Council meetings will build your PTA knowledge, give you the opportunity to network with other PTA, school district and community leaders, and they can be a lot of fun, too. Each PTA may send up to 4 voting representatives - but we encourage ALL who are interested to attend. We look forward to seeing you there!
Questions? Email Council President, Rachel Fitzgerald at president@northshorecouncilptsa.org. Save the Date - View calendar of future meeting dates. Northshore Council PTSA invites you to attend the School Board Candidates Meet & Greet. Enjoy coffee and baked treats while getting to know the Northshore School Board candidates in a casual setting at the park. There is no formal Q&A at this event. All four candidates who filed to run for Northshore School Board have been invited to attend by Northshore Council PTSA.
Questions? Email advocacy@northshorecouncilptsa.org Primary elections will be held on Tuesday, August 1st. Voter registration information available. Register to vote or update your registration information today! Disclaimer: Northshore Council PTSA does not support or oppose any candidate (appointed or elected) for public office. This event is to assist the community in making an informed judgment in the election of its school board. School Board Candidates
|
Director District No. 2 Candidate
☐ Elisabeth Sotak Candidate is unopposed and will not appear on Primary Ballot in August, but will appear on the November ballot. |
Board members represent the district at large although they must reside in specific geographical areas of the district. Voters within the Northshore School District boundaries are able to vote for all school board director positions.
- You are new to Washington State
- You have recently moved
- You have a new mailing address
- You changed your name
Important Dates: |
|
July 11 - King County July 12 - Snohomish County |
Voters' Pamphlet mailed |
July 12 - King County July 13 - Snohomish County |
Local ballots mailed. |
July 24 |
Last day for voters to register or update voter information online. |
August 1 Election Day |
Last day for voters to register or update voter information in person. Last day for voters to return voted ballot by mail postmarked by today or dropped in ballot drop box by 8 p.m. The August 1 Primary features local races and will narrow the field of candidates to the top two who will go on to the General Election on November 7. It also features local ballot measures. |
August 1, 2023 - Primary
November 7, 2023 - General Election
February 13, 2024 - Special Election
Snohomish County Election Information: https://snohomishcountywa.gov/224/Elections-Voter-Registration
WA Secretary of State: https://www.sos.wa.gov/elections
We welcomed NSD’s Director of Food Services Juliana Fisher as our guest speaker. Ms. Fisher shared with us that about 2500 NSD students qualify for Free and Reduced rate breakfasts and lunches, but unfortunately only a fraction of them are currently enrolled in the program. As a result, Food Services is partnering with schools to make sure that all families are aware of the benefits and services to their students, and to encourage them to sign up if they qualify for the program. Ms. Fisher also shared with us that Food Services has faced some recent challenges due to the COVID pandemic and the impact that it had on providing meals at all schools. The main challenges have been a decrease in staffing, as well as supply chain issues. These issues have impacted the capacity for menu varieties, scratch cooking, cultural access, increasing vegetarian/vegan options, and cultural/linguistic/emotional access. Recently, Food Services created and implemented a picture food menu for our schools, which has been a hit with some of our students! Thank you, Ms. Fisher, for joining us and sharing with us how NSD Food Services continues to feed our students in our schools!
Council Business:
Council Treasurer Serena Xu presented the February Financial Report for review and approval, as well as the proposed Council budget for the 2023-2024 school year. Many thanks to the Council Budget committee (Mary Khouzam, Rachel Fitzgerald, Serena Xu, Brenae Brix, and Melissa Kline) for all of your hard work in helping create and proposing the new Council budget! Serena also shared with us that the Standard of Affiliation (SOA) is complete, and all elected Council officers have completed all of their required training, including PTA and the Law. Speaking of the SOA, Council Board member Diana Christiansen shared that 6 NSD schools participated in our SOA Raffle Drawing. The participating schools were Lockwood Elementary, Innovation Lab High School, Woodin Elementary, Frank Love Elementary, Cottage Lake Elementary, and Canyon Creek Elementary. The winner of the SOA Raffle Drawing is Lockwood Elementary! Congratulations, Lockwood!
