SEA members can directly engage with our union work through participation in community spaces, committees, and work groups. More information about our committees and their membership requirements can be found in the SEA Bylaws and in our Certificated, Paraprofessional, and SAEOP CBAs. 

Interested in joining a committee? If you are interested in being considered for appointment to any of our SEA committees, delegations, and work groups please fill out this form.  

The following committees, work groups, and delegations are seeking interested members leaders for the 2024-2025 school year. Read about them below.

Martin Luther King, Jr. County Labor Council (MLKLC) is the central body of labor organizations in King County, Washington. MLKLC is affiliated with the National AFL-CIO, the central labor organization in the United States, representing more than 13 million working people. The MLKLC mission is to unify all labor organizations in King County to build power and strength for all workers. This group meets monthly after working hours.

Membership Committee is an internal SEA committee. The Membership Committee, in partnership with the Board of Directors and bargaining unit departments, supports meeting SEA enrollment, participation, and activation goals through NEA, WEA, and SEA initiatives. This committee meets monthly after work hours with President Meesh Vecchio serving as the SEA governance lead for this work.  

Special Education Task Force is a joint labor-management group (see page 99 of the Certificated CBA for details). The Special Education Task Force builds on its previous work and continues to develop an implementation plan to transition to a more inclusive resource services system, as well as more inclusive practices for all pathways in K-12. The Task Force will identify and recommend changes to institutional practices, programs, and policies. This task force meets during the work day with substitute release provided. President Meesh Vecchio serves as the governance lead for this committee.

Special Education Relief Committee is a joint labor-management group (see page 95 of the Certificated CBA for details). The Special Education Relief Committee reviews staff relief requests and make approval decisions. This committee also reviews staffing overage notifications and notifies HR of staffing adjustments needed per the overage chart. This Committee meets monthly after work hours with President Meesh Vecchio serving as the governance lead for this committee.

Assessment Committee is a joint labor-management group (see page 25 of the Certificated CBA for details). The Assessment Committee makes recommendations on which standardized or common assessments are used at the building, regional, or district-wide level. Through this process, the committee reviews the SPS’s proposed district-wide annual assessment calendar for the upcoming academic year. The committee also works to address a range of issues related to the annual assessment calendar such as minimizing disruptions to learning and ensuring students with IEPs and multilingual students’ needs are met. This committee meets monthly after work hours and members paid extra time for participation. Vice President Girard Montejo-Thompson serves as the governance lead for this committee.

Nomination and Elections Committee (NEC) is an internal SEA committee. The NEC handles both the nominations and elections processes and procedures, including recommending to the Board of Directors timelines and rules governing elections for Officer positions, Board of Directors positions, and SEA delegates to WEA and NEA RAs consistent with the requirements of our Bylaws and Department of Labor laws that govern our elections. This committee meets on an irregular schedule after work hours.

Educators for Public Education Committee (EPEC) is an internal SEA committee. EPEC interviews and endorses candidates running for Seattle School Board and City of Seattle elected positions, takes positions on City of Seattle levies, initiatives, and referendums, and makes endorsement recommendations to the Washington Education Association Political Action Committee (WEA-PAC) board for state level and county races. This committee meets on an irregular schedule after work hours. Elizabeth Ward-Robertson, CRSJ Director, serves as the governance lead for this committee.

Bylaws Committee is an internal SEA committee. The Bylaws Committee is a standing committee that is charged with reviewing and updating our SEA Bylaws and Standing Rules documents. The Bylaw Committee updates our governing documents to ensure compliance with state and federal laws, to make our rules and procedures more equitable, and to address confusing or even conflicting language. The SEA Representative Assembly that has the final authority to adopt any changes to our bylaws or standing rules. Changes are adopted by a two-thirds approval of Association Representatives. This committee meets monthly after work hours. President Meesh Vecchio serves as the governance lead for this committee.

Grievance Review Commission (GRC) is an internal SEA committee. The GRC determines whether members will continue with their grievance to the final arbitration step. The GRC makes these decisions based on a number of factors, including whether there is a contract violation, and whether it is a “winnable” grievance. The GRC shall inform the membership about their rights and responsibilities, promote high standards of professional ethics, work for fair and professional treatment for all members of the profession, assist individual and groups found to be unjustly treated, and consider problems brought before the Commission. This committee meets monthly after work hours. Elizabeth Ward-Robertson, CRSJ Director, serves as the governance lead for this committee.

