Three initiatives on the November 3 ballot would affect Washington’s students. The WSPTA board of directors has now voted to oppose all three.
Local PTAs and councils can adopt those positions as their own, and we hope yours will. If you haven’t had time to read the full statements, here’s the short version. The fastest way to help is to have your PTA adopt a position before ballots go out — here’s how, after a quick look at each measure.
IP26-645 — “concerns state and local taxes”
- Repeals the millionaire’s tax the Legislature passed in 2026 and bans any tax on income at every level of government in Washington — state, county, and city.
- Reduces state revenue by an estimated $11.4 billion between 2027 and 2031 according to the state’s fiscal impact statement cutting the general fund support that pays for core services like education and healthcare.
- Childcare, early learning, food assistance, and health coverage sit in the part of the budget legislators reach for when they have to balance it. Repeal also ends a dedicated transfer to Fair Start for Kids, a loss of $377 million in 2029-31.
- Read our full position statement here: Washington State PTA Opposes Initiative IP26-645
IL26-001 — “concerns parental rights relating to their children in public schools”
We’ve spent 120 years arguing that families belong at the center of their children’s education, so we looked hard at this one. Our concerns are with what the initiative actually does:
- Adds medical and mental health counseling records to what parents can inspect, which conflicts with state and federal privacy law and puts school-based health services in a difficult spot
- Requires schools to notify a parent immediately when a student is placed in a youth shelter or host home, removing the current option to notify the Department of Children, Youth, and Families instead when there’s a compelling safety reason not to call home.
- Replaces the parental rights statute entirely, pulling back out of it the rights the Legislature gathered there in 2025 — filing bullying complaints on your child’s behalf, special education appeals, language access, military family enrollment, and the guarantee against discrimination.
- Read our full position statement here: Washington State PTA Opposes Initiative IL26-001
IL26-638 — “concerns participation in athletics at K-12 schools”
- Every student who wants to play a girls’ sport would need a signed statement from a personal health care provider verifying their biological sex, based on reproductive anatomy, genetics, or testosterone levels. No student trying out for a boys’ sport would face anything comparable.
- The WIAA knows of roughly ten transgender athletes among the more than 200,000 students competing statewide. To address that, every girl in Washington would need a verification that serves no medical purpose — in many cases an intimate exam, possibly starting in middle school.
- Supporters say sports physicals already do this. They don’t. The WIAA’s own examination form has no field for sex at all.
- Read our full position statement here: Washington State PTA Opposes Initiative IL26-638
Taking a position takes less time than you’d think
By board vote: a special board meeting needs only five days’ notice. A PTA that decides this week could have a position on the books before the end of the month.
By membership vote: ten days’ notice, so give yourself two or three weeks. This is our recommended practice, and it gives you stronger footing with the members you’ll be talking to afterward.
Either way, the vote isn’t the real deadline. Ballots go out in mid-October and a lot of families fill them in that first week. What matters is having time between your vote and their ballot to actually talk to your members. September gives you that room. Late October doesn’t.
Votes to Oppose Ballot Initiatives: Steps for Local PTAs and Councils walks through both routes — notice requirements, sample motion language, and what to do once your position is adopted.
Before you vote, know the rules
Taking a position on a ballot measure is something PTAs are allowed to do. Endorsing a candidate or party is not. What your PTA can say to members also depends on whether you’ve adopted a position. Our FAQs cover both situations:
Worth reading before you bring a motion:
- Washington State PTA Opposes Initiative IL26-001
- Washington State PTA Opposes Initiative IL26-638
- Washington State PTA Opposes Initiative IP26-645
Questions? Email PTAadvocacydir@wastatepta.org or join us in the WSPTA Advocacy Slack