2019 Legislative Session – Week 8
Many PTA bills advance through fiscal cutoff, levy “lift” hits snag Prepared by Marie Sullivan, WSPTA Legislative Consultant, legconsultant@wastatepta.org Several priority bills for Washington State PTA have passed Friday’s fiscal cutoff, including bills that would increase special education funding; increase student staffing ratios; expand early learning program eligibility; pilot 20-minute seated lunch times in at…
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Advocacy
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Legislative
WSPTA Testifies on SSB 5313 regarding Enrichment Levies
Click here to hear Lisa’s testimony Speaking in favor of giving communities a voice regarding enrichment levies, Tacoma parent Lisa Keating told Senate Ways & Means committee members on February 25th that Washington State PTA supports a choice of increased levy authority or maximum per pupil spending, and increasing the ceiling for LEA, this session. …
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Advocacy
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Legislative
WSPTA Testifies on HB 2108
Click to hear Andy’s testimony HB 2108 would delay the requirement for school districts to be in compliance with a straight 17:1 class size ratio. As PTA parent Andy Jensen points out, the association clearly supports smaller K-3 class sizes. But members also adopted an element in school construction to support K-3 classroom grants in…
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Advocacy
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Legislative
Legislative Session – Week 7
Policy cutoff spells end to many bills, next up: fiscal cutoff Prepared by Marie Sullivan, WSPTA Legislative Consultant, legconsultant@wastatepta.org In the first of what will be many self-imposed deadlines to keep the legislative process moving forward, Friday, February 22nd was the final day for most bills to be considered in policy committees. (I say most,…
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Advocacy
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Legislative
WSPTA Testimony to Senate Ways and Means Committee
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…
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Advocacy
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Legislative
WSPTA Testifies on Anti-bullying Bill – SB 5689
Northshore parent Corina Pfeil testified on behalf of Washington State PTA in support of SB 5689 in the Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education Committee February 18th. The bill would require school districts to adopt a transgender student policy and procedures, and to designate a primary point of contact within schools for policy implementation and…
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Advocacy
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Legislative
2019 Legislative Session – Week 6
Olympia digs out from the snow, first cutoff looms Prepared by Marie Sullivan, WSPTA Legislative Consultant, legconsultant@wastatepta.org In unprecedented action, the Legislature cancelled committee meetings Monday, February 11, due to historic amounts of snow that had fallen since the previous Friday. Most Monday committee meetings were rescheduled for later in the week. On the 11th,…
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Advocacy
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Legislative
WSPTA Testifies on School Construction and Simple Majority for Bonds
Sherry Rudolph showed some love for two bills that were heard February 14, including SB 5853, which would increase the 40-year old student space allocation and cost allowance formulas to more current standards, with a phased-in approach. The bill was part of the Senate Ways & Means Committee meeting. Here’s her testimony in support of…
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Advocacy
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Legislative
Call to Action – Support Strategies to Address the Teacher Shortage
Dear Washington State PTA member, Washington has an estimated shortage of 3500 certificated teachers, and 97% of human resource (HR) directors say they are struggling or in crisis mode when asked about their ability to hire qualified, certificated candidates to fill current open positions. Every student deserves to be taught by an excellent, engaged teacher.…
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Advocacy
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Legislative
Call to Action – Support Social Emotional Learning
Dear Washington State PTA member, Inclusion of social emotional learning and trauma-informed practices at schools has been demonstrated to lead to better outcomes for students, and it is WSPTA’s top legislative priority during this legislative session. Social emotional skills complement cognitive skills and are associated with increased academic achievement, higher income, better health, and social engagement. By…
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Advocacy
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Legislative