Author Archives: CK

2021 Focus on Advocacy – March 1 Report – WSPTA

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From: https://www.wastatepta.org/2021-focus-on-advocacy-march-1-report/

March 1, 2021

WSPTA: 2021 Focus on Advocacy – March 1 Report

Floor action to dominate legislative work
Prepared by Marie Sullivan, WSPTA Legislative Consultant, legconsultant@wastatepta.org

Following the fiscal cutoff on February 22, Washington state legislators turned their attention to floor action in a virtual world. In both the House and Senate, a limited number of lawmakers and staff are present. Most discussion is conducted with a single legislator’s face on TVW: in the House, a muted blue background with the capitol dome backs the legislator; in the Senate, the rules are a little more flexible, with some legislators opting for a Zoom background of the Senate chambers, while others have an image from their district or special photo. Caucus meetings take place offline, using the Microsoft Teams platform. Deliberations are taking longer, with both the House and Senate working late into the evening during the week and the House working a full day on Saturday and Sunday.

The next cutoff is March 9. That’s the date for bills to have passed out of the chamber in which they started. Committee meetings resume on March 10, when policy committees will have two weeks, and fiscal committees will have another week to act on bills from the opposite chamber.

Read the full report here.

Keep up with the bills and committee hearings related to WSPTA member-generated legislative priorities and long-term positions by utilizing the bill status and upcoming events report.

Additional ways to stay connected:

*Each week a new newsletter, “Focus on Advocacy,” will be sent each Monday to subscribers to keep you informed on what is happening during the legislative session and how it aligns with WSPTA priorities. To subscribe simply click on the “Update your Profile” link at the bottom of any newsletter to select this newsletter.

*Subscribe to the Action Network to participate in timely action alerts through the session. As a bonus, subscribers to the Action Network receive the new “Focus on Advocacy” newsletter.

*Advocacy questions can be directed to WSPTA Advocacy Director Sherry Rudolph.

Issaquah PTSA Council – Award Nominations Open

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Greetings Issaquah PTSA Council members,

It is Golden Acorn time, my favorite time of the year, where we take a moment to express intentional gratitude for people who have done exceptional work this year. What a year it has been. Wherever you are this moment reading this, please take a moment to thank yourself. In my eyes, every member of council is worthy of a Golden Acorn this year. Through an unprecedented time of closed buildings and scattered, divided community, you have continued to lead and hold the community together. These jobs have never been easy, but this year, your exceptional leadership has happened in a virtual world, all while holding your own family together. It is humbling in such a beautiful way.

Gratitude is important for our own mental health as well as the health of our community. After you have thanked yourself (I am imagining us all actually saying thank you to ourselves out loud here), please take a moment to think about council members (this can be anyone on council including all of our unit presidents) who are deserving of extra recognition this year and fill out our survey.

Please do not worry if you do not know enough about the person to fill out all of the boxes. As a committee, we can do some of that work and we can always contact you for more information if we need it.  

I know how busy we all are, but I also know that practicing gratitude for others, will bring us personal joy, as well as spread joy around. We live in an awesome community, and right now, we all need reminders of that.

Questions? Please reach out to us at awards@issaquahptsa.org
Nomination Survey

Sincerely,
Kristen, Laurelle and Cindy

Issaquah PTSA Council Awards

Top 5 Legislative Priorities 2020-2021

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The Top 5 Legislative Priorities for 2020-2021 are:

  • Increase Access to Nursing, Mental Health, and Social Emotional Learning Staff
  • Support Students and Preserve Education Funding
  • Increasing Educational Equity by Closing the Digital Divide
  • Supports and Funding for Students with Disabilities and Their Families
  • Prevent and Reduce Gun Violence and Suicide

Also supported (listed alphabetically):

  • Equitable Identification and Services for Highly Capable Students
  • Mitigating the Adverse Impacts of Climate Change
  • Safe School Plans and Emergency Preparedness

Visit here for more information and descriptions of each of these issues.

Washington State PTA Call to Action – Addressing Firearm Safety Measures to Increase Public Safety

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Take Action Here.

Dear Washington State PTA Member,

Every other day, a Washington child or youth dies at the hand of a firearm.  High-capacity magazines make shootings more deadly and allow shooters to fire more rounds, faster.  The Washington Post estimates that more than 240,000 American students have now experienced gun violence at school, including nearly 7,000 students in Washington.

We have the opportunity to restrict the access of these most deadly weapons in SSB 5078, which would limit the sale and transfer of high-capacity magazines over 17 rounds. This common-sense legislation was requested by our Attorney General’s office. Please contact your representatives and ask for their support.

Thank you,

Sherry Rudolph, WSPTA Advocacy Director

Take Action Here.

Call to Action – Addressing Firearm Safety Measures to Increase Public Safety

Special Education Webinar #2 is now up!

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This second webinar focuses on these questions –

  • How should LRC1 families push back or escalate their request if their IEP team is not aware of the option for limited in-person support?
  • When a return date for hybrid in-person learning is determined, how will services for LRC1 students change – both for families who choose to return in-person and for those who remain fully remote?
  • For IEP meetings, can you describe the experience ISD would like parents to have? Could you suggest some steps that could be taken by families or IEP teams to improve the process?

You can find it on the Special Education Page.

ParentWiser Presents: The Upstanders – film discussion w/ Swedish Mental Health

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The Upstanders is an IndieFlix documentary film about resilience and the power of connection to end bullying. Watch the film from home during the 48 hr viewing window, then join Tori McBride, Behavioral Health Supervisor at Swedish Medical Center, and guests to ask questions and learn what tools and resources are available in our area.  

Film viewing period: February 8th starting at 7pm – February 10th at 7pm

Live zoom webinar with Swedish Mental Health and counselors: February 10th at 7pm

Register for both links at, www.parentwiser.org/events  or directly on Eventbrite.

WSPTA Call to Action – Support Student Success by Preserving Education Funding

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Take Action Here.

Dear Washington State PTA member,

Right now, we need your voice more than ever as our Washington state legislature grapples with funding choices. We know this year is like no other and we need you to speak up. Legislators often comment that they don’t hear enough from parents – you can change that.

Please take a few minutes to advocate for kids – ask legislators to preserve this school year’s funding and make no mid-year cuts, and to prioritize new revenues and federal stimulus funding for early learning, higher education and programs that help students who struggled the most under this pandemic.

Thank you for supporting kids at this important time,

Sherry Rudolph, WSPTA Advocacy Director

Take Action Here.

PTA & the Law Training for 2020-2021

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PTA and the Law is a vital training for your entire board. Learn about state and federal rules and regulations for running a nonprofit corporation. At least one member of your executive board must complete this training each year.

These are the sessions currently available:

September 19 @ 9:00 am – 11:00 am
September 22 @ 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
October 17 @ 9:00 am – 11:00 am
October 27 @ 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
November 14 @ 9:00 am – 11:00 am
November 17 @ 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
December 5 @ 9:00 am – 11:00 am
December 8 @ 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
January 26, 2021 @ 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
February 23, 2021 @ 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm

Watch the Washington State PTA calendar for additional training opportunities.

2020-2021 Executive Board

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Welcome to our newly elected executive board for 2020-2021:
  • President: Erin Eaton
  • Treasurer: Pauline Tamblyn
  • Secretary: Cindy Kelm
  • Vice President of Middle & High Schools: Carla Geraci
  • Vice President of Elementary Schools Central: Lauren Bartholomew
  • Vice President of Elementary Schools South: Nicole Morgan
  • Vice President of Elementary Schools North: OPEN