at the end of the day, they are the expert on their own student.

NIKKI: There's a lot of emotion in it. And so hopefully because they love their kid and they want them to be successful and valued. And so I think just knowing that that tension that might show up is just that—it's love.

JIM: This seems like the perfect opportunity to take a break from our main discussion and visit this very subject. I was able to get a parent to sit down with me and share her experience.

Navigating special education can be daunting for parents, especially if you're not sure where to turn for help. Casey Van Gerven knows this firsthand. Over the years, she's learned how to advocate for her son, Finn, and find the support she needed along the way.

NATS: Finn, this is Jim.

JIM: Nice to meet you, Finn.

JIM: When it comes to Finn, Casey has a lot to say.

CASEY: I feel sometimes I can just ramble on. 

JIM: But when asked to describe him, Casey encourages using what's called person-first language.

CASEY: Yeah, he's a student with autism. Yeah. Yeah. And yeah, just remembering like I think that's the big thing—not labeling "this is what I am."

JIM: Now a fifth grader, Finn has been at Roosevelt Elementary since kindergarten.

CASEY: I really feel like both of my kids have really been seen and heard here. Finn, my little one—as a person, they really see him. He's very straightforward.

JIM: This year, Finn was even able to open up to his class about his learning differences.

CASEY: Finn shared that he has dyslexia and ADHD and he's on the autism spectrum, which is really interesting to me because he hasn't really talked about that much before. But now they know, "Oh, well, Finn sees words, letters differently. He sees numbers differently."

JIM: Casey says her son has found his place in the Roosevelt community, but the path to this point wasn't easy.

CASEY: Little buddy can get really stuck and it can be hard to get unstuck.

JIM: And the school meetings could sometimes be overwhelming. That's where they discuss Finn's Individualized Education Program, or IEP.

CASEY: Things would be going so fast, talking so fast, and I'd want to feel like I could articulate what I wanted for Finn. But I'd come out of there feeling like a kind of a deer in headlights.

JIM: All this while hearing concerns about Finn's progress.

CASEY: It would be, "He's just not moving forward. He's just not moving forward."

JIM: Then she was told about SEPAC—Special Education Parent Awareness and Connection.

CASEY: I finally found Molly Webber, who is the special ed parent liaison, and I went to a SEPAC meeting. These parents had these stories that I could identify with. All of a sudden I was like, I cannot believe I've gone this long without going to this meeting.

JIM: She started learning her rights as a parent, how to advocate, what to ask for in IEP meetings. The group became her support network. And then Casey heard something that changed everything.

CASEY: Molly looked at me and she goes, "Casey, it's okay if people are uncomfortable." And that was so profound to me.

JIM: She learned how to advocate for her son in a way that everyone aiming to support him could understand.

CASEY: And suddenly, whereas for years Finn wasn't moving forward, he was soaring. 

JIM: For other parents navigating special education, Casey has specific advice.

CASEY: You can advocate for your child and have strength and be kind. Knowing that it is okay to speak up and speak out, but you just listen to yourself, listen to your kiddo, and really be involved and communicate.

JIM: Communicate?

CASEY: Absolutely. Communicate so much.

DR. SWINYARD: So you've been advocating for a long time for students with special needs and programming—lots of great progress and lots of milestones. What are your hopes and dreams when you look out into the future? What's your vision for what Spokane Public Schools provides for students that need these types of services?

NIKKI: Yeah, I wrote down a few things because—please share with us. That's great.

Well, I mean, we already as a board measure opportunity gaps. We look at graduation rates and school climate and kindergarten readiness and math and literacy. So we look at a lot of metrics so we know where the opportunity gaps are. And our students with disabilities represent some of the biggest ones. And they've shown some great improvement like around the engagement work. Absolutely. It's gone up a lot. 

So there's a lot to be another success, I think—really being inclusive and expansive. Unified sports.

DR. SWINYARD: Unified sports. 

STEPHANIE: Brainwave Buddies.

NIKKI: I don’t think I heard about that.

STEPHANIE: Brainwave Buddies, that Jim recently did a story about. That was so awesome.

JIM: Yeah. A couple days ago, I did a story about Brainwave Buddies. It's an after-school club, actually, where the kids play art-based games that can help them talk about their feelings with each other. 

NIKKI: Oh my gosh. 

JIM: Any sort of neurodiversity. And it's partnering with Gonzaga University, actually. And so some neurodiverse-identifying students from Gonzaga run this program. They come in, they sit down, they're playing games. They took a side profile picture of themselves, and then they're supposed to draw a picture based on the side profile picture, and they put their little thought bubbles as to what they're thinking about.

