PTA Meeting Minutes: 3/11/25

Whittier PTA Board Meeting
March 11, 2025
7:00pm Whittier Library & Zoom
Meeting ID: 817 3911 8250
Passcode: wildcats

Board Members/Chairs in Attendance

• Kate Lindsay Scher – Co-President
• Allie DeLong Thomas – Co-President
• Renee Hartnett – Vice President / Spirit Gear
• Melissa Ivancevich – Co-Secretary
• Meg Herscher – Communications Chair
• Ashley Schiavone – Fundraising Co-Chair
• Jess Templeton – Fundraising Co-Chair
• Kathleen Donahoe – Hospitality Co-Chair
• Meg Pietz – Events Chair
• Emily Schweiger – Family and Community Engagement – Outreach Chair
• Laura Zingg – Programs Co-Chair; Student Directory
• Jon Overman – Legislative Representative
• Anjean Vanden Bosch – Membership Chair
• Kristin Laughlin – Volunteer Coordinator
• Kiana Swearingen – Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Co-Chair
• John Shaw – Tech Support
• Brie Gardner – Back To Business Co-Chair
• Leah Lansberry-Austin – Back To Business Co-Chair; Yearbook Co-Chair
• David Peabody – Move-a-thon
• Elan Simonson – Spring Fling Chair
• Rena Giannoulakis – Spring Fling Co-Chair
• Sara Lukas – Room Parent Coordinator
• Nicole Kaczmarek – Member at Large

Community Members in Attendance

• Principal Watters
• Hanni Pichel (PTA member)
• Aisling McCarron (PTA member)
• Rachel Wold (PTA member)
• Haydee Wali
• Katie Stiver (PTA member)
• Gustavo Franco
• Natalie Gromoff-Hiatt
• Melissa Caviezel
• Dafna Amster Kahn
• Therese Miranda-Blackney

Meeting Called to Order at 7:05 PM

Welcome & Call To Order
● Table & Zoom Chat Informal Introductions
● Agenda
● Presentation

President Update
● Goals and Meetings Review
● Dashboard Review
○ 3/17 – after school programs registration opens
● Highly Capable Cohort (HCC) Update
○ Email sent 3/11/25
○ Cohort schools (Cascadia, Decatur, Thurgood Marshall) will serve HCC-only students
(grades 2-5) for the next three years
○ No changes at neighborhood schools right now (staff are not allowed to serve
accelerated curriculum, no SPS-provided resources or funding)
○ No current Director of Advanced Learning
● Budget updates
○ Staffing grant request: $135,355

■ 0.5 Specialist FTE: $72,210 (was $56,000 for 2024/25)
● Change is actual cost of staff compensation at new professional
development band
● Not approving increased funding means Mr. Buch cannot stay
● Capping funding at $56k does not mean keeping 1.0 FTE Art
○ Likely shift to 0.5 or 0.7 FTE (not daily)

■ 0.4 Reading Intervention: $45,840 (same)
■ 0.1 Nurse) same
○ Continuing math agency: $60,000
○ Instructional Supports and Curriculum Enrichments
■ District could now take this budget
■ PTA impact: Pull unspent 2024-25 expenses and add to 2025-26 budget
● 2025-26 Instructional Supports Total: $9,205 (same as 2024-25 + $4,555
in unspent from 2024-25 budget)
● 2025-26 Curriculum Enrichment Total: $11,900.01 (same as 2024-25 +
$5,900.01 in unspent from 2024-25 budget)
○ This will be voted on as part of the overall budget
○ 2026 and beyond: To maintain a similar net balance in the future, we will need to
increase fundraising goals by about $16,000

● Event Planning Worksheet in-progress
● Upcoming Meetings
● Secretary Update
○ February Meeting Minutes
○ The Creative Advantage
■ Staff/Caregiver Committee led by Mr. Buch to connect community art partners
with art in school
■ Project-based program
■ Team also works on other arts-related projects

