Good evening President Bonta, Board members and AUSD staff - thank you for affording Alameda’s PTA Council the time to update you. I have been given the great pleasure of taking the helm of President for PTAC for the 2021-2022 school year. 

For those who don’t know me - I am Ryan LaLonde. My husband, son and I live near the Fruitvale bridge, and are super happy to call Alameda home once again. My son will be an 8th grader at Lincoln in the fall. We were previously an Edison family, where I was PTA President for a very transitional period at the school (3 principals in two years, racist hate graffiti and fencing & remodeling.) I was also a 2 term Treasurer for PTAC and just served as Auditor this school year. I look forward to working with you and partnering during what will be a very transitional period for all of AUSD.

But.. Don’t worry, Gretchen is co-leading PTAC with me as Executive Vice President - this will allow us to focus on many more endeavors to help our PTA units across the island.

I want to also let you know who else was elected into leadership at PTAC and will at different times be speaking to you representing PTAC. 

• President: Ryan LaLonde

• Exec. VP: Gretchen Hoff Varner

• VP Programs: Ashley Rogers

• VP Advocacy: Sandy Calloway

• Treasurer: Brett Metzger

• Secretary: Jen Bullock

• Auditor: Lyla Bradley

• Parliamentarian: Steve Mack

• Historian: Rachel Plato

• ASPED: Heather Padgette

• Mental Health and Wellness: Kate Rome

• Remote School PTA Liaison: TBD

CRITICAL YEAR AHEAD

It is a critical year to have… parents, students…. Working together

• Back to school - Safety

• Mental Health

• Addressing equity - being a gay father of a black student with an IEP - I have seen how the system doesn’t work for all students and will be vocal and active (along with ASPED and MOSAIC) in making sure all students not just belong here - but THRIVE here.

• Refocusing Special Education by not on just putting out the fires, but deep systematic change in how services are provided. We are very optimistic about the new faces at AUSD what will make that happen.

LCAP/Funding and focus

As someone who sat on the school site council, I understand the work that goes into each school report and want to thank the teachers and parents who worked so hard on the final reports - the emphasis on uplifting our students who are falling behind their peers was critical before COVID and even more so now. I encourage you to keep those students listed in red, orange and yellow centered in your budgeting process. 

LGBTQ Pride month

And in closing I want to reflect on the momentous occasion of item number 1 on the agenda tonight. It wasn’t long ago that we had board members actively working against the best interests of LGBTQ students - to come to this moment. As a student in my hometown in Michigan, I was tormented daily by bullies - some of which were my actually teachers, now I zoom before you at PTAC’s first openly gay president - thanking you President Bonta and members, Lym, Sweet, Williams and Little and the AUSD staff for this amazing proclamation. I look forward, proudly, to working with each one of you to implement policies and standards that uplift and protect our LGBTQ students and students with LGBTQ parents. Happy Pride Month.