For Immediate Release
For more information, contact:
Gay Adelmann, Dear JCPS President/Co-founder
502-565-8397
Dear JCPS Asks JCPS BOE to Investigate/Reach Out to National PTA for Intervention in Last Week’s 15th District PTA Officer Election
May14, 2019 — Louisville, KY BREAKING NEWS
Dear JCPS asks JCPS Board of Education for their assistance in reaching out to National PTA to intervene in the election process and events leading up to and including last Tuesday’s election of executive officers, and conducting a transparent and equitable new election.
“A growing number of concerned PTA members who feel they have been shut out of the process, as well as serving, are coming forward,” says Gay Adelmann, Co-founder and President of Dear JCPS, and also a candidate running from the floor. “These members are saying they’re no longer going to sit on the sidelines. They want their PTA back!”
“For the first time ever, not just one, but six candidates have filed to run from the floor,” says Amanda Rhye, candidate for 15th District PTA 3rd Vice President running from the floor. “We are pleased that so many members across this district are taking an interest in how their PTA is governed.”
When asked why she is running from the floor on a “meet the candidates” event held on Dear JCPS closed group on Facebook last week, 4th VP candidate LaTasha Harrison said, “I did have an interview with the nominating committee, but what was told to me was my life as a business owner … I was going to be too busy to be a person on the board,” Harrison is running from the floor for the 4th VP position after being denied a position on the slate.
Dear JCPS expressed further concerns on our Facebook page upon learning that the district PTA encouraged another candidate from the floor to run against Harrison in the 4th VP slot, instead of challenging the 5th VP slate candidate as she originally requested. This was confirmed when a sample ballot was posted on their website this morning.
Others are indicating the delegate process was confusing, restrictive and cumbersome. “I wanted to sign up to be a voting delegate, but was not able to locate my school’s PTA President in time,” said one member, who asked not to be identified. “I notified my PTA President in time, but I was told the five slots were already taken,” said another.
Of the nearly 28,000 dues-paying members across the district, only 104 votes were tabulated. Dear JCPS believes that these actions are a violation of public trust and requests a redo of the election in a more transparent and equitable manner.
We believe parents, teachers, students and community members have a right to expect greater visibility and accountability from the organization that represents dues-paying, volunteer members of the 29th largest public school system in the nation.
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Dear JCPS is a volunteer-run, grassroots stakeholder advocacy group that has been demanding transparency and accountability from Jefferson County Public Schools in Kentucky since 2015. Our organization successfully spearheaded efforts to elect authentic, student-oriented board members in 2016, and to remove and replace the ineffective former superintendent in 2017. Our “open letters” forum provides a platform for parents, teachers, students and community members to share concerns with district leaders without fear of retribution or retaliation. More information can be found on our website at www.dearjcps.com.