Thursday, February 20 was education day in the Senate Ways & Means Committee. Traveling to Olympia to testify on behalf of Washington State PTA were President Michelle Nims and Advocacy Director Nancy Chamberlain. Here are their TVW clips:
- Aligning with the teacher shortage priority, Nancy testified in support of SB 5801, a bill that would allow retired teachers to return to work to act as a mentor.
Click to hear Nancy’s testimony.
- Closing the gap in special education funding is another Top 5 priority, under Closing Gaps with Strategic K-12 Investments. President Nims spoke in favor of SB 5736, which would increase the special education multiplier and offered a solution for prioritization.
Click to hear Michelle’s testimony.
- School safety is also on this year’s legislative agenda, and as a member of the School Safety Advisory Committee, Nancy Chamberlain was well-positioned to speak in favor of SB 5317 and request that family and student reunification be included in the school safety planning.
Click to hear Nancy’s testimony.
- Keeping students engaged in high school and getting them interested in a career is part of Governor Jay Inslee’s legislative agenda for 2019. SB 5327 would support increased career-connected learning, and President Michelle Nims was there to testify in support.
Click to hear Michelle’s testimony.
Washington State PTA also signed in as support on several other bills up for a hearing, including two special education bills (SB 5091 and SB 5532), a bill to support homeless students (SB 5324), and training for school resource officers (SB 5141).