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California State PTA Announces 2017–2019 Board of Directors

July 1, 2017

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Longtime PTA volunteer is new president of California’s largest child-advocacy organization

SACRAMENTO – Dianna MacDonald, a resident of Sonoma County, is the new president of California State PTA, leading the association of nearly 800,000 members in advocating for the education, health and welfare of California’s 9 million children.

MacDonald was elected to the 2017 – 2019 term of office, which begins July 1. In her new role, MacDonald will serve as chief executive officer of California State PTA and chairman of the Board of Directors. California State PTA is the nation’s largest and highest profile child-advocacy organization and strives to connect families, schools and communities.

MacDonald is a strong believer in the importance of family engagement and early-childhood education. She looks forward to working with stakeholders and members of the Education Coalition, as well as strengthening outreach to young Californians and their families.

“As the California State PTA’s new president, I will devote my time to supporting the PTA mission – to make a positive impact on the lives of all children and their families. Since 1897, PTA has been a crucial advocate for every single child, and I’m proud to be part of such an important organization,” said MacDonald.

MacDonald has served the PTA at the local, regional, and state levels in many roles, including family engagement advocate, leadership mentor and vice president for education. Her work with PTA has been focused on closing the achievement gap, early childhood education and supporting military families.

She and her husband Mike have three sons, and she credits PTA with teaching her how to be an advocate for her own children which led her to become an advocate for all children in California.

“I have seen first-hand the impact we make with changing laws to support children and families in California, and that’s powerful for me,” said MacDonald. “If it can change my life and my family’s, it can change others’ as well.”

California State PTA has a long tradition of speaking up and speaking out on behalf of all children and families at national, state, regional and local levels.  Joining your local PTA is a great way to support your child’s education. Contact your local school or principal to sign up.

2017 – 2019 California State PTA Board of Directors

  • Dianna MacDonald, President
  • Celia Jaffe, President-elect
  • Tom Horn, Vice President for Leadership Services
  • Carol Green, Vice President for Membership Services
  • Brad Waller, Vice President for Communications
  • Julie Redmond, Vice President for Special Events
  • Shereen Walter, Vice President for Health & Community Concerns
  • Mary Perry, Vice President for Education
  • Lynn Miyamoto, Vice President for Family Engagement
  • Deborah Johnson, Secretary
  • Kathy Corzine, Treasurer
  • Maggie Steel, Parliamentarian
  • Lea Darrah, Director of Legislation
  • Martha Deutsch, Chair of the District Presidents
  • Sherry Skelly Griffith, Executive Director

Six Ways to Engage Families in ESSA

Parents and their children are the consumers of our nation’s public education system, and parents have always been essential partners in education. However, they haven’t always been included at the decision-making table. This has caused confusion, mistrust and backlash when new initiatives — whether at the federal, state or local level—have been considered and implemented.

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) provides a unique opportunity for parents and families to give their input and to hold states and districts accountable for their children’s educational experience.

National PTA has identified six critical ways states, school districts and schools should be engaging parents and families as part of ESSA or any new education initiative. Use the rubric on the back to evaluate how your state, school district and school are doing!

Social Media Advocacy Chart

Advocating is easy with the new social media chart. Tweet, post and share any items in the green column. Think twice before sharing items in the yellow section, and do not share items in the red column from a PTA account.

Download the resource in English or Spanish.

   

LCFF Year Three: Paving the Way to Equity

California’s school funding law, the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF), has strong support and is helping some school districts’ spending become more strategic and targeted, but law is still “a work in progress,” researchers say.

This report seeks to help policymakers and others better understand ways in which LCFF implementation is changing fundamental aspects of resource allocation and governance in California’s K-12 education system. The LCFF provides all districts with base funding plus supplemental and concentration grants for low-income students, English learners, and foster youth. The law eliminated most categorical programs, giving local school systems resource allocation authority and requiring Local Control Accountability Plans (LCAPs) developed with input from parents, community members, students, and educators. The goal is more equitable and coherent resource allocation decisions and improved and more equitable student outcomes.

 

Equity in Arts Education

California State PTA adopted the Declaration of the Rights of All Students to Equity in Arts Learning to reaffirm its commitment to a full curriculum that includes the arts. California State PTA connects families, schools and communities and is the nation’s largest volunteer child-advocacy association working to improve the education, health and welfare of all children with the motto “every child, one voice.”

“Parents know, the arts matter. Arts learning is an essential part of a comprehensive education for all students,” said 2015-2017 California State PTA President Justine Fischer. “And California State PTA will continue our work to make sure the vital voice of parents is heard — loud and clear — in support of the arts.”

DOWNLOAD THE Declaration

ESSA Stakeholder Toolkit

National PTA has a new toolkit to assist state, local PTAs and their PTA members to ensure state leaders include how they have engaged and meaningfully consulted different stakeholders in the implementation of the new state education plans. The toolkit includes:

  • Sample social media messages
  • Graphics
  • Letters

Download National PTA’s ESSA Stakeholder Toolkit.