WSPTA Invited to Press Conference for the Release of Governor Inslee’s 2018 Supplemental Budget
Flanked by leaders from the Washington State PTA and the Washington Education Association, Governor Jay Inslee released his proposed 2018 supplemental budget Thursday morning. Also invited to speak at the press conference was Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal. Hear WSPTA President Michelle Nims’ speech, as she represents over 133,000 members, and the details about…
November 15 Supreme Court McCLeary Ruling Summation from Network for Excellence in Washington Schools (NEWS)
WSPTA is an original member of The Network for Excellence in Washington Schools (NEWS). Below is a summation from NEWS of yesterday’s ruling. The Supreme Court’s November 15, 2017 Order did three things: It unanimously rejected the State’s claim that the 2017 legislature satisfied the court orders in the McCleary case. It unanimously rejected the…
State Assistant Attorney General asks Supreme Court to End McCleary Case
Prepared by Marie Sullivan, WSPTA Legislative Consultant, legconsultant@wastatepta.org In oral arguments before the Supreme Court on October 24, 2017, state Assistant Attorney General Alan Copsey asked the Court to find that the state is in compliance with amply funding education and to close the case. In the event the Court was concerned about the two-biennium…
New: 2017 End of Session Legislative Report for WSPTA Members
Read about the 2017 session’s legislation that passed and didn’t pass, find an overview of the state’s education funding plan, HB 2242, and high-level operating budget investments in education.
Category:
Legislative
Washington Capital Budget
Dear WSPTA Member, Many schools in Washington are overcrowded or in desperate need of updating in order to provide a healthy and safe learning environment. One billion dollars in School Construction Assistance is at stake! We are asking you to contact your legislators to do the right thing in supporting Washington’s children and bring the…
Category:
Advocacy
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Legislative
Inslee calls 3rd special session, tells legislature it’s time to get their work done
Wednesday, June 21st marked the end of the 2nd special session and the start of the 3rd special session. Governor Inslee called the third special session, clearly frustrated with the lack of progress. Under intense media questioning, Inslee said that he would veto a 30-day budget bill if one came to his desk. “The differences…
Category:
Legislative
Op-Ed Article by Representatives Dolan and Stonier
Here is an informative op-ed piece (Seattle Times) from two state representatives, Dolan and Stonier, that supports WSPTA’s Resolution 18.13, which states no single factor should determine a student’s advancement such as graduation from high school. HB 1046, the bill that has passed the state House three times by a wide bipartisan margin, would still require the…
Category:
Education
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Legislative
Office of Financial Management K-12 Education Funding Comparison
Below is a side-by-side summary, from the Office of Financial Management (OFM), of the different McCleary proposals. This is a simplified look at the proposals—it is not comprehensive nor does it have all the details of each plan. The second document below is a look at the dollars based on the state fiscal year. For a district…
Category:
Education
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Legislative
Action Alert for House Bill 1046
On behalf of the Legislative Committee, we are asking you to use the message below to contact your state senator in support of House Bill 1046. HB 1046 would continue the practice of using statewide high school assessments in English Language Arts, Math, and Science for federal accountability purposes, but would remove the requirement to…
Reykdal Describes Education Vision; 2nd Special Session Called
At a 9 a.m. press conference Wednesday, May 24, Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal outlined steps the Legislature could take to meet the Supreme Court’s McCleary decision, and described a vision of education that is “bigger than the court case.” To get to “ample,” the state needs to increase its funding for public education…