GATE DAC Elections - May 13, 2024
GATE DAC Elections 2024
Elections will be held at the May 13 2024 meeting. Please consider running, and submit any questions and/or nominations to gatedacsdusd@gmail.com The Executive is currently operating with 3 parent volunteers - so more parents are needed to help fill out the team which can include up to 5 people.
Nominees
Mary Ann Hawke will be running for Chair.
Jennifer Marrewa will be running for 1st Vice Chair.
Melinda Therkalsen still has another year to serve as 2nd Vice Chair.
Each position being voted on in this year's election has a 2-year term beginning in August 2024.
Mary Ann, who lives in the Clairemont Cluster, is the parent of 2 children and has previously served as Chair and as 1st Vice Chair of the GATE DAC. She is also a Distinguished Service Award winner (granted by the California Association for the Gifted).
Jennifer, who lives in the Madison Cluster and is the parent of 3 children, has previously served as Chair and as 2nd Vice Chair of the GATE DAC. She is also a GATE-certified teacher who has worked in SDUSD.
Elections
Voting occurs at the May meeting of the GATE DAC. Executive officers are elected by winning a simple majority of the votes cast.
Nominations can be sent to the current Chair (Jennifer Marrewa) by emailing gatedacsdusd@gmail.com
By a two-thirds vote of the members in attendance at the voting meeting, the GATE DAC may also extend the term of a sitting Executive Board member.
Bylaws of GATE DAC
Details about how the GATE DAC works, what it does, and descriptions of the duties of the Chair and Vice Chair can be found in the Bylaws that are posted here. The District website about the GATE DAC is found here.
Why Should I Run?
The objective of the GATE DAC is to INFORM, EDUCATE & ENGAGE.
Running to be on the Executive of the GATE DAC gives you a unique opportunity to see inside the inner workings of the District, interact with District administrators and School Board trustees, work with the other parent leaders in the District (who represent ELL, special education, Title 1 and the PTA), and to influence policy on gifted education.
GATE is under constant threat of being eliminated so if parents don't advocate for it and ensure it is meeting the needs of gifted families then it will disappear and thousands of special-needs students will not get the educational services they require.
Besides having an impact on how GATE is run you also get the chance to meet and help support GATE families. You will be in a position to inform parents about giftedness and gifted education and help them get their questions answered and concerns addressed.