Council Nominating Committee member Cherry Holmes presented nominees for Council Executive Officers, and a vote was taken to approve the nominations. Our new Council Executive Board for the 2023-2024 school year are as follows:
President - Rachel Fitzgerald
Vice President - Grace Jurado
Treasurer - Brenae Brix
Co-VP of Advocacy - Holly Muenchow
Co-VP of Advocacy - Terra Droney
VP of Communications - Jennifer Snyder
VP of Elementary Support - Diana Christiansen
VP of Secondary Support - Jennifer Drury
Congratulations, new Executive Board members!
We currently have two Executive Board positions that we need to fill. Those positions are Secretary and VP of Events. If you like keeping accurate records and creating meeting minutes and newsletters, or if you love throwing parties or events, please consider throwing your name in the hat for one of these roles. Council will continue to seek volunteers for the OPEN positions of Secretary and VP of Events with the goal of holding an election at our General Membership Meeting on May 15, 2023.
Advocacy Chair Jen Drury gave thanks to all of those involved in advocating for the best superintendent candidates, and thanks, also, to all of those who spent time during this last Washington State Legislative Session advocating for the Special Education bill, which passed in the Senate. Thank you, advocates! Half a dozen of advocates, including parents, spent much time in Zoom meetings with our legislators, and 2 dozen NSD parents, students, Superintendent Tolley, NSD school staff, and school board members traveled to Olympia on February 20th to meet with our state legislators and shared their voices in advocating for things that impact our students and our schools. Thank you for all of your advocacy!
On behalf of the Grant Committee Chair (Grace Jurado, who as unable to join us), Mary Khouzam shared that another round for grant application submissions was open until March 24th, and the Council Awards Nominations form will be available soon.
Reflections Chair Jasmine Fry shared that online showcasing is now available on Council’s website, and several NSD students did well! Carissa P. from Leota Middle School is advancing to National Reflections for Videography. Congratulations, Carissa!
After several other committee updates, including info for an upcoming Mental Health Fair on May 23rd at Skyview Middle School, and a reminder that the Washington State PTA Convention will be held in May at the Bellevue Hilton, Co-Chair President, Mary Khouzam, brought our meeting to a close by reminding us that planning for Council’s Spring Recognition Even is underway, and details will be shared shortly. To help determine the time of day that works best for attendance, Mary shared a link to a poll asking us if a morning event time or an afternoon event time works best for each of us.
Thank you to everyone who took time to join us!
Northshore Council PTSA, as part of its advocacy efforts, Northshore Council PTSA holds candidate forums ahead of upcoming elections, including school board elections. This year, we are beginning our advocacy work earlier by providing information about the role of school board directors to the community so that potential candidates can be informed ahead of filing deadlines.
Each public school district is governed by a board of citizens who are elected to serve as school board directors. School board directors work together to oversee the school district. As a board, their primary responsibilities are:
- Hire, supervise and evaluate the superintendent
- Set the vision, mission and strategic goals for the district
- Review, revise and adopt policies
- Establish and oversee the budget
- Serve as community representatives
- Monitor the district’s progress towards its goals
The WA Secretary of State’s website provides guidance and resources to guide you through the process of determining what positions are up for election, whether you are eligible to run for office, and how to navigate the process.
In Northshore, we have 5 school board directors, each serving a term of four years. Board members represent the district at large although they must reside in specific geographical areas of the district. Check out this map to see which director district area you live in.
In November 2021, voters elected School Board Directors for seats 1, 4, and 5 with terms ending in 2025. This November, School Board Directors seats 2 and 3 will be up for election for terms ending in 2027.
- Election Dates/Deadlines: https://www.sos.wa.gov/elections/Dates-and-Deadlines.aspx
- Running for office (King County): https://kingcounty.gov/depts/elections/for-candidates.aspx
- Running for office (Snohomish County): https://www.snohomishcountywa.gov/5729/Run-for-Office
While there is a lot of general information available on the role of school board directors, we wanted to hear from our current school board. Here are some of the questions we asked them and how they answered. Note: The answers below have been summarized and anonymized from the current board’s responses to a poll and is not meant to promote any specific candidate. Northshore Council PTSA’s goal is to provide the community with general information about the role of a school board director.
