Bills advance, falter as Legislature reaches committee cutoffs
By Marie Sullivan, legconsultant@wastate.pta January 31st was the first cutoff of the session, signaling the start of deadlines that will become more compressed as the Legislature heads towards Sine Die on March 7th. The next cutoff is Monday, February 5th which is the last day for bills to pass out of the fiscal committees to…
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Advocacy
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Legislative
WSPTA Testifies: Schools Meals for All Students
Advocacy in Action! WSPTA Advocacy Committee member Danica Noble testified in favor of SB 5964, providing school meals to all students at the January 29th public hearing of the Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education Committee. While the bill didn’t advance, the companion to it – HB 2058 – is moving through the process in…
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Advocacy
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Legislative
2024 Washington Legislative Page Applications are Open
Last day to apply is February 9, 2024 During the legislative session, students from across Washington come to Olympia to serve as pages for the Washington State Legislature. Each week, the House and Senate provide pages the opportunity to take part in the legislative process and observe the Legislature and other branches of state government…
Self-declare Window Now Open for Vacant WSPTA Board Positions
There are currently two vacancies on the Washington State PTA (WSPTA) Board of Directors: Advocacy Director and Area D Vice President. Delegates at the 2024 WSPTA Convention will vote to fill these vacancies. On January 21, 2024, the WSPTA Nominating Committee filed its report and placed the following name in nomination for the remainder of…
Category:
Governance
2024 Legislative Session: Policy Cutoff Approaches
By Marie Sullivan, legconsultant@wastatepta.org Remember those 600+ bills introduced on Day 1 of the 2024 legislative session? Since then, nearly 600 more bills have been introduced – and this on top of bills not enacted last year that still have some juice! Policy and budget committees have been busy holding public hearings and voting on…
Category:
Advocacy
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Legislative
WSPTA Seeks Presenters for 2024 Convention!
Do you have a program or practice you want to share with others? Here’s an opportunity to speak on topics showcasing your knowledge and experience with a wide audience of state leaders. WSPTA is now seeking session proposals for the 2024 Convention and Annual Meeting! The event will be held May 17-19, 2024, at the…
Ask WSPTA: Can a PTA sign up for a Venmo account?
Here’s a common question we receive in the support@wastatepta.org inbox: Can our PTA set up a Venmo account for fundraising? For a long time, we highly discouraged the use of Venmo because it was not designed to work for nonprofits. Over the past couple years, Venmo has introduced a new version of its product that…
Be Internet Awesome: A Great National PTA Program
Be Internet Awesome is a FREE National PTA program to help families be digital savvy when it comes to internet use for kids. Every family’s relationship with technology is unique. Google and YouTube provide products and resources to help you choose the right experience for your family and build healthy digital habits. Whether you’re looking…
Category:
Safety
The Great PTA Sign-Up Day: January 31, 2024
Guest post from WSPTA Membership Director Jenn Talingo The Great PTA Sign-Up Day! Today is the Great PTA Sign-Up Day. Our goal is to enroll 5,000 new members from across the state on January 31, 2024. I want to encourage every PTA to participate. This is a fabulous opportunity to grow your base, reach out…
Category:
Membership
Advocates Assemble! WSPTA at Focus on Advocacy Day 2024
It’s hard to believe it’s already been a week since hundreds of PTA advocates assembled in Olympia for the 2024 edition of Focus on Advocacy Day. We wanted to share some photos from the day, including the terrific image below of parents, students, educators, and advocates from across Washington standing on the Capitol steps. WSPTA…