Legislative Principles

Washington State PTA shall identify and initiate education and action on public policy affecting tax policies that are fair, equitable, and provide stable, adequate revenues for public education and for programs that benefit children and youth. The association shall:

• Oppose the expansion of gambling
• Support the passage of state budget bills containing adequate levels of funding for child-related programs
• Oppose tax credits for elementary and secondary school tuition
• Oppose budget policies, deficit reduction efforts, and other legislative proposals that negatively impact funding for child-related programs
• Support restructuring of education funding in Washington state
• Support levy and bond election reform
• Support increased state-match funding for school facilities construction and renovation
• Support ample transportation funding
• Support equitable levy and local effort assistance (LEA) funding per student

Washington State PTA shall identify and initiate education and action on public policy that increases family and community engagement based on the PTA’s National Standards for Family-School Partnerships by advocating for and promoting family and community engagement provisions in state legislation affecting children and youth.  This also includes advocating for:

• Pre- and in-service training opportunities on family and community engagement for school personnel
• Employee release time for family and community engagement
• Outreach to all communities to engage parents and families at every level of public policy
• Promoting and cultivating a safe and welcoming school culture where all families and communities are offered a meaningful opportunity to participate

Washington State PTA shall identify and initiate education and action on public policy that will strengthen public education for our state’s children and youth. The association shall support:

• Alternative programs for all schools
• K-12 class sizes aligned with best practice research findings
• Continued support for education reform efforts
• Support the state’s redefinition of basic education and continues to build on that foundation.
• Reducing the achievement gap and opportunity gap
• Promotion of early childhood education programs
• Alignment of P-12 and higher education requirements
• Reduction of high school dropout rates
• Equitable school staff salaries
• Ensuring the provision of high quality special education services and accommodations to improve outcomes for all students with disabilities and special needs

Washington State PTA shall identify and initiate education and action on public policy that protects and promotes the health and welfare of children and youth. The association shall support:

• Increased access to health care for children and youth
• Mental health parity
• Promotion of children’s oral health
• Effective prevention and intervention programs
• Comprehensive medically accurate sexual health programs
• School nutrition and physical fitness
• Services for homeless youth and children in foster care
• Comprehensive juvenile justice programs that focus on prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation
• Improvements to safety for students with life-threatening health conditions
• Evidence-based policies that reduce or reverse adverse health effects of indoor or outdoor environmental conditions
• Reduction or elimination of all forms of violence to ensure safety of students, staff, and communities

Washington State PTA shall identify and initiate education and action on public policy that provides safe and supportive settings and climates for children and youth. The association shall support:

• Anti-bullying and anti-harassment
• Multi-cultural education
• Student and parent education regarding internet safety
• Media education
• Traffic and pedestrian safety
• Substance abuse prevention
• Safe and healthy schools, which reduce environmental hazards
• Consistent, age-appropriate, unstructured play opportunities
• Prevention of trafficking, sexual exploitation, and abuse of minors
• Social Emotional Learning
• Integration of internet safety and electronic communications into school curriculums
• Anti-racism, anti-discrimination, anti-oppression

1. Before beginning the process, submitters are encouraged to review the legislative principle webpage for the following:
   • online legislative principle proposal form
   • legislative principle review checklist for new and amended legislative principles
   • full list of existing legislative principles
   • Savvy Submitter’s Guide video series. There is an overview video, a legislative principle video and a video detailing the steps after submission.
2. Email the draft legislative principle topic and the suggested legislative principle category to the WSPTA Advocacy Director at ptaadvocacydir@wastatepta.org no later than May 1, 2023.
3. Complete the online legislative principle proposal form no later than 12:00 PM on June 1, 2023.
   PLEASE NOTE: You are NOT able to save an in-progress legislative principle proposal form once you have begun. If you close your browser or go back, your proposal form will not be recorded. You must complete the proposal form in one sitting. We recommend that you review this proposal form in advance and save your answers in a separate Word document you will later email.
4. Email the required Word document to fd36a997.washingtonstatepta.onmicrosoft.com@amer.teams.ms no later than 12:00 PM on June 1, 2023, that includes the required legislative principle category, legislative principle language, citations, and facts and evidence. PDF and other noneditable file types will not be accepted. If you have any problems with your submission, please email support@wastatepta.org.

1. Email the draft legislative principle topic and the suggested legislative principle category to the WSPTA Advocacy Director at ptaadvocacydir@wastatepta.org no later than May 1, 2023.
2. Complete the online legislative principle proposal form no later than 12:00 PM on June 1, 2023.
   PLEASE NOTE: You are NOT able to save an in-progress legislative principle proposal form once you have begun. If you close your browser or go back, your proposal form will not be recorded. You must complete the proposal form in one sitting. We recommend that you review this proposal form in advance and save your answers in a separate Word document you will later email.

• 2023 Legislative Principle Proposal Form
• Legislative Principle Proposal Instructions
• Legislative Principle Review Checklist – New Legislative Principles
• Legislative Principle Review Checklist – Amended Legislative Principles
• The Savvy Submitter’s Guide to Issues, Resolutions and Principles – Part 1 – Overview
• The Savvy Submitter’s Guide to Issues Resolutions and Principles – Part 4 – Legislative Principles
• The Savvy Submitter’s Guide to Issues, Resolutions and Principles – Part 5 – You’ve Completed Your Submission, Now What?