NIKKI: Oh, that's amazing. My daughter would have loved that. I did ask as a board member if we could study where we were with extracurriculars and who we were serving   So what has happened in our district since then has been amazing.

NIKKI: And it really came from my lived experience. And, you know, we have resources to give our child lots of extracurricular activities. But I know that not everybody does. And, you know, again, we're building community and connection when kids see each other's talents.

DR. SWINYARD: Yeah. You asked many times about Unified programming and "When are we going to get there? What are we going to add?" It's pretty exciting to see those types of things come to fruition. You know, we've talked about metrics.

NIKKI: But data, of course, doesn't tell the whole story, but it does keep us honest. It's important to look at. And then, you know, personally, as a parent, beyond shrinking the opportunity gaps, I want our students and families to feel valued by the system they're in. I want our educators to be fully funded and supported to do the work well.

I want students with disabilities to learn their own history, to understand disability rights, and to learn how to advocate for themselves. I think especially this group of students in our care need to learn how to advocate.

I want them to experience real community in our schools, so they know how to seek it out after they leave our system. Because people with disabilities in general are more isolated. And they are overrepresented in demographics of incarcerated folks and the homeless community. So it's something that's important to build that community so they know what it is and they feel it, and then they seek it out later in life.

And ultimately, I want our students with disabilities to see a wide range of options for their futures—not a narrow set of expectations placed on them. So those are all things that I feel and I know other families feel too.

DR. SWINYARD: And, you know, I know you've been involved in some community conversations about how important transition programs are for kids, how important it is for them to advocate for themselves and to find employment. I know you've been a huge supporter of our transition programs, which are really great, and also just how important it is to the community. We need them involved in our workforce. And so there is benefit for everyone by us all working together to support individuals with special needs to not be isolated, both socially or professionally when it's time to find employment.

NIKKI: Absolutely. I am impressed when I go visit the transitions programming that we have, just the different types of jobs kids have—or young adults at that point, from 18 to 22.

JIM: Can we just say what transition programming is?

DR. SWINYARD: Yeah. So our transition programs—we have a couple of them where when students move from our high school programming, they move into an opportunity where they're spending some time getting instruction and practicing skills, and then they actually spend time on site with employers. And so we have a great program at Providence, as well as throughout the community. So really something that Spokane Public Schools is known for across the region—the type of opportunities that we provide for kids.

STEPHANIE: We also have a great transitions program going on where some of our kiddos work to put together our Lego kits and put together organizational pieces for our different clubs and activities. And they take such great pride in it. But they're getting real-life skills doing something that benefits each other. And it's really cool. 

NIKKI: I got to visit them. I love going there. Yeah. The three students that were there just got along great. It was pretty cool to see.

STEPHANIE: And they do important work for our district.

NIKKI: Absolutely. And, you know, just those early job skills we all need, but they're doing it in a supportive environment. And these are students that decided not to graduate at 18 and legally are allowed to have school through the age of 22. And so that's what that program is. It's a legal right as well.   

DR. SWINYARD: I know you're always present at those graduations and love hearing about their employment skills that they've gained, but also a lot of them graduate with employment.

NIKKI: Yeah. They do. Yeah. They go on to have great jobs. And one thing that I asked about—they really build community too. And they talk to them like, "Fridays, you know, you're doing Dungeons & Dragons or whatever it is." But they're also like, "You should work on making phone calls to your friends and hanging out together. This is part of being an adult and having a good life."

JIM: That was part of Brainwave Buddies.

NIKKI: Yeah. They had a little community there.  I think that's important for kids to have a chance to explore their disability with other people who are neurodivergent and just explore that.

NIKKI: Yeah. And that just seems like a really, really important piece. And our students in transition, you know, one thing I've heard from them throughout the years is that this was the first time they had this cohort, this group, and they just felt really connected. And so I know we're starting to build that at the younger grades now. So keep doing that. 

JIM: It's kind of one of the bigger overall missions of the whole district, right? For everybody

NIKKI: Caring and connected community.

DR. SWINYARD: Our future is together. 

NIKKI: Yeah. Definitely.

Closing

JIM: Thanks for listening to the SPS Future Ready Podcast. Thanks to our special guest Board Director Nikki Lockwood. Thanks to Casey Van Gerven for sharing her story with us. Go ahead and find us on social media for more SPS content. For our hosts Dr. Adam Swinyard and Stephanie Splater, I'm Jim Hazelton. Until next time.