Advocacy in Action! January 30, 2023
Parent advocate Tanya Aggar shared testimony with the House Education Committee January 30th on HB 1479, an OSPI-request bill that would make changes to the isolation and restraint statute, including prohibiting the use of isolation rooms. Tanya shared that WSPTA supported the intent of the bill, but had some concerns about language in the bill…
Category:
Advocacy
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Legislative
Senate Committee Approves Increased Special Education, Transportation Funding in Week 3
Prepared by Marie Sullivan, legconsultant@wastatepta.org January 28, 2023 The Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education Committee unanimously passed a substitute to SB 5311 that would lift the cap on total student population for special education services to 15%. The approved substitute bill also would increase the multipliers for K-12 students and for PreK children as…
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Advocacy
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Legislative
Advocacy in Action! January 26, 2023
WSPTA member Dr. Gwen Loosmore encouraged House Education Committee members to pass HB 1230, a bill that would direct the state Department of Health to develop information about safe storage of medications and firearms to reduce youth suicide. As described by bill sponsor Rep. Lisa Callan, D-Issaquah, the department’s information could be accessed electronically and…
Category:
Advocacy
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Legislative
Advocacy in Action! January 23, 2023
Advocacy Committee member Natalya Yudkovsky raised four issues with a proposed substitute to SB 5243, high school and beyond plans, when she testified before the Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education Committee on January 23rd. While there is a lot to like in the bill, the new requirement for an electronic platform raises student data…
Category:
Advocacy
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Legislative
Committees Dig Into Policy Work in Week 2
Prepared by Marie Sullivan, legconsultant@wastatepta.org As we enter the third week of session, committee chairs and committees are getting into the groove of alternating between in-person and remote testimony, usually with good balance between the two forms of testifying. That said, the number of bills introduced in the first two weeks is overwhelming, with more…
Category:
Advocacy
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Legislative
Advocacy in Action! January 19, 2023
Prepared by Marie Sullivan, legconsultant@wastatepta.org WSPTA President Nancy Chamberlain thanked Senator Lisa Wellman, D-Mercer Island, SB 5311 bill sponsor, for updating her original bill on funding for the state’s special education program to include increases to the multiplier for students with disabilities in general education and non-general education classes. In the Senate Early Learning & K-12…
Advocacy in Action! January 18, 2023
Prepared by Marie Sullivan, legconsultant@wastatepta.org WSPTA issue submitter Rene Price spoke in strong support for SB 5072, requiring universal screening to identify highly capable students, before the Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education Committee on January 18. Her testimony can be found here. WSPTA member Austina Del Bonte, who also serves as President of the…
Category:
Advocacy
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Legislative
Advocacy in Action! January 17, 2023
Prepared by Marie Sullivan, legconsultant@wastatepta.org On Tuesday, January 17th, parent advocate Tanya Aggar asked House Education Committee members to pass HB 1109, which would encourage school districts to evaluate students for special education services and develop Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) prior to the start of the school year. As a parent of a student with disabilities,…
Category:
Advocacy
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Legislative
Call for Presenters for WSPTA Convention 2023
Have a program or practice that you want to share with others? Want to share your knowledge with a wide audience of state leaders? WSPTA is now seeking session proposals for Spring Conference 2023! The Spring Conference will be held in person May 6-7, 2023 in Bellevue. Any local, council, state, or outside organization presenter with a desire to present at the…
Category:
Leadership
January 2023 – Executive Director Message
Dear Members, What a difference a vacation makes! I love our holiday break. It is an opportunity for proper rest. So much of our little world also takes a break at the end of the year. We can return to PTA knowing that work has not accumulated much during our absence. That annual break always…
Category:
Leadership