Board of Directors Election Information
In May 2026, the assembled delegates at the WSPTA Annual Meeting will elect a 2026-2027 Advocacy Director to the Board of Directors. The newly elected board member will begin their term June 1, 2026. All WSPTA board members’ terms conclude on May 31, 2027.
More information can be found in the WSPTA Policy Manual, sections 5 and 6. In addition, qualifications for this position are located in the WSPTA Uniform Bylaws Article 7, Section 3.
Self-Declare Window for Candidacy
We sought individuals of varied backgrounds and experiences who reflect our state’s population. PTA members meeting the eligibility requirements were invited to self-declare their candidacy by filling out this form and submitting the following required materials listed below to support@wastatepta.org by 11:59 PM on Wednesday, February 26, 2026, per WSPTA policy.
The deadline to self-declare has now closed. No applications were received.
Candidates for the 2026-2027 Advocacy Director
Megan Larkin
Megan’s Statement:
WSPTA’s mission calls us to be a powerful voice for children, a relevant resource for families, schools, and communities, and a strong advocate for the well-being and education of every child. As a Walla Walla High School grad, a Seattle mom of an elementary schooler and a high schooler, and a lifelong believer in what PTA can do, I’m running to continue serving as your Advocacy Director because I know our advocates can make a real difference in the lives of Washington’s 1.1 million students.
Schools are at the heart of this work. They are not just places of learning – they are trusted community hubs where children find shelter, food, health care, and access to services their families need. When we advocate for schools, we are advocating for the entire web of support that holds children and communities together. That is the vision I want to keep at the center of everything WSPTA does.
Funding is one of the most urgent threads to that web. Every year districts aren’t fully funded, they face painful choices – cutting programs, drawing down reserves, increasing class sizes, reducing staff and services students depend on. These aren’t abstract budget decisions. They are cuts to the real, everyday conditions of children’s lives, and it is our most vulnerable students who feel it most. Funding connects to virtually every other priority: special education, student mental health, safe and supportive school environments. When we allow schools to be underfunded, we aren’t just cutting line items. We are cutting lifelines.
You’ve likely heard about the new Millionaires Tax. While it has been widely marketed as a measure that will fund schools – and the intent section of the bill reflects that – there is nothing in the operative section that actually directs that revenue to K12. The legislature may have begun building the bridge to adequately funded schools, and we acknowledge that. But half a bridge doesn’t get our kids to the other side. We need a clear plan to complete it – to connect that structure to real, sustained, adequate funding in 2027 and 2028. WSPTA’s advocacy can push for that bridge to be completed.
The state’s paramount duty to fund basic education must not be contingent on new revenue materializing. Our kids cannot take another hit while their needs are yet again invoked in name only.
WSPTA will keep standing up for kids and school communities until we see change. As your Advocacy Director, I will make sure that effort is coordinated, sustained, and impossible to ignore – and always grounded in the collaborative, relationship-first approach that actually moves the needle.
Over the past year, I’ve grown our Advocacy Committee, launched a statewide Advocacy Slack, and built work groups tied to our legislative priorities. My Master’s in Education Leadership and Policy from UW, including research on school finance, grounds everything I do in evidence and purpose.
WSPTA’s vision is for every child’s potential to become a reality. I know together we can make our advocacy worthy of that vision.
I humbly ask for your vote to continue this work.