Call to Action – Focus on Equity
Dear Washington State PTA member, Throughout our state, students continue to experience barriers and inequities preventing them from reaching their potential in our state: As of 2020, 68% of districts (urban and rural) report that some students have no access to broadband or smart phone data. When districts had to flip to online learning last…
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Advocacy
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Legislative
Call to Action – Focus on Anti-racism
Dear Washington PTA Member, On this day when we honor the work and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., WSPTA recognizes that racism is not new and has harmed communities of color for centuries. In October, our membership overwhelmingly voted to not only take a stand against institutional racism, but to take the hard…
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Advocacy
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Legislative
2021 Focus on Advocacy – January 18 Report
Work begins in 105-day legislative session Prepared by Marie Sullivan, WSPTA Legislative Consultant, legconsultant@wastatepta.org The first week of the 2021 legislative session is in the rear-view window. Thank goodness! For the first time, lawmakers convened in Olympia for the start of session with a capitol ringed in chain-link fencing while hundreds of Washington National Guard,…
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Advocacy
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Legislative
2021 Focus on Advocacy – January 11 Report
Legislative session opens January 11 Prepared by Marie Sullivan, WSPTA Legislative Consultant, legconsultant@wastatepta.org When the 67th legislature meets for business January 11, it may be the only day in this 105-day session when legislators are meeting in person, in Olympia, at the State Capitol. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on large gatherings, both House…
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Advocacy
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Legislative
Community, Advocacy, and Membership
Synergy. Powered by PTA. Imagine your PTA as a triangle with Membership, Advocacy, and FACE (Family And Community Engagement) at each of its corners. Imagine all the results of having a PTA at your school or in your community are within the triangle. Now, if one of the points of the triangle didn’t exist, you…
Seven Actions for Council Advocacy
Councils play a critical role in encouraging and mobilizing advocates for children and youth. Here are seven steps for councils to support and grow community advocacy. Learn about WSPTA’s Top 5 Legislative Priorities (and also supported issues) for 2020 – 2021 and encourage local leaders to sign up for Action Alerts. These legislative priorities have…
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Advocacy
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Leadership
What should WSPTA members expect this upcoming legislative session?
Marie Sullivan, WSPTA Legislative Consultant, shares a look ahead at 2021 and topics that are likely under consideration by the 66th Legislature. House and Senate will be holding virtual winter “Assembly Days,” with committee work sessions the week after Thanksgiving. (Note, they already held virtual fall “Assembly Days” in September, but no public comment.) Governor’s…
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Advocacy
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Legislative
Reopening Schools Health Metrics
On August 5, Governor Jay Inslee announced recommendations for health metrics to help guide local public health departments and school districts making decisions about how to reopen schools in the fall. In addition to the press conference, which can be viewed on TVW, here is the 5-page decision tree.
Category:
Advocacy
Call to Action – Prevent Student Hunger This Summer
Dear Washington State PTA member, Washington was the first state in the country to face widespread school closures because of COVID-19, and OSPI acted fast by submitting many critical waiver requests to USDA to help ensure no child would go hungry. With so many families facing new financial challenges, school meals have kept many from…
Category:
Advocacy
2020 Supplemental Operating and Capital Budgets Signed by Governor
Prepared by Marie Sullivan, WSPTA Legislative Consultant, legconsultant@wastatepta.org Friday afternoon, March 27, Governor Jay Inslee signed the 2020 supplemental operating and capital budgets. The Governor acknowledged that in normal times he would have signed the budget with very few changes. “These are not normal times, however, and we need to look ahead to our falling revenues…
Category:
Advocacy
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Legislative