Highline Education Association  » Member Leadership  » Committees  » HEA Committees

HEA Committees

An important indicator of a strong union is an engaged and active membership.

HEA Committees are critical to advancing the voice, power, and professional advocacy of our members. Members of these committees are appointed by the HEA President. Current HEA Committees are listed below in approximate order of the most time commitment to the least time commitment.

Contact the committee chair(s) or Jeb Binns for more information. Italicized names are committee chairs. 

  • HEA Bargaining Team - This team meets with representatives of HSD to negotiate our contract or Collective Bargaining Agreement.
    • Jeb Binns, Shawna Moore, Veronica Fairchild, Rich Coker, Edissa Jaramillo, Shawn Will, Ann Kelly, Sara Fox, Elizabeth Beck
  • HEA Bargaining Support Team (BST) - Each worksite needs a small team, including a BST Worksite Lead, to keep every member engaged and informed about the bargaining process and what members can do to support the HEA Bargaining Team.
    • Katie Utesch 

  • HEA Core Equity Team – This team will develop our approaches to promoting racial and social justice in our union by identifying and eliminating institutional barriers and addressing individual biases.  Members must be trusted and respected leaders who feel free and safe to speak their truths and represent our members' lived experiences.
    • Shawna Moore

  • HEA Community Coalitions Committee - The Community Coalitions Committee will support HEA members, the Representative Council, and the Executive Board reach out to community partners with the goal of developing authentic and impactful relationships both within and outside the district. Responsibilities include reviewing and making recommendations to the Finance Committee and Rep Council on expenditure requests from our Community Outreach Funds.

  • HEA Elections Committee - This committee facilitates the nominations and elections process for HEA elections, including communicating about open positions and the voting process, as well as certifying the elections. Members of this committee cannot run for elected HEA positions while they serve on the committee.
    • Amanda Stanley 
    • Jeb Binns
  • HEA Finance Committee - The finance committee meets monthly to conduct a review of the accounts held by HEA in preparation for a report to the executive board and representative council.  
    In addition, annually, the committee reviews the state of the current financial accounts and makes a recommendation for the upcoming fiscal year budget in light of HEA priorities. This will include making any recommendations for revenue increases for the HEA.
    • Jeb Binns (Chair), Veronica Fairchild, Shawna Moore
  • HEA Governing Documents Review Task Force - This task force will be charged with conducting a review of HEA's governing documents. A particular area of focus for this team will be working to ensure that both the language and policies within the documents are inclusive and reflect the current needs of our members.
    • HEA Exec Board Members
    • Review of Rules of Order: 

  • HEA Membership Committee - This committee works to ensure that everyone eligible to become a HEA member is invited to do so. They also connect HEA members to issues they are passionate about and want to engage with.  Members of this committee can also focus on subsets of our membership to increase engagement within those groups; examples include guest teachers, early career educators, dual language teachers, educators of color, and special education staff.
    • HEA Exec Board Members 

  • HEA WEA PAC/Political Action Team - This team works to ensure that every member of HEA has been invited to join WEA PAC, WEA's Political Action Committee - which works to ensure that pro-public-education candidates are elected to state office. The team also helps support pro-public education lobbying efforts in the WA State Legislature and US Congress.
    • Ben Folgers