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…
Annual Focus on Advocacy Day Brings Parents, Students to Olympia
By Marie Sullivan, legconsultant@wastatepta.org Even though the temperatures were frosty, and the fountains iced over, a little cold didn’t stop the more than 150 parents and students from visiting Olympia on Monday, January 15 for Focus on Advocacy Day. Members gathered in the Columbia Room and walked around the campus, meeting with legislators, listening to…
Category:
Advocacy
,
Legislative
WSPTA Testifies: Students and Leaders Convene in Olympia for Focus on Advocacy Day
Advocacy in Action! Washington State PTA was rocking Olympia on January 15, testifying both in person and remotely before three different committees and talking with their legislators. Here’s a look at the day’s testifiers. While he was in town for Focus on Advocacy Day, Paultoro Tanaka, a student at Robert Eagle Staff Middle School, testified…
2024 session kicks off with bills, hearings, work sessions and a dash of pomp!
By Marie Sullivan, legconsultant@wastatepta.org The state House of Representatives started the first day of session by welcoming a new member who was appointed last fall, and passing three bills. In addition, as reported last week, more than 600 bills were introduced in the House and Senate on Monday, January 8th. This gave committees plenty of…
Category:
Advocacy
,
Legislative
WSPTA Testifies on Education Funding
Advocacy in Action! Angela Steck, President of Washington State PTA, testified on January 8 before the House Appropriations Committee, thanking Governor Jay Inslee for investments in school meals and lifting the cap on special education from 15% to 17.25%. Angela also noted that 113 school districts would remain above the 17.25% cap, so it was…
Category:
Advocacy
,
Legislative
2024 Session Preview: Legislature convenes January 8 for short session
By Marie Sullivan, legconsultant@wastatepta.org The Washington State Legislature convenes Monday, January 8th, for the second year of the 68th biennium and a 60-day session that is scheduled to end by March 7, 2024. Legislators must adopt supplemental budgets for operating, capital, and transportation based on updated revenue forecasts and changes to caseloads. Lawmakers also will…
Category:
Advocacy
,
Legislative
Attend National PTA’s LegCon Hill Day: March 5-7 in Alexandria, VA
National PTA’s Legislative Conference and Hill Day (LegCon Hill Day) will take place March 5-7, 2024 in Alexandria, VA. Learn from advocates across the country. Share PTA priorities with your members of Congress! Here’s the link to the National PTA website page with all the relevant information. Here’s the link to the Eventbrite page…
Individual State Awards – Nominate Someone Now!
Help to recognize leaders for their work in statewide service, advocacy, and teaching (including staff) by submitting a nomination! The all-in-one form for nominating leaders is now available on the WSPTA Application & Submission Portal and has been updated to make it easy and quick to apply. Visit this page for more information about all…
Legislative Update: School Construction Funding Basics
On December 5, Tyler Muench, OSPI Director of Advocacy and External Outreach, briefed members of the House Capital Budget Committee on school construction, modernization and building assistance programs. This hour-long update is a must-watch for anyone seeking to understand the complex formulas used by the state to match voter-approved bonds and what OSPI is proposing…
Category:
Advocacy
,
Legislative
Share the Public Policy Priorities of National PTA and WSPTA
By: Susan Baird-Joshi, WSPTA Federal Legislative Chair, fedleg@wastatepta.org What does PTA have to do with federal legislation? It turns out, quite a bit. 2024 is the second of the two-year legislative cycle for Congress. 2024 is also a big election year. It’s important that we engage in the federal public policy process and vote. Here…
Category:
Advocacy