Highlight over each question and click to expand to read the answers.
- Willingness to commit to the work and investing the time it takes to do it.
- A passion for students and public education
- Open mindedness; willing to listen, learn, and take input before drawing conclusions
- Empathy
- Trust that everyone is coming at this from a place of doing what is best for students
- Ability to work well with others
- Effective communicator
- Willingness to learn and get familiar with a wide array of educational concepts, academic research, programs, and financial and budgeting processes
- Able to analyze data; time and patience to process large amounts of data and diverse concepts
- Ability to take criticism with grace and respect
- Making a positive difference in the lives of children who are our future.
- Getting to serve the amazing students, parents, and staff in the Northshore community!
- Being involved with a team of very smart and caring people - board members and staff.
- Being able to improve the educational experience for students and staff.
- Working with all the great people who invest countless hours into public education in our community, interacting with our brilliant students, and the satisfaction of seeing something improve - no matter how small - and know that I have been able to make a difference in the life of a child that I might never meet.
“Do it. It will be the most important contribution you can make to the people in your community.”
“It is a bigger time commitment than it appears but completely worth it. Being able to admit that you don't have the answers actually makes you a better board member than believing you have all the solutions.”
“Learn all you can about the role and responsibilities, have a plan to manage the time commitment, and plan your favorite stress management regimen (you might not need it all the time, but there will be a time when you will need it).”
“Standing for election is a very different thing from serving as a Director. This community is amazing and committed to our students and they will recognize and support a candidate who shows that commitment. Focus on the good you hope to do, if only just to serve the community, education and our students. Make it a conversation. Be willing to listen but also willing to turn the topic back to students.”
“To be aware that the Board is not a legislative body or executive agency that runs the daily activities of the district or makes decision on how things are run. It does not make employment, classroom, or school building administrative decisions. That is the job of the Superintendent, the Board's only employee. The Board is similar to the Board of Directors of a company. It provides oversight, advice, and sets goals, values, and aspirations based upon community and educator input.”
Most importantly, our school board wants to thank those who are considering running for a school board seat; for taking the time from work and family to serve our community's children.
Thank you to the current school board directors who took the time to answer our questions.
If you want to learn more about running for school board or how to get involved in advocacy, check out the additional resources below or email Northshore Council PTSA VP of Advocacy at advocacy@northshorecouncilptsa.org.
Additional Resources Washington State School Directors’ Association (WSSDA) website: https://wssda.org/leadership-development/board-development/becoming-a-school-director/ Northshore School District School Board website (including emails): https://www.nsd.org/our-district/leadership/school-board Register to Vote: https://vote.gov/register/wa/ Northshore Council PTSA’s Advocacy page: http://www.northshorecouncilptsa.org/advocacy.html |
Congratulations to Our Incoming 2023-2024 Officers!!
For the Office of President: Rachel Fitzgerald
For the Office of First Vice President: Grace Jurado
For the Office of Secretary: OPEN
For the Office of Treasurer: Brenae Brix
For the Office of VP of Events: OPEN
For the Office of Co-VP of Advocacy: Holly Muenchow
For the Office of Co-VP of Advocacy: Terra Droney
For the Office of VP of Communications: Jennifer Snyder
For the Office of VP of Elementary Support: Diana Christiansen
For the Office of VP of Secondary Support: Jennifer Drury
Northshore Council PTSA General Meeting
Monday, May 15, 2023 6:30 PM Meet & Greet 7 PM Meeting Begins Join Zoom Meeting: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83070692283? Meeting ID: 830 7069 2283 Passcode: Available Upon Request Meet & Greet:
Join us before the meeting, at 6:30PM, to chat with Council and other local PTA Leaders! Come say hi, ask questions, or just hang out for social time before the meeting. |
Please join us for our last membership meeting of this school year on Monday, May 15, 2023 via Zoom!
Special Presentation: Community & Technical College: Preparing Students for Their Future.