Voting
● 2025-2026 Staffing Grant
○ Motion: Kathleen Donahoe

○ Second: Sara Lukas
○ Approved
● February Meeting Minutes
○ Motion: Rachel Would
○ Second: Ashley Schiavone
○ Approved
Principal Watters’ Report

● Budget updates–looking good but could change in the future–stay tuned!
● Field trips in many grades: Seattle Children’s Theater, MOHAI
● Class pictures 3/13, spirit week next week
● Wildcats Wonder–communication this week from Cindy
● Questions:
○ Have there been changes in headcount and teacher allocation?
■ Classroom headcount is the same but updated 25-26 teacher allocation
● 10 Kindergarten-3rd grade teachers (down one from this school year)
● 5 4th and 5th grade teachers (up one from this school year)

○ What could budget cuts result in next year?
■ Sports Fees
■ Larger class sizes in 4th-12th
■ Cutting Librarian hours
■ Cutting Elementary Assistant Principals
■ Cutting National Board Certified teacher stipends
■ Cutting Office Staff
■ Chris Reykdal (OSPI) has pointed to WA state protections already in place for
students

○ Is there conversation about bell times again?
■ Yes! It could happen!
■ Please email Sarah Clark, school board member

● Kids are happy and doing cool and good things!

Chair & Lead Updates
● Membership: Anjean Vanden Bosch
○ Dues Increase
■ Members of the WA State PTA voting body during the 2024 National PTA Virtual
Convention adopted a $1 increase to the National PTA dues rate. The new
National PTA dues rate of $3.25 will go into effect on July 1, 2025. This includes
any membership sold for FY2026 before July 1, 2025.
■ Current Breakdown:
● $2.25 for National PTA
● $3.50 for the SCPTA
● $5.75 WSPTA
● Move-a-thon: David Peabody
○ Planning is going great!
○ Flyer went home today
○ Create student pages on Givebacks, not 99Pledges as in past years
● Spring Fling: Elan and Rena
○ Class Bucket and Art volunteers needed!
○ Marketing and Comms schedule coming together
○ Stay tuned for weekly updates
○ Tickets on sale Tuesday, April 1st
○ Opening Teacher staff experiences early (Sara Lukas)
● VP: Nominating Committee: Renee Hartnett
○ Openings: Co-president, Communications, Events, Membership, Volunteer, Back to
Business, Book Fair, Spring Fling, Fall Festival, Move-a-Thon, Student Directory
○ Create a transition checklist?
● Hospitality–Kathleen Donahoe
○ February: 2nd Grade Bagel Bar was great!
○ March: Gift of Time
○ May: Bagels, “Message in a Bottle”
● Treasurer
○ February Report

■ Income: $2,807.15
■ Expenses: $2,077.17
■ Account total a of 2/28/25: $331,872.95
○ Budget Committee needs volunteers
● Events: Meg and Katie
○ Dance Night Planning is moving forward; lots of indoor activities planned
○ Happy Hours in May after busy months
○ Mariners’ signups are huge! Big increase over last year 300+ attendees
● Communications: Kate Scher
○ 10 day window for submitting content
○ Only 11 Wildchat newsletters left for the school year!
● After School Programs
○ Still in need of volunteers for Spring session: Mon, Tues, Thurs afternoons
● EDI: Kiana Sweiringen
○ Parenting at the Intersection
■ Really well attended, had a big powerful, beautiful impact
■ Purchased book from the author for all in attendance
■ Follow up Zoom event for attendees and anyone else
■ Extra books available–ask for a copy!
○ Drag Queen Bingo coming up April 3rd
■ Open to community
○ Be ready and thinking about K-12 trans students attacks
■ Use your voice!

Belonging Practice: KIana
● Dissent
● Contributory dissent

Kudos & Thank Yous
Open Floor for Community
Adjourned at 8:55 pm

Post-Meeting Gathering at Phinney Station