WSPTA Testifies: Students and Leaders Convene in Olympia for Focus on Advocacy Day
Advocacy in Action! Washington State PTA was rocking Olympia on January 15, testifying both in person and remotely before three different committees and talking with their legislators. Here’s a look at the day’s testifiers. While he was in town for Focus on Advocacy Day, Paultoro Tanaka, a student at Robert Eagle Staff Middle School, testified…
A Teacher’s Thoughts on the Upcoming Year
Guest post provided by Amy Campbell, 2020 Washington state Teacher of the Year Hello fellow PTA members, My name is Amy Campbell. I am a Special Education teacher in the Camas School District, and the 2020 Washington state Teacher of the Year. I was honored to attend the Washington State PTA conference in May to…
Category:
Education
New Guidance on Reopening Schools – What Families Need to Know
State Superintendent Chris Reykdal, Governor’s Policy Adviser Maddy Thompson, and Department of Health’s COVID response director Lacy Fehrenbach met with WSPTA members for a webinar on August 10. The main topics for the hour-long event included the new school reopening framework and answers to questions about serving all students, meal service, childcare, and tracking attendance.…
Category:
Education
Tracking Absences under COVID-19
OSPI (Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction) has adopted emergency rules to address tracking “absences” in a time of COVID and the various approaches to instruction, including in-person, hybrid, and remote learning. The rules will be in effect for the 2020-21 school year. Read the four-page summary here.
Category:
Education
Analysis of Assessment Bill HB 1599
Legislative Consultant Marie Sullivan has put together an analysis of the elements of the new state high school assessments legislation. See the bill elements here.
Core Plus Aerospace: High School Curriculum Helps WA Students Launch Manufacturing Careers
“Anyone can have a job. But, when you leave here, you can have a career.” That’s according to Kareen Morales Vincent, an aerospace manufacturing instructor at Sno-Isle TECH Skills Center in Everett. Kareen is one of the many teachers using Core Plus Aerospace to help Washington high school students gain science, math, and English skills…
Category:
Education
Joint Select Committee on Article IX Litigation
In a short session today, the Joint Select Committee on Article IX Litigation unanimously approved a report to the Supreme Court describing the 2018 session’s accomplishments towards meeting the McCleary lawsuit. Two major elements of the 16-page report include expediting educator salaries to the 2018-19 school year and establishing a $105 million “penalty account,” which…
Local Public K-12 Education Investments – OSPI Tool
On March 30th, Superintendent Chris Reykdal sent every legislator a handout with information about the public schools within their legislative district. You can find all of those handouts on the OSPI website – use the drop-down box on the top left-hand side to choose a legislative district.
Scholarship Information for Graduating Seniors
There are many scholarship opportunities available for graduating seniors in addition to the WSPTA scholarship. Information about the WSPTA application can be found by clicking here including the link to the online application form. OSPI has released information on a number of options and we have provided their websites listed below. Make sure you review…
Category:
Education
Governor’s 2018 budget would close gap mandated by Court
In his 2018 supplemental operating budget, Democratic Governor Jay Inslee proposed spending $950 million to reach full funding of state salary allocations for educators and school staff in the 2018-19 school year. This would move up the state’s salary phase-in by a year, which would resolve the problem raised by the Supreme Court last month…