2017 Session Starts with Pomp, Work Sessions and Hearings
The 65th Washington State Legislature kicked off a 105-day session January 9, swearing in 18 new House and 12 new Senate members, one of the largest freshman classes for both chambers in many election cycles. The Senate is controlled by a Republican majority of 25-24, while the House majority is 50 Democrats to 48 Republicans.…
Erika Kapur Testifies before Senate Budget Committee
Erika Kapur, a 45th legislative district constituent and Washington State PTA (WSPTA) Region 2 Legislative Chair, testified yesterday afternoon in support of Governor Inslee’s proposed education budget. Her testimony can be found at 1 hour, 30 minutes into the Senate Ways & Means committee hearing; watch her testimony here. “This budget addresses many of the important…
WSPTA FACE Director Testifies in Favor of Governor Inslee’s Proposed Education Budget
Judy East, WSPTA Family and Community Engagement Director, testified Monday in the House Appropriations Committee in support of Governor Inslee’s proposed operating budget. In particular, Judy said: “This budget addresses many of the important elements of WSPTA’s two-year platform, as voted on by our membership. These include: A focus on social and emotional health with…
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Advocacy
WSPTA FACE Director Testifies in Favor of Governor Inslee’s Proposed Education Budget
Judy East, WSPTA FACE Director, testifying in Olympia Judy East, WSPTA Family and Community Engagement Director, testified Monday in the House Appropriations Committee in support of Governor Inslee’s proposed operating budget. In particular, Judy said: “This budget addresses many of the important elements of WSPTA’s two-year platform, as voted on by our membership. These include:…
PRESS RELEASE: State’s Largest Parents’ Association Applauds Inslee Education Budget
Tacoma, WA (December 15, 2016): After the release of Governor Jay Inslee’s education budget spending plan on Tuesday, Washington State PTA President Barbara Martin issued the following statement: “Governor Inslee’s investments in K-12 education to support a high-quality teacher in every classroom and a skilled principal in every school are a great step forward in…
Governor Releases Ed Budget, Asks for $3.9B in New K-12 Funding
Kicking off the 2017 budget proposals to resolve the “McCleary problem,” Governor Jay Inslee released his education and revenue budgets today, with a request for $3.9 billion in total spending over the two-year budget cycle. In a Monday preview, staff indicated that nearly two-thirds of the funding would boost compensation for all educators and add…
ESSA Draft Consolidated Plan Outreach
Shape your public education system for years to come by providing feedback on Washington’s Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) draft Consolidated Plan, through the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI). Washington State PTA was involved in the draft process, and OSPI wants the viewpoints of their constituents well represented. OSPI was one of…
Social Emotional Benchmarks Report
Washington State PTA has worked on Social Emotional Learning (SEL) as a top legislative priority for several years*. During the 2015-17 biennium, SEL has been a top five priority. In June of 2015, the Legislature provided funding for a workgroup to develop Social Emotional Learning Benchmarks (SELB) for K-12 education based on the foundational work done in…
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Advocacy
Ed Funding Task Force Sets Interim Schedule, Topics to Start
Members of the eight-member Joint Legislative Education Funding Task Force created by ESSB 6195 during the 2016 session decided they would meet at least monthly starting in May, and would begin by “defining basic education.” The task force was created to identify a path forwardfor the state to reduce its reliance on local levies for funding…
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Advocacy