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March 23, 2017

Legislative Session: Week 12 Events Report

Below is next week’s schedule and testimony opportunities.   3/27 @ 1:30pm: Early Learning & K-12 Education (Senate) – SHR 1, JACB  SHB 1377 – Public Hearing – Improving students’ mental health by enhancing non-academic professional services. 3/27 @ 3:30pm: Appropriations (House) – HHR A, JLOB  HB 1067 – Public Hearing – Making 2017-2019 fiscal…
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Category: Advocacy , Education , Legislative

March 23, 2017

WSPTA Testimony in Favor of College Bound Scholarship

Parent advocate, Heidi Bennett, testifying in favor of expanding the College Bound Scholarship. Thursday, March 23 (Olympia) – Long-time parent advocate Heidi Bennett spoke to the Senate Higher Education Committee in favor of expanding eligibility for the College Bound scholarship in HB 1512. “I’m also a first generation college graduate who relied on state aid…
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Category: Advocacy , Education , Legislative

March 22, 2017

OSPI NEWS RELEASE: Reykdal Adopts Arts Standards

OLYMPIA—MARCH 22, 2017—Compose a song using Dorian mode. Create an advertising campaign for a product for sale. Draw a scene from a movie that show a character’s actions or emotions. All are suggested activities for students to demonstrate their understanding of the state’s new arts standards. The standards were formally adopted today by State Superintendent…
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Category: Education

March 22, 2017

Parent Testimony In Favor of Breakfast after the Bell and Bond Bills

Heather Lindberg, Vancouver PTA Council 3.7 President, testifying on behalf of simple majority for bond bills. On behalf of Washington State PTA (WSPTA) Vancouver parent and PTA council leader, Heather Lindberg, pulled double duty in Olympia on March 21. She first testified in the Senate education committee in support of HB 1508, Breakfast after the…
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Category: Education , Legislative

March 21, 2017

WSPTA Legislative Consultant Testimony

Marie Sullivan, WSPTA Legislative Consultant, providing testimony on SB 5048.  Tuesday, March 21 (Olympia) – Washington State PTA (WSPTA) Legislative Consultant, Marie Sullivan, spoke during the Senate Ways & Means hearing on SB 5048. She walked the Senate through WSPTA’s legislative platform and tied into the association’s over-arching mission and values. Sullivan then spoke about how that’s…
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Category: Advocacy , Legislative

March 21, 2017

Action Turns Again to Committees, Revenue Up

Action returns to policy and budget committees as the opposite chamber takes up bills that passed the original chamber. Policy committees have until March 29 to hear and act on policy bills; the fiscal cutoff is April 4th. Keep in mind that bills that get changed in the opposite chamber must return to the original chamber…
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Category: Education , Family Engagement , Health & Well-being , Legislative

March 17, 2017

WSPTA Region 2 FACE Chair Testimony

Thursday, March 16 – During the afternoon Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education Committee public hearing, Jessica Garcia, WSPTA Region 2 Family and Community Engagement Chair/Bellevue PTSA Council President, testified in favor of SHB 1618 (family engagement coordinators). Ms. Garcia spoke with passion about her first-hand experience with family engagement and the great importance it…
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Category: Family Engagement , Legislative

March 16, 2017

WSPTA Bill Status & Week 11 Events Report

Monday, March 20 1:30 PM Early Learning & K-12 Education (Senate) – SHR 1, SHB 1046 – Public Hearing – Concerning certificates of academic and individual achievement. 1:30 PM Education (House) – HHR A SB 5070 – Public Hearing – Concerning para-educators. Tuesday, March 21 1:30 PM Early Learning & K-12 Education (Senate) – SHR…
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Category: Health & Well-being , Legislative

March 13, 2017

Levy Cliff Bill Causes Flurry of Last Minute Activity

In a surprise move March 8 before the 5 p.m. deadline, Senate Republicans brought a bill that would extend current local district levy authority through January 1, 2019. The expanded levy authority and linked levy equalization was put in place in the 2010 session, with the thought that the Legislature would have fully funded K-12…
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Category: Advocacy , Education , Family Engagement , Health & Well-being , Legislative

March 13, 2017

Legislative Session; Week 9

Education (House) – HHR A, JLOB – 3/13 @ 1:30pm SSB 5241 – Public Hearing – Concerning the educational success of youth who are homeless or in foster care. Capital Budget (House) – HHR B, JLOB – 3/14 @ 3:30pm ESSB 5702 – Public Hearing – Improving state funding for school construction, modernization, and asset…
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Category: Education , Legislative