Call to Action: Support HB 1377
Dear Washington State PTA member, Inclusion of social emotional learning and trauma-informed practices at schools has been demonstrated to lead to better outcomes for students, and it is WSPTA’s top legislative priority during this legislative session. Social emotional skills complement cognitive skills and are associated with increased academic achievement, higher income, better health, and social…
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Advocacy
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Legislative
Legislative Session – Week 3 Recap
A lively two-hour hearing on January 22 offered an opportunity for school district leaders and education stakeholders to address implementation issues with last year’s EHB 2242, the education funding overhaul bill that passed the Legislature with no time for review. View the Week 3 Recap here.
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Advocacy
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Legislative
Week 4 Legislative Bill Tracker
Keep up with the bills and committee hearings related to WSPTA member-generated Legislative Priorities and long-term positions – see the attached report for our Bill Tracker moving into week 4.
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Advocacy
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Legislative
WSPTA Testifies on HB 2927
House Education Committee members heard from Washington State PTA’s Sebrena Burr on HB 2927, concerning highly capable students at a hearing Monday, January 29. Announced as a 15-minute hearing, the testimony stretched into nearly 30 minutes as speaker after speaker expressed why it was important to pass this bill this session. Update: On February 2,…
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Advocacy
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Legislative
WSPTA Testifies in favor of an improved school construction assistance program
WSPTA Region 6 Director Sherry Rudolph joined school district advocates speaking in favor of an improved school construction assistance program that updates formulas for student space allocations and more accurately reflects actual costs.
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Advocacy
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Legislative
Call to Action: Support HB 1827
Dear Washington State PTA member, Washington has an estimated shortage of 3500 certificated teachers, and 97% of human resource (HR) directors say they are struggling or in crisis mode when asked about their ability to hire qualified, certificated candidates to fill current open positions. Every student deserves to be taught by an excellent, engaged teacher.…
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Advocacy
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Legislative
Call to Action: Amply Fund Basic Education
Dear Washington State PTA member, Ample funding of basic education has been a WSPTA legislative priority for decades, and last year the legislature made progress. There are currently several bills receiving hearings that seek to address some of the remaining issues with the new funding law. We are asking you to contact your legislators with…
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Advocacy
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Legislative
February Checklist for Running Your PTA
February Ongoing Tasks Attend any board and membership meetings Read meeting minutes and offer corrections Prepare reports for board and membership meetings Attend training Be familiar with your responsibilities and fulfill them Review and ask questions about monthly financial report Prepare articles for newsletter/social media Update website Participate, help, and communicate Monthly Tasks Apply for…
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Leadership
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Training
WSPTA Testifies on Proposed Changes to the Education Funding Law
WSPTA Legislative Director Nancy Chamberlain and WSPTA Region 6 Legislative Chair Heidi Bennett testified before the Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education Committee on four bills that proposed many changes to the education funding law passed last year. For a review of the WSPTA testimony click here.
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Advocacy
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Legislative
WSPTA Gives Testimony – HB 2698
Speaking on behalf of the Washington State PTA, Beth Sigall testified in favor of HB 2698, which would extend some of deadlines for paraeducator standards adopted last session, and fund $500,000 in training costs for paraeducators across the state. Standards for paraeducators is one of WSPTA’s Top 5 issues for the 2018 session. For more…
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Advocacy
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Legislative