Advocating & Supporting Our Schools
In this year’s Washington State Legislative session MANY of the PTA supported (through advocacy) bills PASSED. Notably the bill restricting high impact weapon magazines. For a list of bill PTA supported and their status, please click below on the focus on advocacy newsletter as well as the Bill Status Update.
https://www.wastatepta.org/2022-focus-on-advocacy-march-7-report/ https://www.wastatepta.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/WSPTA-Bill-Status-Update-Week-9-3.7.22.pdf
Leading with Equity
This presentation will better help you sharpen your equity lens and develop a deeper understanding on inequities students and families may face. We will define some equity terms used by the district and review some key training components. There is much work to be done. The district is looking for partners. Come join the conversation in supporting our students with equitable outcomes.
Thursday, May 20th, 2021
9:30-11:30am
Questions? Contact our Issaquah PTSA Council Family and Community Engagement Coordinator, Alicia Spinner: face@issaquahptsa.org
Prepared by Susan D. Baird-Joshi, Region 2 Legislative Chair, Washington State PTA * July 29, 2017
1. Ballots Due August 1, 2017
Mail your Washington State ballots or drop them off by Tuesday, August 1, 2017, 8 p.m. Issues in this summer ballot
include taxes and preliminary votes for elected officials:
• King County Proposition 1 Sales Tax for Cultural Access Program
• Elected positions with more than two candidates (school district boards, city councils, port commissioners, and
county executive)
The ballot mailer includes a list of drop-off locations in King County. For more election information, visit the King
County Elections home page, http://kingcounty.gov/depts/elections.aspx. For news and reminders, visit the KC Elections
Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/kcelections/ .
WA State PTA has not taken a position on Prop. 1. PTAs cannot endorse candidates.
2. Washington State Legislative Session Includes Benefits for Children and Families
Extending into multiple special sessions during the summer, the Washington State Legislature and Governor approved a
budget that includes funding provisions to address the McCleary decision, requiring the state to “amply fund” K-12 basic
education. The bill included $7.3 billion in new funding for K-12 education to satisfy McCleary.
Other actions that could benefit children and families include the Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) Program,
increased funding for the State Need Grant and a new Department of Children, Youth and Families.
The House proposed a Capital Budget with construction projects throughout the state totaling $4.17 billion, including new
schools. However, the Legislature adjourned before passing the legislation. The Senate Republicans wanted a long-term
solution to the State Supreme Court’s decision affecting property owners’ water rights and abilities to drill wells, known
as the Hirst decision. For more information, see the Governor’s session round-up. https://medium.com/wagovernor/2017-legislative-session-produces-major-achievements-for-washington-74d6d557e3b4
3. Affordable Care Act Proposed Changes Would Have Impacted Washington’s Children
On June 28 Washington State’s Governor Jay Inslee and Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler sent a joint letter to
Washington State’s Congressional delegation—two senators and 10 representatives—urging them to vote no on the
Senate’s Better Care Reconciliation Act (BCRA). The act did not pass. More children would have lost coverage due to
their parents’ loss of coverage. The governor’s web site has the letter and facts about health insurance in Washington.
Region 2 covers eastern King County and consists of the Bellevue, Issaquah, Lake Washington, Mercer Island, Riverview, and Snoqualmie Valley school districts. https://www.wastatepta.org/pta-leaders/pta-regions/region-2/
Hello Council Members!
Below are 3 action items for this month. Email addresses for your local legislators are listed at the bottom of this email. So many of you have already sent in emails and blue postcards. Please keep them coming! Thank you all so much for all you do!
You can sign up to receive email updates, newsletters or blog posts in your email for each of these organizations:
Washington State Legislature http://leg.wa.gov/
Washington State PTA Advocacy page http://www.wastatepta.org/advocacy/index.html
Washington State PTA – Advocacy Blog http://wsptagrassroots.blogspot.com/
Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction http://www.k12.wa.us/
Network in Excellence for Washington Schools http://waschoolexcellence.org/
Washington’s Paramount Duty http://paramountduty.org/
Washington’s Paramount Duty – Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/groups/ParamountDuty/
League of Education Voters http://educationvoters.org/
Washington Association of School Administrators (Legislative Updates page) http://wasa-oly.org/WASA/wasa/4_0_Government_Relations/This_Week_in_Olympia_-_TWIO/TWIO.aspx
Washington State School Directors’ Association (legislative updates page) http://www.wssda.org/Legislative/LegislativeUpdates.aspx
For more information including current status and available documents: http://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?BillNumber=1059&Year=2017
Please read and CALL LEGISLATORS listed at the bottom of this email before 10AM tomorrow (Friday) morning!! We NEED the Senate to vote YES on House Bill 1059 to delay the levy cliff!
Issaquah schools stand to lose $7 million in funding next year if this bill does not pass!
Dear WPD Advocate,
We have an urgent opportunity to avoid teacher layoffs and program cuts that would undermine our children’s education — and we need you to make calls right now.
