WSPTA Testifies: Dual Credit Programs & Graduation Requirements
Advocacy in Action! WSPTA Advocacy Committee member Natalya Yudkovsky testified in support of HB 1146, requiring school districts to provide information about dual credit programs and any financial assistance available to reduce dual credit and exam costs for students and their families. In addition to supporting the bill in the Senate Early Learning & K-12…
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Advocacy
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Legislative
Senator Murray concerned about early learning & equitable education funding
By Danica Noble, WSPTA Federal Legislative Committee Last December, I met with Senator Patty Murray’s policy advisor on education in Washington, D.C. as a member of Washington State PTA’s Federal Legislative Committee. We explored common ground, as WSPTA had recently adopted Resolution 18.45 “High-quality Preschool to Third Grade Early Learning,” one of Senator Murray’s priorities.…
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Advocacy
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Legislative
WSPTA Recognized by National PTA for Advocacy Efforts
National PTA President-Elect Dr. William Datema presents the 2024 Outstanding State PTA Advocacy Award to Washington State PTA., represented by Angela Steck and Gwen Loosmore. Washington State PTA is proud to be the 2024 recipient of the Outstanding State PTA Advocacy Award, as recognized by National PTA. This honor is awarded to one state PTA whose…
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Advocacy
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Legislative
WSPTA Testifies: Increased Allocation for Materials, Supplies, and Operating Costs
Advocacy in Action! Shoreline School District parent advocate Michelle Harris testified on behalf of Washington State PTA in strong support of HB 2494, increasing the allocation for Materials, Supplies, and Operating Costs. Michelle shared that for her district, skyrocketing insurance increases will cost $2 million or about 8% of the enrichment levy. Watch Michelle here.…
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Advocacy
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Legislative
Mid-Week Update: Fiscal cutoff spells end for more bills
By Marie Sullivan, legconsultant@wastatepta.org Monday, February 5 was the final day for bills to pass out of the fiscal committees in the chamber in which they started. The exceptions to this are revenue bills and any bills labeled Necessary to Implement the Budget or NTIB. And, as a reminder, no bill is ever officially done…
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Advocacy
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Legislative
Summer EBT Food Program Requires Support from Olympia
by Nigar Suleman, WSPTA Federal Legislative Committee, and Susan Baird-Joshi, WSPTA Federal Legislative Chair Due to the Public Health Emergency expiring, 2023 was the last year for Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) food benefits. Now, thanks to new federal funding initiatives, benefits that aim to reduce child hunger when school is not in session will…
2024 Washington Legislative Page Applications are Open
Last day to apply is February 9, 2024 During the legislative session, students from across Washington come to Olympia to serve as pages for the Washington State Legislature. Each week, the House and Senate provide pages the opportunity to take part in the legislative process and observe the Legislature and other branches of state government…
Advocates Assemble! WSPTA at Focus on Advocacy Day 2024
It’s hard to believe it’s already been a week since hundreds of PTA advocates assembled in Olympia for the 2024 edition of Focus on Advocacy Day. We wanted to share some photos from the day, including the terrific image below of parents, students, educators, and advocates from across Washington standing on the Capitol steps. WSPTA…
Tip of the Week – October 20
Easy Ways to be an Advocate Have you ever joined PTA, spoken to your child’s teacher, written a letter to the editor, attended a city council meeting, spoken to your school board, or spoken to any decision-maker? Then you are an advocate! An advocate is someone who speaks up for others. Good advocates share qualities…
Category:
Leadership
Tip of the Week – October 6
PTA and Elections: Help Educate Your Members When it comes to elections, PTAs can help educate members on the issues that affect the health, education, and welfare of students. Here are three easy ideas for civic engagement all PTAs and councils can do: Candidate Forums– It’s not too late to hold an online candidate forum…
Category:
Leadership