Meeting Agenda: Immediately following the presentation, in addition to our regular business, we will hold an election for 2023-2024 VP of Events. We will begin our meeting with a special 30-minute parent education presentation: Community & Technical College: Preparing Students for Their Future. “Help. College? I’m a parent of a high schooler. What do I need to know to help them?” If this is you, please join us for the presentation and get your questions answered.Come learn about high-quality, affordable educational opportunities that can launch your student into a meaningful job and career path. The presenters will be Lake Washington Institute of Technology and Cascadia College. This presentation is appropriate for parents of all (freshman-senior) high school students. |
Northshore Council will be holding a virtual election for its open board position of VP of Events at the General Membership Meeting on Monday, May 15, 2023.
The slated candidate is as follows:
VP of Events: Melissa Quinonez Bennett
Please be advised that no nominations were received for the position of Secretary. Council will continue to seek volunteers for the Secretary role with the goal of holding an election for it at a future General Membership Meeting.
Virtual nominations for these positions closed on Thursday, April 27, 2023.
Election Information:
Since the position of VP of Events was not contested, the election will be held by voice vote at the next General Meeting on Monday, May 15, 2023, at 7 PM.
Questions? Email Co-Presidents at president@northshorecouncilptsa.org.
*A meeting passcode is required to join. It will be sent to local leaders via email prior to the meeting. You can also request the passcode by emailing Council PTSA Communications VP, Jenn Snyder.
Do you like planning events? Consider joining the the 2023-2024 Northshore Council PTSA Executive Board. Co-Chairs are welcome. Self Nominate by Thursday, April 27, 2023 Elections will be held for VP of Events and Secretary at the General Membership Meeting on May 15, 2023. |
VP of Events: Plans and coordinates Council's yearly events including Presidents and Principals Brunch, Reflections Celebration, and Spring Recognition Event.
Council will continue to seek volunteers for this position with the goal of holding an election at a future General Membership Meeting.
Qualification Requirements
Per the 2022-2023 Council Standing Rules:
All Candidates:
- Any position may be held jointly by two (2) people, except the role of Treasurer.
- Nominees must be at least 18 years of age.
- Nominees must be a current member of at least one local PTA that falls within the Northshore Council PTSA membership area.
Questions? Contact Council Co-Presidents, Rachel Fitzgerald and Mary Khouzam for more information.
Other Open Board Position - Secretary
Do you like to keep records and take notes?
Do you have good attention to detail?
Learn more about the Secretary role.
Northshore Council PTSA will be holding online elections for nine (9) of the positions on its 2023-24 Executive Committee on Monday, March 20, 2023. |
In the 2023 Nominating Committee Report, the following slate of candidates were put forward for 2023-2024:
- For the Office of President: Rachel Fitzgerald
- For the Office of First Vice President: Grace Jurado
- For the Office of Secretary: Claudine Miller
- For the Office of Treasurer: Brenae Brix
- For the Office of VP of Events: OPEN
- For the Office of Co-VP of Advocacy: Holly Muenchow
- For the Office of Co-VP of Advocacy: Terra Droney
- For the Office of VP of Communications: Jennifer Snyder
- For the Office of VP of Elementary Support: Diana Christiansen
- For the Office of VP of Secondary Support: Jennifer Drury
Per the 2022-2023 Council Standing Rules:
All Candidates:
- Any position may be held jointly by two (2) people, except the role of Treasurer.
- Nominees must be at least 18 years of age.
- Nominees must be a current member of at least one local PTA that falls within the Northshore Council PTSA membership area.
Candidates for the office of President and First Vice President shall also:
- Have two years of elected officer experience on Northshore Council PTSA;
- Have served as President of a local PTA for at least one year and have one year of serving in an elected position on Council or higher.
Candidates for the offices of VP of Elementary Support and VP of Secondary Support shall also:
- Have served in PTA a minimum of 2 years, with one year as a local PTA President and one year in a board position at the educational stage that they are going to support.
Each of the slated candidates meets all qualification requirements.
Election Information:
As there is only one candidate per position, the election will be conducted via voice vote at the next General Membership Meeting, on Monday, March 20, 2023. For positions that are listed as "OPEN", no candidate has come forth. Council will continue to seek volunteers for this position with the goal of holding an election at a future General Membership Meeting.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/85481338083?
