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
September 2022 – Executive Director Message
Dear Member, PTA is, first and foremost, an advocacy organization. In 1897, mothers across the country marched on Washington, D.C., to advocate for children. As a result, our organization was founded as the National Congress of Mothers that year. Over the last 125 years, PTA has led the fight to improve the lives of all…
Category:
Leadership
Tip of the Week – August 11
Are You an Advocate? By now it is no secret that Washington State PTA is the oldest and largest child advocacy association in the state. Founded in 1905 by Abby Williams Hill of Tacoma, WSPTA has been a leading voice for children in the state ever since. We have been at the forefront coining the…
Category:
Leadership
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News
Voter Registration Drives for Future Voters
Giving students their voice and vote to elect officials, weigh in on policy, influence government, decide who leads, and who makes decisions is the cornerstone of our democracy and a critical rite of passage. PTAs can help students and adults register to vote and also encourage people to vote. In 2018, Washington state passed a…
Category:
Advocacy