National PTA dues increase effective July 1, 2025
Overview During the 2024 National PTA Virtual Convention, the voting body approved a $1 increase in the National PTA dues rate as proposed by the National PTA Board of Directors. Effective July 1, 2025, the new National PTA dues portion will be $3.25 per member. This includes any membership sold for FY2026 before July 1,…
Category:
Membership
Learn More About the Community Your PTA Serves
PTA represents parents, caregivers, educators and communities of all children, which enables us to best achieve PTA’s mission to make every child’s potential a reality. Our collective backgrounds, perspectives and ideas allow us to create the strongest future and direction for PTA. To more effectively serve ALL children and families, we need to understand who…
Week Six: Make way for Focus Day!
By Marie Sullivan, legconsultant@wastatepta.org Click here to view the comprehensive Week 6 bill tracker. More than 280 people have registered for Washington State PTA’s Focus Day in Olympia, and the capital will be a crowded place, with many rallies and protests taking place on the Capitol campus. WSPTA members will be meeting with legislators and…
WSPTA Testifies: Fully Fund Special Education and Student Transportation
Advocacy in Action! President Angela Steck testified in favor of SSB 5263, a bipartisan bill that would increase funding for special education services. Angela also asked for funding to support inclusionary practices and a study that would identify how other states fund programs to support students with disabilities. Listen to Angela here. Angela also spoke…
Week 4 is done, two weeks to go for policy cutoff
By Marie Sullivan, legconsultant@wastatepta.org Click here to view our comprehensive Week 5 Bill Tracker We are one month into the 105-day session and policy committees are really digging into hearings and voting on the bills in their committees before the first deadline for bills to remain under consideration – February 21st. Bills on “the Big…
WSPTA Testifies: Closing the Funding Gaps
Advocacy in Action! On Monday, February 3, WSPTA President Angela Steck testified in favor of HB 1338, a bill that would close the gaps between what the state funds and what it costs to operate schools across the state. Angela asked House Appropriations Committee members to pass the bill and pointed out that PTAs have…
February Checklist for Councils Supporting Local PTAs
February Monthly Tasks Continue assisting with items from the “Ongoing Tasks” list. Refer to the February Checklist for Running Your PTA. Encourage leaders to subscribe to the WSPTA Action Alerts to participate in timely action alerts with updates on the ongoing legislative session. Remind local leaders of the February 13 submission deadline for student programs (WSPTA…
Category:
Leadership
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Training
February Checklist for Running Your PTA
Ongoing Tasks Attend any board and membership meetings Read meeting minutes and offer corrections Prepare reports for board and membership meetings Get educated: take advantage of in-person and online training opportunities Be familiar with your responsibilities and fulfill them Review and ask questions about monthly financial report Actively engage in a plan for membership growth…
Category:
Leadership
Week Four: Big 3 Bills Continue to Advance
By Marie Sullivan, legconsultant@wastatepta.org Click here to see the week four bill tracker. Last week the Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education Committee advanced three bills related to special education funding, Materials, Supplies & Operating Costs (MSOC), and student transportation. SB 5187 would direct OSPI to update the student transportation funding formula (report due June 1,…
WSPTA Testifies: Establishing a Statewide Network for Student Mental and Behavioral Health
Advocacy in Action! Dr. Gwen Loosmore, long-time WSPTA Advocacy Committee member, testified in favor of SB 5126, establishing a statewide network for student mental and behavioral health at the January 29th Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education committee meeting. With student mental health at the top of WSPTA’s priorities again this year, Gwen welcomed the…