[BHS etree] PTSA: Urgent -- SGC & BSEP Candidates Still Needed!

[bhs at idiom.com]

Please do not contact the e-tree; contact Mark van Krieken
markvk4 at comcast.net

We only have five parent candidates for the School Governance Council (SGC) election and the Berkeley Schools Excellence Project (BSEP) election. For the SGC, we need at least six candidates to fill the four membership seats plus two alternates.  For BSEP we need at least seven candidates to fill the five parent member seats plus two alternates. If you are interested in getting involved in a very meaningful way at Berkeley High, these two committees are among the best ways to do so. We very much need a few more people to run for these committees.

Deadline Extended For Statements -- To accommodate the need for additional candidates, the deadline for submitting statements will be extended until Friday night.  We will post all the candidates statements on the PTSA website (http://bhs.berkeleypta.org/index.htm) on Saturday morning. Parents can still decide to run after Friday night, and I will add their statements to the website as we receive them, but depending on when we get them, they may not be in time to be included on the ballot (in which case they will be a write-in candidate).

Once again, the elections will be held at the PTSA meeting this Tuesday, September 22nd, from 7 to 9 PM in the Little Theater. Some info for those considering running is given below. We look forward to seeing you there!

Sincerely,

Mark van Krieken
BHS PTSA President

Elections: There are three organizations for which we will be holding elections.

School Governance Council (SGC) – The SGC decides questions of school policy. >From a policy standpoint, this is the most powerful committee at Berkeley High. During the past year, the SGC dealt with a wide range of program proposals aimed at addressing the achievement gap

Berkeley Schools Excellence Project (BSEP) – The BSEP committee determines how the school will spend its enrichment money. In light of the State’s recent cuts to education, this committee’s decisions become even more important.

The PTSA -- The PTSA facilitates a variety of forms of communication between the high school and the parent/guardian community, puts various committees together to advocate for students and their families, and hosts a variety of forums on topics of interest to the Berkeley High community.

These committees and organizations are among the most meaningful ways to get involved at Berkeley High, and we encourage all parents who are interested in getting involved to consider running. If you would like to be on the ballot, please submit a short personal statement (no more than 200 words) to PTSA President Mark van Krieken at markvk4 at comcast.net.  Explain what office you are running for and why you are interested in serving in this position. Please include your phone number and address so that the PTSA can contact you; this information will not be made public.  Alternatively, you may mail or hand-deliver your statement to BHS PTSA, 1980 Allston Way, Berkeley, CA 94704, Attn: Elections. Please also include your neighborhood category (if known) and the program(s) or school(s) at Berkeley High in which your child or children are enrolled.

For more information on each of these committee/organizations, please feel free to contact Allen King, BSEP Committee Chair at allenk at mindspring.com or 510-501-3307; Denise Abrams, SGC parent member at dabrams at kazanlaw.com or 735-7963; and Mark van Krieken, PTSA President at markvk4 at comcast.net or 510-848-6406.