Guest Post: Legislative Assembly – A Student Advocate Experience
By Skylar Pfeil, Inglemoor High School PTSA 6.10.75 Preparing for Legislative Assembly I was honestly afraid and nervous about this new experience. After my mom and I arrived, everything seemed to move along at a fast pace. At the first general assembly, we learned about how the voting would work and the process to use…
Guest Post: Why Should Students Attend Legislative Assembly?
By Emily McKenzie, 5th grade student, Kokanee PTA 6.10.22 Why should students attend legislative assembly? Because even a 5th grader can make a contribution. Hello, I am Emily McKenzie and I attend Kokanee Elementary in Woodinville, Washington. When both my parents decided to attend the WSPTA Legislative Assembly on October 20 and 21, 2017, I…
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…
2017 WSPTA Legislative Assembly Recap
Delegates from across the state gathered for inspiration, advocacy education, networking, and to consider the addition of new positions to the policy platform, as Washington State PTA held its 39th annual Legislative Assembly, October 20-21. Some highlights of the WSPTA Legislative Assembly included an insightful and detailed update on the 2017 legislative session from WSPTA…
Governor Jay Inslee has declared October to be Dyslexia Awareness Month.
WSPTA members adopted Resolution 18.32, “Dyslexia, Dysgraphia, Dyscalculia, and Dyspraxia” in 2016 to support early screening for signs and symptoms of language processing disorders including but not limited to dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, dyspraxia, with parental notification; and to support legislation for funding to support training of parents, teachers and other school personnel in early identification…
Category:
Advocacy
Guest Post: Youth Advocacy Resources
Washington State PTA is a member of the Washington Healthy Youth (WHY) Coalition. The following was shared by fellow coalition member Julie Peterson, Senior Director of Policy at Foundation for Healthy Generations. The Youth Advocacy Guide and Hannah’s Tips, featuring youth advocate extraordinaire Hannah Stewart, are resources aimed at encouraging the youth of Washington to make their voices heard. Created…
Category:
Advocacy
Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal Submits Washington’s Federal Education Plan (ESSA)
Washington State’s plan grants schools more flexibility over meeting the needs of every student and places an intentional focus on historically underserved populations of students. According to OSPI, student success will be gauged using many variables, not just test results. Schools will create improvement plans that identify and close gaps in student success. And districts…
Category:
Advocacy
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
,
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…