If you have any questions or ideas, please feel free to contact our Legislative Action Representative: Sandy Hayes sandyrhayes@gmail.com
The 43rd Annual Legislative Assembly will take place in a virtual format on October 23 and 24, 2021. The purpose of legislative assembly is to determine the legislative priorities of WSPTA, to educate and mobilize advocates, and to advance WSPTA’s legislative program.
At legislative assembly, you will discover the power PTA has to advocate for every child – the whole child – regardless of race, creed, gender, or zip code. In PTA, every member has an equal voice, and your input matters a great deal to the success of our member-driven platform.
This is a year like no other, and that holds true for reimagining how best to adapt and apply PTA flexibility to new ways of advocating to help every child reach their potential. The campus in Olympia is closed to the public for the 2021 legislative session, which means that we will not be able to host our annual Focus Day on the Capitol steps. However, advocacy is not a one-day event; it is an everyday action. And so, we are moving to an ongoing “Focus on Advocacy” program to keep members informed and engaged throughout the session, keeping our efforts focused on the mission.
Advocacy
Give a Voice to Important Issues
During the past 120 years, PTA’s national advocacy has helped establish universal Kindergarten, the National School Lunch Program, the juvenile justice system, and anti-child labor laws.
PTAs are important advocates at the local and state levels – from the Florida PTA defeating for-profit school management companies to Washington State PTA securing passage of an education reform bill that redefined the state’s “Program of Basic Education.”
Woodmoor PTSA is part of the Washington State PTA and together we can make a difference on issues that matter.
This year the 42nd annual WSPTA Legislative Assembly took place virtually on October 24th & 25th. Sandy Hayes was in attendance.
All PTAs get 4 voting delegates. If a PTA has more than 200 members, then it gets 1 more delegate per 100 members.
The Top 5 Legislative Priorities and 3 Supported Issues are below, you can also learn more about them here.
Would you like to know what legislative and congressional district you are in and who your delegates are? Since our funding and new policies come from both the state and federal level, it is helpful if you know who you should reach out to. The link is below, just enter your street address, city, and zip code to find out.
https://app.leg.wa.gov/
Legislative Platform
The Washington State PTA legislative platform is a two-year platform to mirror the Washington state legislative cycle. On the even-numbered years, the new platform is voted on by members at the legislative assembly in the fall. The top five issues become our short-term platform and consist of our priority issues when advocating throughout the year. Other issues are placed on an “also supported” list. During the odd-numbered years, members vote to amend current issues or to add new, emerging issues to the also supported list.
WSPTA 2020-2021
Top 5 Legislative Priorities
1. Increase access to nursing, mental health, and Social Emotional Learning staff.
2. Support students and preserve education funding.
3. Increasing educational equity by closing the digital divide.
4. Supports and funding for students with disabilities and their families.
5. Prevent and reduce gun violence and suicide.
2020-2021 WSPTA Supported Issues
1. Equitable identification and services for highly capable students.
2. Mitigating the adverse impacts of climate change.
3. Safe school plans and emergency preparedness.
For more information, visit https://www.wastatepta.org/focus-areas/advocacy/
Additionally, the new and amended issues to the 2020-2021 WSTPA Legislative Platform can be found here. Complete wrap up from the Northshore Council can be found here.
