Voting Delegates

The process for assigning delegates has changed. Each PTA can have 4 delegates and an additional delegate if they have over 299 members reported by Jan 31, 2022.

Per the WSPTA Uniform Bylaws (Article 10), all councils in good standing receive four voting delegate spots and most local PTAs will receive four voting delegate spots. PTAs that reported over 299 members as of January 31, 2022, are entitled to additional delegates. If you are unsure of your PTA’s delegate allotment, please contact support@wastatepta.org. Read this blog post to learn more about the Responsibilities of a Voting Delegate.

Voting Delegate Credentials Process for Convention: Local PTA and council presidents will not submit delegate names in advance. Instead, convention attendees will indicate whether they are a delegate when they register. Visit the Convention Business Session webpage for more information. The deadline to identify yourself as a delegate is May 12 at noon. https://www.wastatepta.org/convention/business-session/

303 Bills Delivered and Done

Legislators approved 303 bills during the 60-day session that ended March 10. The action then turns to the governor’s office where he has 20 days to sign or veto legislation. This week he wrapped up signing several dozen bills, including several at signing events with communities and legislators.

Some bills from the Legislature are intended for fun. On Monday, Inslee signed a bill sponsored by Rep. John Lovick establishing pickleball as the state’s official sport. Inslee and Lovick were joined by dozens of pickleball enthusiasts on Bainbridge Island where the sport was invented in 1965.

Most bills, however, bills tackle serious and urgent issues, such as the bipartisan bill to deter theft of catalytic converters. The bill was sponsored by Rep. Cindy Ryu. Inslee also signed legislation requested by Attorney General Bob Ferguson and sponsored by Rep. Debra Lekanoff to create the nation’s first alert system to help locate missing Indigenous people.

Among the dozens of other bills the governor signed this week:

  • A bill sponsored by Rep. Liz Berry and promoted by firefighters that makes Washington the first state to phase out toxic PFAS “forever chemicals” in many common products by 2025.
  • An anti-hazing bill known as the “Sam’s Law” sponsored by Rep. Mari Leavitt that would require colleges and universities to do more to prevent and report incidents of hazing.
  • Updated 2021-2023 capital and operating budgets that fund more shelters and services for people experiencing homelessness, help schools hire more nurses, counselors and psychologists, and continue expanding behavioral health services across the state and for youth.

Want a voice in the PTA? Advocacy Submission Process Open!

At the 2022 Legislative Assembly, delegates will debate and vote on submissions and whether to add them to our platform. This year is especially important as we will be voting on a new Top 5 to focus on over the next two years.

Please see complete instructions and deadlines for submitting here: https://www.wastatepta.org/focus-areas/advocacy/?utm_campaign=coschedule&utm_source=facebook_page&utm_medium=Washington%20State%20PTA

Sine Dine Report

On March 10 the final gavel fell on Washington State 2022 Legislative session. For details on which PTA sponsored/supported bills passed, please click the link

Until 2023!

Cortney Eldridge 

Issaquah Council 2.6 Advocacy/Legislative Chair 

Why PTA? Your membership and voice matter

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

Focus on Advocacy

Your voice matters!

Washington State PTA has a grassroots advocacy platform, voted on by the members, that covers a wide variety of important topics that impact children and youth. Topics such as preserving current funding levels, closing the digital divide, increasing school nurses and counselors, eliminating youth suicide, mitigating gun violence, supporting the needs of students with disabilities, and mitigating the adverse impacts of climate change, among others.

Now we need to turn those words on paper into action! We need your presence! We need your voice! We need your stories!

Legislators need to hear from you…their constituents…so they understand how important these topics are to families, students, and communities. Together, we need to urge them to turn these personal stories into actual programs, policies, and laws that improve the lives of children and youth. Washington’s children and youth need you!

Please join us for this year’s Focus on Advocacy Day/Week. Attend virtual meetings with legislators to share your stories or simply show your support. Check with your council or region leaders to see if they are making appointments. If you want to set up your own appointments with legislators, more information and messaging templates will be shared in upcoming newsletters. This is your opportunity to speak up for all of Washington’s children and youth to make a difference in their lives and further PTA’s vision to make every child’s potential a reality.

