Candidate · Governing Board · November 3, 2026
For Plumas Lake Elementary School Board
Our district is growing fast. That growth should mean better schools for every Plumas Lake student — planned carefully, explained plainly, and paid for responsibly.
Priorities
These are the standards I want to be held to — not slogans for a lawn sign, but the questions I will ask before I raise my hand on any item that comes before the board.
Every classroom decision measured against one question: does this help a child read, reason, and belong? I will push for clear, published goals in reading and math, honest reporting when we fall short, and support for the teachers and classified staff who do the work.
Families should never wonder whether their school is ready. That means campuses that are safe to walk into and safe to walk home from, schools built ahead of the rooftops instead of behind them, and a board that plans for the district our children will actually attend.
Public money deserves a public explanation. I spend my working life reading budgets, and I will bring that habit to this board: read the fine print, ask what the payments cost over time, and say so out loud before the vote — not after.
About Meri
I am running for the Plumas Lake Elementary School District Governing Board because our community is at the point where the decisions get harder, not easier. New homes keep coming. A new middle school is coming online. Financing decisions made this year will still be on the books when today's kindergartners are grown.
Those are exactly the kinds of documents I work with. My professional background is in public policy and public finance — reading budgets, resolutions, and financing packages closely and asking the questions that make them make sense to everyone else in the room.
I do not think a school board seat is a stepping stone. It is a job with three parts: set clear goals, watch the money, and be straight with families. I will do all three, in public, and I will tell you when I disagree and why.
“Growth is not the problem. Growth without a plan is the problem.”
Meri is a candidate as a private citizen. This campaign is conducted entirely on her own time and with her own and supporters' resources.
The District
A K–8 district of about eighteen hundred students in one of the fastest-growing corners of Yuba County. Every figure below is drawn from official state or district sources.
Election Information
Yuba County is the official source for registration, ballot drop-off, and polling locations. Please rely on the county for anything time-sensitive.
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Yuba County ElectionsGet Involved
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This campaign is funded by neighbors, not by anyone with business before the district. Every dollar goes to signs, printing, and postage so families hear directly from Meri. If you would rather give time than money, the ways to help are just above.
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Contributions are made to Kaftan for Plumas Lake Elementary School Board 2026, FPPC ID# 1496275, and are not tax deductible. California law requires the committee to record the name, address, occupation, and employer of anyone whose contributions total $100 or more, and that information becomes part of a public filing. Donations are processed by Anedot; this campaign never sees your card number.