Board Member – Parents for Mercer Island

Lead the Movement. Restore Excellence. Rebuild Trust.

Parents for Mercer Island is seeking committed and visionary parent leaders to serve on its Board of Directors. As a 501(c)(4) nonprofit, we are building a strong, well-financed platform to drive academic excellence, financial accountability, and community trust across the Mercer Island School District.

This is a unique opportunity to help lead a growing movement of parents determined to fix what’s broken and build a better future for every child on Mercer Island.

About the Role

As a Board Member, you will help govern, guide, and shape the direction of Parents for Mercer Island’s initiatives—including policy advocacy, volunteer coordination, curriculum reform, school safety, and public accountability.

You’ll be part of a collaborative, mission-driven team committed to solving the urgent issues laid out in the State of MISD 2025 report, including:

  • Declining academic performance and outdated curriculum

  • Budget misalignment and financial instability

  • Cuts to critical programs and student services

  • Declining enrollment and growing parent disengagement

  • Student safety concerns and privacy violations

  • A widening trust gap between the district and the community

Board Responsibilities

  • Strategic Oversight: Help shape and approve the organization’s long-term strategy, priorities, and initiatives

  • Governance & Accountability: Uphold nonprofit integrity, transparency, and compliance as a 501(c)(4)

  • Program Development: Support the design and launch of key programs—such as curriculum modernization, school-based volunteer systems, and student safety reform

  • Community Engagement: Act as an ambassador to Mercer Island parents, schools, and civic partners; expand community awareness and trust

  • Resource Allocation: Oversee how funding is directed to high-impact initiatives in alignment with identified district needs

  • Political Advocacy & Endorsements: As a 501(c)(4), the board will make decisions regarding the endorsement and funding of Mercer Island candidates, school bonds, levies, or any ballot measures and issues that directly impact public education, student wellbeing, or the future of our schools

  • Leadership Recruitment: Help recruit and mentor school-based leaders, task force members, and future board candidates

Qualifications

We’re seeking Board Members who:

  • Are Mercer Island parents (public, private, or homeschool) with a passion for education reform

  • Understand the urgency of the district’s current crisis and want to lead solutions

  • Bring experience in one or more of the following: public education, finance, governance, policy, nonprofit leadership, DEI, safety, or STEM curriculum

  • Are willing to dedicate approximately 5–10 hours per month to board activities, meetings, and initiatives

  • Value transparency, collaboration, and community trust

Prior board experience is helpful but not required.

What You’ll Gain

  • A leadership seat in one of the most meaningful and high-impact parent-led initiatives on Mercer Island

  • A chance to shape and fund real solutions to challenges that affect every student and family

  • The ability to work with a mission-aligned team in a nonpartisan, action-focused environment

  • The opportunity to help restore public education to excellence—starting here, in our own community