We wrapped up the school year with the final session of our Advocacy Skills in the Education System series, in partnership with Lindsey Yocum and Amy Falcone, on May 30, 2025. This meaningful event brought together students, families, educators and elected officials to reflect on the year’s progress and renew our shared commitment to a strong, inclusive public education system.
LWPTSA Council was honored to welcome two engaged and thoughtful guest speakers from our state legislature:
• Representative Osman Salahuddin, an LWSD graduate who now serves on the Career and Technical Education (CTE) Committee. With deep family ties to paraeducation, he brings both personal insight and professional focus to educational issues.
• Representative Shelley Kloba, whose advocacy journey began through PTA leadership. Her dedication to education continues through her daughter, a paraeducator serving in our schools today.
The session featured rich, two-way dialogue. In addition to responding to community questions, the representatives also invited ongoing, two-way-street engagement.
They posed two thoughtful questions to guide future conversations:
How can student perspectives be more effectively integrated into education policy and school decision-making?
For families with children across multiple grade levels, what unique challenges or strengths do you observe at each stage—elementary, middle and high school?
A standout moment of the session was a student-led presentation by Arjun Srinivasan, a fifth grader from Samantha Smith Elementary, on the importance of the arts in education. Organized by Kameh Saman, LWPTSA Council Co-VP of Advocacy, the presentation was a compelling reminder of the power of student voices in shaping meaningful policy discussions. Both representatives responded with sincere attention and appreciation.
We encourage families and community members to share their perspectives in response to these ongoing questions. Your insights help shape the advocacy that drives meaningful, positive change in our schools.
Thank you for being part of this vital journey.
— Zahra Eslami, Co-VP of Advocacy, LWPTSA Council