Ethnic Minority Affairs Commission (EMAC) is an internal committee. EMAC is committed to supporting Educators of Color by providing a safe space and support system focused on professional interventions and solutions to meet our needs. This provides Educators of Color a voice in our workspaces and allows us the means to share the needs of our communities for our scholars, families and colleagues. EMAC also promotes and supports ethnic minority members’ involvement by providing opportunities to participate in all levels of union activities and by providing a strong voice for input into decisions affecting Educators of Color. This committee meets monthly after work hours. Pam Davis serves as the EMAC Chair. Paraprofessional President Otis Golden serves as the governance lead for this committee. 

Professional Growth and Educator Support (PGES) is a joint labor-management group (see page 22 of the Certificated CBA for details). PGES monitors and guides the implementation of the evaluation system. Specifically, this year (2024-25) the PGES would be monitoring the rollout of the new Student Growth Goals Rubric and the rollout of the new induction plan we developed last year. This group meets during the work day; substitute release provided. Vice President Girard Montejo-Thompson serves as the governance lead for this committee.

Professional Development Steering Committee is a joint labor-management group (see page 18 of the Certificated CBA and page 17 of both the Paraprofessional and SAEOP CBAs for details). The Professional Development Steering Committee identifies SPS initiatives that require professional development to support implementation and determines if there is sufficient time and support allocated to the initiative to ensure sustainable progress in increasing student achievement. This committee meets during the work day; sub release provided. Vice President Girard Montejo-Thompson serves as the governance lead for this committee.

Center for Social and Racial Justice (CRSJ) Committee is an internal committee. The CRSJ’s vision is to provide a safe network for educators to advocate for the advancement of racial equity in changing the narrative and experiences of public education across Seattle. The CRSJ Committee provides guidance to the CRSJ Director on how to achieve the CRSJ’s strategic goals. This committee meets monthly after work hours. Elizabeth Ward-Robertson, CRSJ Director, serves as the governance lead for this committee.

Waiver Committee is an internal SEA committee. The Waiver Committee reviews waiver requests submitted by schools. A waiver request outlines a case where a school wants to waive part of their CBA or MOU (contract) rights. The Waiver Committee recommends to the SEA Board of Directors whether we should approve the waiver request or not. This committee meets on an irregular schedule after work hours. President Meesh Vecchio serves as the governance lead for this committee.

The following committees have been appointed for the 2024-2025 school year:

Partnership Committee is a joint labor management group, see page 10 of the Cert CBA for details. Partnership Committee provides guidance to district leadership to ensure racial equity in our educational system, to unapologetically address the needs of students of color who are furthest from educational justice, and to undo the legacies of racism in our educational system, consistent with Board Policy No. 0030 – Ensuring Educational and Racial Equity. This committee meets during the work day; substitute release provided. Elizabeth Ward-Robertson, CRSJ Director, serves as the governance lead for this committee.

Multilingual Task Force is a joint labor management group, see page 103 of the Cert CBA for details. The ML Task Force is charged with improving service delivery to students and creating more equitable access to ML services in neighborhood schools. The ML Task Force will also review DLI student progress and equitable program access in content area courses in students’ home languages. Meets during the work day; sub release provided. Elizabeth Ward-Robertson, CRSJ Director, serves as the governance lead for this group.

Pre-K Work Group is a joint SEA-SPS committee defined by our Certificated CBA in Appendix R. The Pre-K Work Group meets quarterly to establish clear goals and a focus for this group including outlining the work of a Developmental Pre-K coach with consideration of publishing options to support student peer modeling in Dev Pre-K and giving enrollment assistance. Paraprofessional President Otis Golden serves as the governance lead for this work group.

Budget and Finance Commission is an internal committee. The Budget and Finance Commission shall prepare the annual budget; develop policies relating to the SEA budget and finance, monitor expenditures and report to the Board of Directors and Representative Assembly. Meets on an irregular schedule after work hours. Davina Diaz, Treasurer, serves as the governance lead for this group.