Call to Action – Focus on Equity
Dear Washington State PTA member, Throughout our state, students continue to experience barriers and inequities preventing them from reaching their potential in our state: As of 2020, 68% of districts (urban and rural) report that some students have no access to broadband or smart phone data. When districts had to flip to online learning last…
Category:
Advocacy
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Legislative
Call to Action – Focus on Anti-racism
Dear Washington PTA Member, On this day when we honor the work and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., WSPTA recognizes that racism is not new and has harmed communities of color for centuries. In October, our membership overwhelmingly voted to not only take a stand against institutional racism, but to take the hard…
Category:
Advocacy
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Legislative
2021 Focus on Advocacy – January 18 Report
Work begins in 105-day legislative session Prepared by Marie Sullivan, WSPTA Legislative Consultant, legconsultant@wastatepta.org The first week of the 2021 legislative session is in the rear-view window. Thank goodness! For the first time, lawmakers convened in Olympia for the start of session with a capitol ringed in chain-link fencing while hundreds of Washington National Guard,…
Category:
Advocacy
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Legislative
Transparency and Engagement with Meeting Summaries
Governance. Powered by PTA. PTAs strive to involve their members and communities in the work of PTA and often post meeting minutes online to be transparent and increase engagement. Unfortunately, posting meeting minutes is risky. Instead, encourage PTAs to post meeting summaries online! What is the difference between meeting minutes and a meeting summary? Minutes are a…
Category:
Leadership
2021 Focus on Advocacy – January 11 Report
Legislative session opens January 11 Prepared by Marie Sullivan, WSPTA Legislative Consultant, legconsultant@wastatepta.org When the 67th legislature meets for business January 11, it may be the only day in this 105-day session when legislators are meeting in person, in Olympia, at the State Capitol. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on large gatherings, both House…
Category:
Advocacy
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Legislative
January 2021 – Executive Director Message
Dear Members, I love the new year. That was not always the case. In my youth, when my life was focused on science and mathematics, I thought that all of the falderal around the new year was just silly. Didn’t people understand how the calendar works, that it is all just arbitrary? The year just…
Category:
Leadership
Membership Dues Subsidies from PTA General Funds (Scholarship Memberships)
For many years, WSPTA has interpreted National PTA and WSPTA bylaws concerning payment of membership dues to prohibit local PTAs from using its own funds to pay for PTA memberships. In an effort to remove barriers, WSPTA leadership has consulted with National PTA, their accountants, and legal counsel over this interpretation. The major findings are:…
Category:
Membership
December 2020 – WSPTA Executive Director Message
Dear Members, We are rapidly approaching my favorite day of the year. As a native of Washington, I have always been very tuned into our day and night cycle. Throughout the summer we luxuriate in our long days and late evenings. We treasure the extra time we can spend on our patios, decks, and in…
Category:
Leadership
Community, Advocacy, and Membership
Synergy. Powered by PTA. Imagine your PTA as a triangle with Membership, Advocacy, and FACE (Family And Community Engagement) at each of its corners. Imagine all the results of having a PTA at your school or in your community are within the triangle. Now, if one of the points of the triangle didn’t exist, you…
Impacts of PTA on Student Success
Membership Impact. Powered by PTA. Thanks to National PTA for compiling data on the overall impact of PTA on schools and students across the country! Many leaders have been struggling with how to share the value of PTA when we cannot host our traditional events and activities. Please share some of these graphics with your…
Category:
Membership