Meeting ID: 886 6563 4062
Passcode: *Available upon request.
Information about Northshore Council PTSA online elections procedures is available in its Electronic Voting (E-Voting) Policy.
*A meeting password is required to join. It will be sent to local leaders via email. You can also request the password by emailing Council PTSA VP of Communications, Jenn Snyder.
Northshore Council PTSA will be holding its 2023-2024 elections online. Since “nominations from the floor” can’t work as they normally would at an in-person meeting, Northshore Council PTSA is opening up the floor virtually by using an online submission form. If you are interested in joining the 2023-2024 Northshore Council PTSA Executive Board, now is the time to self declare!
- VP of Events
Northshore Council PTSA for 2023-2024 can do so at:
Self Declare Nomination Form
(click above link for form)
Deadline for submission is no later than midnight, Friday, March 10th, 2023
At the close of the self-nomination period, if there is any contested position we will send out an electronic voting method to Northshore PTA/PTSA presidents and vice-presidents. If no position is contested, we will hold the election by voice vote during our next General Meeting, on Monday, March 20, 2023.
Slate of Candidates:
In the 2023 Nominating Committee Report, the following slate of candidates were put forward for 2023-2024:
- For the Office of President: Rachel Fitzgerald
- For the Office of First Vice President: Grace Jurado
- For the Office of Secretary: Claudine Miller
- For the Office of Treasurer: Brenae Brix
- For the Office of VP of Events: OPEN
- For the Office of Co-VP of Advocacy: Holly Muenchow
- For the Office of Co-VP of Advocacy: Terra Droney
- For the Office of VP of Communications: Jennifer Snyder
- For the Office of VP of Elementary Support: Diana Christiansen
- For the Office of VP of Secondary Support: Jennifer Drury
Anyone self declaring for a 2023-2024 Northshore Council Elected Board Position must meet the following qualification requirements.
Per the 2022-2023 Council Standing Rules:
All Candidates:
- Any position may be held jointly by two (2) people, except the role of Treasurer.
- Nominees must be at least 18 years of age.
- Nominees must be a current member of at least one local PTA that falls within the Northshore Council PTSA membership area.
Candidates for the office of President and First Vice President shall also:
- Have two years of elected officer experience on Northshore Council PTSA;
- Have served as President of a local PTA for at least one year and have one year of serving in an elected position on Council or higher.
Candidates for the offices of VP of Elementary Support and VP of Secondary Support shall also:
- Have served in PTA a minimum of 2 years, with one year as a local PTA President and one year in a board position at the educational stage that they are going to support.
President: The President has many important jobs including serving as the official contact, communicator and representative of Council. They oversee and coordinate the work of the executive board, preside over meetings, are ex-officio members of all committees (except Nominating Committee) and are designated as an authorized signer for checks, contracts and authorizations for payment. But, most importantly, they work to connect PTAs which in turn helps them support families, schools and the community to work towards overall student success.
1st VP: Must be familiar with the Council president’s duties and responsibilities. Act as an aide to the president and perform the duties of the president in his or her absence. Is in charge of advertising and organizing the Council Grant Program and yearly Awards.
Treasurer: Is the authorized custodian of the funds of the association and receives and disburses all monies in accordance with the budget as approved by the membership.
Secretary: Keeps an accurate record of meetings, which become part of the permanent history of the PTA. Also responsible for taking attendance and monitoring quorum at meetings.
VP of Events: Plans and coordinates Councils yearly events including Presidents and Principals Brunch, Reflections Celebration and Spring Recognition Event.
VP of Communications: Works to facilitate Northshore Council PTSA communications in order to inform, engage, educate and inspire local PTAs and beyond.
VP of Advocacy: Help to educate local PTA's and disseminate information about current WSPTA and National PTA legislative priorities.
VP of Elementary Support: Act as a conduit of information for local elementary PTAs. Helps to answer questions local PTA's may have and works to recognize and celebrate local PTA's.
VP of Secondary Support: Act as a conduit of information for local secondary (high school and middle school) PTAs. Helps to answer questions local PTA's may have and works to recognize and celebrate local PTA's.
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