Big 3 bills heard in Senate Ed, Special Education bills to be heard this week
By Marie Sullivan, legconsultant@wastatepta.org You can access the Week 3 Bill Tracker here. The Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education Committee heard testimony on four bills related to what is being informally called “The Big 3.” These bills seek to close the funding gaps that have widened in three specific basic education and constitutionally protected areas:…
National PTA Statement on Protecting Children Regardless of Immigration Status
Statement from National PTA: On Monday, the new Trump-Vance Administration assumed office, and the National PTA has been closely tracking the decisions and policy changes issued by the Administration as they are released. National PTA believes that all children residing in the United States, regardless of their immigration status, have the right of access to…
WSPTA Testifies: Close the Funding Gaps
Advocacy in Action On January 22, the Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education Committee heard public testimony on bills that would close the funding gaps in what are being called “The Big Three” – special education, school operating costs (MSOC), and student transportation. WSPTA Board Secretary Melissa Stone was part of a panel of education…
WSPTA Testifies: Preventing and Reducing Gun Violence and Suicide
Advocacy in Action! Dr. Gwen Loosmore testified in two committees on January 21st, bringing Washington State PTA’s priority position of preventing and reducing gun violence and suicide to the forefront of bills related to common sense solutions to approach escalating gun violence. In the House Finance Committee, Gwen shared statistics about suicide and gun deaths…
Pomp, Ceremonies, Committees and an Inaugural Ball Kick off 105-day Session
By Marie Sullivan, legconsultant@wastatepta.org Newly elected state House of Representative members and Senators were sworn in at opening ceremonies in the House and Senate on January 13, the first day of this long session. On Tuesday, former Governor Jay Inslee, who had served three terms (12 years), addressed a joint session of the House and Senate…
69th Legislature Convenes January 13 Amid New Faces, Projected Deficit
By Marie Sullivan, legconsultant@wastatepta.org The Washington State Legislature convenes Monday, January 13th for the first year of the 2025-27 biennium and a 105-day session that is scheduled to end April 27, 2025. Legislators must adopt two-year budgets for operating, capital, and transportation, based on updated revenue forecasts and changes to caseloads since they left town in…
Everything You Need to Know about 2024-2025 Swank Movie Licenses
Join our friends from Swank for a group webinar on August 15 at 12pm. Swank staff will cover the benefits of an annual movie license plus introduce their newest offering: Swank K-12 Streaming. The webinar will be recorded and made available for anyone who cannot make the live event. Register here. Washington State PTA is…
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A Better Payment Processing Option for Your PTA
Guest post by our sponsor, Cheddar Up A very buzzy topic among parent groups is: “Can PTAs use Venmo?” The answer is layered: Yes, you could. It is available to you. But should you use it? Here, we’ll look at a few reasons to pinpoint why Venmo may not work for your PTA and a…
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All About Givebacks: Our New Database System
This summer, WSPTA will transition away from memberplanet and toward a new statewide membership database powered by Givebacks, formerly MemberHub. We’re excited that Givebacks specializes in serving PTAs and know this change will make member management, communications, and fundraising easier for our local leaders. You can learn more about our transition timeline by visiting Givebacks’s…
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Membership
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Individual State Awards – Nominate Someone Now!
Help to recognize leaders for their work in statewide service, advocacy, and teaching (including staff) by submitting a nomination! The all-in-one form for nominating leaders is now available on the WSPTA Application & Submission Portal and has been updated to make it easy and quick to apply. Visit this page for more information about all…