The State Senate will likely be voting on Friday morning at 10AM on an important procedural motion that, if adopted, would allow a vote on the bill to delay the levy cliff soon afterward. We need to flood Senate offices with calls urging them to bring this bill, HB 1059, to the floor and then to vote yes on it.
Need to find your Senator or their phone number? Click here and urge your Senator to immediately pass the bill to delay the levy cliff!
If you need a script: “Hello, I am your constituent from [name your city or town]. I need you to vote to bring HB 1059 to the floor and vote for the bill. We must delay the levy cliff so that teachers don’t get fired and students don’t lose important classes and programs they need to succeed. I know you have the power to save our schools from financial peril and I need you to lead on this.”
The bill to delay the levy cliff is an important part of fully funding our public schools. If this bill doesn’t pass, districts across the state will have to fire teachers and slash important programs for students. This is because school districts would lose part of their funds on January 1, 2018 — but the legislature does not have to deliver full funding for schools under the McCleary decision until September 1, 2018.
The levy cliff represents a big step backward in the state’s compliance with the constitution and the courts. Delaying the levy cliff for one more year allows our teachers to teach and our students to learn while the legislature finally passes the new revenue needed to fully fund public schools, as well as reducing districts’ reliance on levies to pay for basic education.
Call your Senator right now and urge them to immediately pass the bill to delay the levy cliff! Click here if you need to find your Senator or their phone number.
Below are some of the Senators who most urgently need to hear from the public. If even just one of them votes yes, the bill can pass and our schools will be saved from the levy cliff. If you or anyone you know lives in any of these legislative districts/areas, please ask them to call their Senator right now!
Hans Zeiger
25th LD: includes Puyallup, Fife
360 786-7648
hans.zeiger@leg.wa.gov
John Braun
20th LD: includes Chehalis, Centralia, Castle Rock
360 786-7638
john.braun@leg.wa.gov
Joe Fain
47th LD: includes Auburn, Kent, Renton, Covington, Federal Way
360 786-7692
joe.fain@leg.wa.gov
Ann Rivers
18th LD: includes Vancouver, Ridgefield, Camas, Battle Ground, Washougal, La Center, Hockinson
360 786-7634
ann.rivers@leg.wa.gov
Mark Miloscia
30th LD: includes Algona, Auburn, Des Moines, Federal Way, Milton, Pacific
360 786-7658
mark.miloscia@leg.wa.gov
Jan Angel
26th LD: includes Bremerton, Port Orchard, Gig Harbor, Lakebay, Purdy
360 786-7650
jan.angel@leg.wa.gov
Dino Rossi
45th LD: includes Redmond, Kirkland, Sammamish, Woodinville, Duvall
360 786-7672
dino.rossi@leg.wa.gov
Maureen Walsh
16th LD: includes Walla Walla, Prosser, Horse Heaven
360 786-7630
maureen.walsh@leg.wa.gov
Mark Schoesler
9th LD: includes Ritzville, Pullman, Colfax, St. John, Asotin
360 786-7620
mark.schoesler@leg.wa.gov
Phil Fortunato
31st LD: includes Enumclaw, Buckley, Bonney Lake, Auburn, Sumner, Edgewood, South Prairie, Wilkeson and Carbonado
360 786-7660
phil.fortunato@leg.wa.gov
Brad Hawkins
12th LD: includes Wenatchee, East Wenatchee, Twisp, Winthrop, Leavenworth
360 786-7622
brad.hawkins@leg.wa.gov
Randi Becker
2nd LD: includes Eatonville, Yelm, Orting, Graham, Roy, Rainier
360 786-7602 305
randi.becker@leg.wa.gov
Lynda Wilson
17th LD: includes Brush Prairie, Orchards, Cascade Park East (Clark County)
360 786-7632
lynda.wilson@leg.wa.gov
Curtis King
14th LD: includes Stevenson, White Salmon, Naches, Goldendale, Tieton, Roosevelt
360 786-7626
curtis.king@leg.wa.gov
Barbara Bailey
10th LD: includes Stanwood, Camamo Island, Whidbey Island, Oak Harbor, La Connor
360 786-7618
barbara.bailey@leg.wa.gov
Thank you for taking a minute to call and contacting your friend, colleague, or relative out in these critical districts.
Your fellow advocate,
Tali
Tali Rausch
Board President
Washington’s Paramount Duty
From OSPI: New ESSA Resources Available in Top 8 Languages.
http://www.k12.wa.us/ESEA/ESSA/Resources.aspx
OSPI has translated five of our Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) flyers into the Top 8 languages spoken by Washington’s students. Those flyers address some of the biggest pieces of ESSA, including Title I: Federal Programs, Title II: Teacher & Principal Quality, Title III: English Learners, as well as Equity and 21st Century Community Learning Centers. These flyers were created to help readers understand the new federal education law—without first taking a course in legalese. They have been translated into Arabic, Korean, Russian, Spanish, Somali, Tagalog, Ukrainian, and Vietnamese. English-language flyers are available on the ESSA resource page.