Your PTA Can Take a Position on the November Ballot Initiatives
Three initiatives on the November 3 ballot would affect Washington’s students. The WSPTA board of directors has now voted to oppose all three. Local PTAs and councils can adopt those positions as their own, and we hope yours will. If you haven’t had time to read the full statements, here’s the short version. The fastest…
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Advocacy
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Legislative
FAQ: WSPTA’S OPPOSITION TO INITIATIVE IP26-645
Contents Part 1: Initiative IP26-645 1. What is Initiative 645 (IP26-645 or I-645)? 2. What is the Millionaire’s Tax, who pays it, and where does the money go? 3. What would I-645 actually change? 4. What does a NO vote do? 5. Why is WSPTA opposing a tax measure? 6. WSPTA didn’t endorse the…
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Advocacy
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Legislative
Washington State PTA Opposes Initiative 645
Washington State PTA, founded in 1905, is the oldest and largest volunteer child advocacy association in the state. Our more than 80,000 members share a bold vision for the future in which every child’s potential becomes a reality. Initiative 645 will appear on this November’s ballot with the title “Initiative Measure No. 645 concerns state…
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Advocacy
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Legislative
Washington State PTA Opposes Initiative IL26-001
Washington State PTA (WSPTA), founded in 1905 as the Washington Congress of Mothers, is the oldest and largest volunteer child advocacy association in the state. For more than 120 years we have supported strong parent and family engagement in education and promoted environments in which families are valued as primary influences in their children’s lives…
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Advocacy
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Legislative
FAQs: WSPTA’s Opposition to Initiatives IL26-001 and IL26-638
Contents Part 1: Initiative IL26-001 1. What is IL26-001? 2. What would IL26-001 actually change? 3. Why is WSPTA opposing a measure about parental rights? 4. What would IL26-001 add to current law? 5. How would IL26-001 change parental rights that already exist? 6. What would IL26-001 remove from the parental rights law?…
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Advocacy
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Legislative
Washington State PTA Opposes Initiative IL26-638
Washington State PTA (WSPTA), founded in 1905, is the oldest and largest volunteer child-advocacy association in the state. Our more than 80,000 members advocate for the health, safety, and well-being of every child; for schools in which all students are safe and free to participate equitably; and for children’s access to scientifically rigorous, evidence-based health care (1). WSPTA opposes…
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Advocacy
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Legislative
Week 9: Legislature Adjourns, Cuts $90 million from K-12 Education
By Marie Sullivan, legconsultant@wastatepta.org The 2026 regular session of the 69th legislature adjourned “sine die” at approximately 8:25 PM Thursday, March 12th. House and Senate Democrats celebrated, counting among the “wins” the passage of 9.9% tax on households with an annual income greater than $1 million. ESSB 6346, the new income tax would begin in calendar year 2028, with tax collections starting in 2029. This…
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Advocacy
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Legislative
Week 8: It’s the Final Countdown
By Marie Sullivan, legconsultant@wastatepta.org Four days remain in the 2026 legislative session, with lawmakers planning to end on time – March 12 by midnight. They will leave town passing supplemental operating, capital and transportation budgets, hundreds of bills, and a tax on millionaires – ostensibly to support public schools and other priorities, but with specific carve-outs and earmarks funding many things, but not K-12…
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Advocacy
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Legislative
Week 7: Budget Negotiations Begin, Final Push for Bills This Week
By Marie Sullivan, legconsultant@wastatepta.org As reported last week, both the House and Senate Democratic budget chairs released their proposed supplemental budgets for operations, construction, and transportation. Despite an uptick in projected revenue collections for the current biennium (ending June 30, 2027) and the next biennium (July 1, 2027 – June 30, 2029), both operating budgets…
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Advocacy
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Legislative
Week 6: Revenues up, budgets released, and House and Senate propose cuts to K12 education
By Marie Sullivan, legconsultant@wastatepta.org Last Monday, the revenue forecast adopted by the Economic and Revenue Forecast Council increases state general fund (GFS) or near GFS revenue by more than $1.8 billion over the next three and a half years. Collections are projected at $827 million more in revenue this current 2025-27 biennium, and just over $1 billion…
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Advocacy
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Legislative