Truitt Announces Formation of Parent Advisory Commission

North Carolina Department of Public Instruction

Press Release

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Catherine Truitt has announced the 48 members of her Parent Advisory Commission, drawn from 3,000 applicants who responded to her invitation earlier this year to apply for the new panel.

With six parents or guardians represented from each of the state’s eight educational regions, members will meet for the first time in September. The group will share aspirations for public education in North Carolina, provide feedback on policy or pertinent matters affecting K-12 education, and share recommendations, insight and perspectives with Superintendent Truitt and others.

“This Commission is focused on giving parents a seat at the table and strengthening parent and family involvement in education,” Truitt said. “This commission is a consistent and routine way to ensure we are addressing challenges and improving outcomes for all of North Carolina’s students using feedback from those who know students best. I know they will come prepared to represent their unique students, who hail from all different backgrounds, by providing their insights, experiences, and perspectives on various aspects of K-12 education and student well-being.” Membership for the commission includes parents who have students enrolled in traditional public schools, charter public schools, homeschool and private schools to ensure broad representation of all school choice options across the state and a wide range of feedback.

“This commission seeks to include all parent voices because every parent has a story to tell,” said Truitt. “Insight from parents who may not have a student presently enrolled in a traditional public school should be considered as we strive to make improvements to support all public school students’ learning and development.”

Applicants were notified about their selection, and a survey has been disseminated to identify the first meeting date and time. The full commission is composed of regional sub-groups, which will hold monthly meetings that will be conducted virtually to accommodate parents’ schedules. Quarterly, the regional sub-groups will convene together with all 48 members of the commission gathering both in person and virtually.

“We know that the extent to which a family becomes involved in a child’s education has a tremendous impact on student achievement that extends well beyond the classroom,” Truitt said. “This Commission helps to create a routine feedback loop where we can discuss how to increase parent involvement and better engage families in a student’s K-12 journey.”

An agenda for the meetings will be made available on the Parent Advisory Commission website, and notes following the meeting will be posted online as well.

The 48-Member Parent Commission will serve a two-year term beginning this fall.

2022-2024 Parent Advisory Commission:

North Central Region: 

1. Delon Fletcher— traditional public at-large

2. Preeti Vidwans— traditional public

3. Daniel Riley— traditional public

4. Tamara Adams— public charter  

5. Delicia Hare— private

6. Natascha Alvarado— homeschool

Northeast Region: 

1. Diane Taylor –– traditional public at-large

2. Dawn Price –– traditional public

3. Sonya Askew-Williams –– traditional public

4. Beatriz “Betty” Ward –– public charter

5. April Edwards –– private 

6. Mary Syrrist –– homeschool

Piedmont-Triad Region:  

1. Treena Jackson— traditional public at-large

2. Dwayne Young— traditional public 

3. Lillian Adams— traditional public

4. Jessica Hofstetter— public charter 

5. Neely Turlington— private 

6. Dan Stephens— homeschool 

Southwest Region:  

1. Yolanda Price— traditional public at-large

2. Maria Cristina Sanchez— traditional public

3. Theresa Knight— traditional public 

4. Nazila Alimohammadi— public charter 

5. Rebecca Dies— private 

6. Larina Pierce— homeschool 

Southeast Region: 

1. Yvonne Eason— traditional public at-large

2. Grelynn Bradley— traditional public 

3. Lindsey Lee Miller— traditional public 

4. Jessica Lopez— public charter 

5. Charlonda Brown— private

6. Meganne Smith— homeschool 

Western Region: 

1. Lydia Flanders— traditional public at-large

2. Dawn Steed— traditional public 

3. Clark Glenn, Jr.— traditional public

4. Shawn Wright— public charter  

5. Susan Osborne— private 

6. Amber Black— homeschool 

Northwest Region 

1. Kirsten Maynard— traditional public at-large 

2. Kelley Wilson— traditional public 

3. Kelsey W. Adams— traditional public 

4. Shanna S. Wall— public charter 

5. Maria S. Ballard— private 

6. Jessica Frierson— homeschool 

Sandhills Region:  

1. Ar-Nita Davis— traditional public at-large  

2. Samantha L. Oxendine— traditional public

3. Marie Smith— traditional public 

4. Yvette Bell— public charter

5. Victor Allen— private

6. John Miner— homeschool