• Be a current Washington State PTA member.
• Submit a completed legislative principle proposal (including the online legislative principle proposal form and an emailed Word document) by the deadline above and include all links/references so the information is verifiable.
• Be available by email and phone to work with the advocacy committee member assigned to review your legislative principle to provide clarification or additional information as needed.
• In the case where more than one legislative principle submitted is of similar scope, agree to work with others to combine legislative principles.
• Register for and attend WSPTA Legislative Assembly (or send a representative) to present your legislative principle to attendees to encourage adoption. Any representative should understand the legislative principle and be prepared to speak on it during caucusing and debate. Please note you must be a voting delegate to speak during debate.
• Additional items may be requested such as an education PowerPoint to share with delegates and an opening persuasive statement for the debate.
• All legislative principle submitters must sign the submitter team code of conduct.

The advocacy committee will review the legislative principles using the legislative principle review checklist and make recommendations to the board of directors. Following the board meeting, you will be notified if your legislative principle will be forwarded to the members at legislative assembly.

Each submitter shall complete the legislative principle proposal form and submit by the deadline. If the directions are not followed and/or deadlines are not met, it may prevent your legislative principle from being considered and/or moving forward.

Submitter Information:

1. Identify whether the submission is being offered by an individual PTA member, local PTA/PTSA (in good standing), council (in good standing), or WSPTA committee.
2. Provide primary submitter contact information including name, PTA/PTSA name and number, mobile number, and email.
3. Provide additional submitter contact (if applicable) including name, PTA/PTSA name and number, mobile number, and email.
4. Identify if you are available to attend legislative assembly and willing and able to participate in future advocacy, including taking part in weekly meetings and testifying during the legislative session.
5. Identify if you are submitting a new legislative principle, amending an existing legislative principle, or retiring an existing legislative principle.
6. For new legislative principles only:
   • Work in progress – Are any legislators and/or groups or coalitions currently working on this topic?
   • Is this topic a current or past position of PTA? – List the WSPTA, other state PTA congress, or National PTA positions, principles, issues or resolutions that align with your proposed new legislative principle. Cite the position or resolution title and year, if known.

New Legislative Principles: When you have completed and submitted the online form, email the required Word document to fd36a997.washingtonstatepta.onmicrosoft.com@amer.teams.ms that includes the required legislative principle category, legislative principle language, persuasive statement, citations, and facts and evidence. PDF and other noneditable file types will not be accepted.

1. Legislative principle category – Identify which one of five legislative principle categories your proposal covers – Budget, revenue and funding; parent and family involvement; public education policies; health and well-being of children and youth; or safe and nurturing environments for children and youth.
2. Legislative principle language – In 100 characters or less, including spaces, provide the proposed new legislative principle language that follows the introductory line. The introductory line for each legislative principle category is slightly different, so please refer to the legislative principle webpage.
3. Persuasive statement – Provide a persuasive statement for this new legislative principle, up to a maximum of 250 words.
4. Citations – Citations are required to provide evidence to support each fact quoted in the persuasive statement. Please provide the hyperlink to the actual webpage or document, not just a footnote without a hyperlink. Put the citation number in parenthesis at the end of the statement and add the numbered list of citations immediately after the issue/resolution/legislative principle. Please do not use the footnote feature.
5. Facts and evidence – Provide the facts and evidence that lead you to propose this new legislative principle. Include references and links to substantiate facts. Limit your response to no more than 5 pages.

Amendments to Existing Legislative Principles: When you have completed and submitted the online form, email the required Word document to fd36a997.washingtonstatepta.onmicrosoft.com@amer.teams.ms that includes the required legislative principle category, legislative principle language, persuasive statement, and citations. PDF and other noneditable file types will not be accepted.

1. Current legislative principle category – Identify which one of the five categories your proposal covers. Budget, revenue and funding; parent and family involvement; public education policies; health and wellbeing of children and youth; or safe and nurturing environments for children and youth.
2. Current legislative principle language – Provide the current legislative principle language to be amended.
3. Amended legislative principle language – Indicate your proposed amendments. Use strikethrough to note deletions and bold/underline to show additions.
4. Persuasive statement – Provide a persuasive statement for the amendment of this legislative principle, up to a maximum of 250 words.
5. Citations – Citations are required to provide evidence to support the each fact quoted in the persuasive statement. Please provide the hyperlink to the actual webpage or document, not just a footnote without a hyperlink. Put the citation number in parenthesis at the end of the statement and add the numbered list of citations immediately after the issue/resolution/legislative principle. Please do not use the footnote feature.

Retiring Existing Legislative Principles: When you have completed and submitted the online form, email the required Word document to fd36a997.washingtonstatepta.onmicrosoft.com@amer.teams.ms that includes the required legislative principle category, legislative principle language, persuasive statement, and citations. PDF and other noneditable file types will not be accepted.

1. Current legislative principle category – Identify which one of the five categories your proposal covers. Budget, revenue and funding; parent and family involvement; public education policies; health and wellbeing of children and youth; or safe and nurturing environments for children and youth.
2. Current legislative principle language – Provide the current legislative principle language to be amended.
3. Persuasive statement – Provide a persuasive statement for the retirement of this legislative principle, up to a maximum of 250 words.
4. Citations – Citations are required to provide evidence to support each fact quoted in the persuasive statement. Please provide the hyperlink to the actual webpage or document, not just a footnote without a hyperlink. Put the citation number in parenthesis at the end of the statement and add the numbered list of citations immediately after the issue/resolution/legislative principle. Please do not use the footnote feature.