Read more: Focus on Advocacy (wastatepta.org)

PTA Takes a Stand

Dear ISD PTSA Presidents,

On October 4, 2021 the office of the Attorney General filed the following memo: 

https://www.justice.gov/ag/page/file/1438986/download

The memo is in response to the national uptick in threatening behaviors from individuals towards school staff, administration, school boards, etc. indicating an agreement with local law enforcement agencies. Several weeks later, the PTA took a stand supporting the AG memo. The statement of support came out as the following document: 

https://www.pta.org/docs/default-source/files/advocacy/position-statements/expectations-of-civility-ps.pdf?fbclid=IwAR0f8id6XZMjsyY6Cy_U820FfQkVUFzdF5JGexGqRvMd6mbvx9VBgrLs_CE

PTA remains an organization that advocates for the safety of their communities. This statement reads in regard to that commitment and an understanding of civility within each PTA organization. Please share this statement with your local PTA’s. 

Every child, one voice. 

Warmly,

Cortney E. Eldridge

Advocacy Legislative Chair 

Issaquah PTSA Council 2.6 

2021 WSPTA Legislative Assembly

Thank you for attending the 43rd annual WSPTA Legislative Assembly!! We appreciate your engagement and advocacy efforts. You are a very important part of our grassroots advocacy, as we continue to strive towards making every child’s potential a reality.

Three new resolutions and two amended resolutions were approved this past weekend.

New resolutions:

  1. Improving Literacy and Educational Outcomes (18.42) – adopted
  2. Increasing Access and Affordability of Post-Secondary Education (18.43) – adopted as amended
  3. Improving Outcomes for Children and Youth in Highly Mobile Populations (2.27) – adopted as amended

Amended resolutions:

  1. School Construction Bond Reform (18.20) – amendments adopted
  2. Student Assessment and Testing (18.13) – amendments adopted

The Resolutions webpage has been updated with the titles of the new resolutions and are identifiable as *new* or *amended* or *retired*. The full text documents will be linked to these titles by the end of the week for members, local PTAs, and councils to use in their advocacy efforts.

We hope you will help us out be taking 5-10 minutes to complete our post-event survey. Your feedback helps inform the decisions that are made in planning future events. The survey will be open through Friday, October 29.

All event materials, education videos, and panel videos will remain available through the Whova app until November 30. Make sure to keep checking back on the website, subscribe to our YouTube channel and follow us on Facebook and Twitter

Continue the Momentum!!  

Action Network – WSPTA has a super easy way for members to advocate on important issues in a timely way directly with their legislators. The process takes as little as two minutes to send a detailed email to your legislator on issues important to the health, well-being and education of children in our state.  
“How do I sign up?” you ask? It’s easy! Go to this link to sign up and get future action alerts throughout the legislative session. Once you set it up with your address, the program will automatically send to your specific legislators and be set for each subsequent time. When you receive the action alert, the message will already be pre-loaded for you. You have the ability to edit the message, if you desire, to include a personal message or other relevant facts but it is not required.

ISD School Board Candidate Forum

Issaquah PTSA Council Presidents and Community Members,

Thank you so much for your support in sharing this event with your local PTSA membership. It’s an exciting time in ISD as voters will soon elect new school board directors for Districts 2 and 4! Both local, state and national PTA encourage sponsoring candidate forums and they, along with the WA PDC provide clear rules on how to facilitate the event beginning to completion. As the Advocacy/Legislative Chair for Issaquah PTSA Council, 2.6 I have been in close contact with Gwen Loosemore, Region 2 Advocacy WA State PTA who has been remarkably helpful and connected me with the League of Women Voters in Issaquah. (The LWV is graciously allowing us to use their timers for candidate questions.)

The rules clearly define PTA’s obligation to complete neutrality in this candidate forum. Issaquah PTSA Council 2.6 is NOT endorsing any candidate. This event is a community service to facilitate our local PTSA community having the opportunity to hear the candidates speak and respond to OUR questions. Questions have been pre-submitted over the course of the last few weeks and a committee will narrow the questions down to a few based on feeder pattern, staff/parent, and similarities. I want you to know that in my Advocacy/Legislative role I take very seriously what sponsoring an event means for the whole of Issaquah PTSA. I am also a PTSA President. I recognize it is our reputation for excellence and advocacy as leaders and community members that is at stake and I take that obligation seriously. 

I look forward to this being an event the Issaquah PTSA Council, 2.6 can find pride in serving our communities through Advocacy. Please continue to share the details and encourage your membership to attend. Any questions feel free to reach out. Details of the event, current data charts of “who” in the community is asking questions for the event and informational links are below.

Sincerely, 

Cortney E. Eldridge

Advocacy/Legislation Chair

Issaquah PTSA Council, 2.6

Washington League of Women Voters

Washington PDC Guidelines

PTA Hosting a Candidate Forum

PTA Advocacy Election Guide