Dear advocates,

Children are the heart of PTA work. Please take a minute to send your legislators a valentine thanking them for making kids the heart of decisions down in Olympia.

TAKE ACTION

Some context for legislative advocacy this session:

CONCERN: Nearly 4 out of 10 kids are living in families that struggle to afford food, health care, housing and child care. Between 2007 and 2010, the unemployment rate among parents more than doubled; at last count, 1 in 10 children had at least one unemployed parent.

GOOD NEWS: On time graduation rates in the state have steadily increased over the last 5 years, from 70 percent to 76 percent. The biggest increase was among black students, from 54 percent in 2005-06 to 67 percent in 2009-10. In some counties, the increases were much higher.(Find out how kids are doing statewide and in your area: Kids Count in Washington.)

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN? PTA’s hard work to better support K-12 students is paying off, but small ones just coming into the system may face tough obstacles and more of our older students may be in poverty. 

Washington State PTA advocates for the well-being and education of all children.That means getting them off to the right start, making sure they are healthy and safe, and – especially – giving them the education they need to live great lives. 

Help kids out by sending a valentine on their behalf.


Ramona Hattendorf
Government relations coordinator
Washington State PTA
www.wastatepta.org

COUNT DOWN TO FOCUS DAY: February 20, march and rally on the steps. REGISTER TODAYu 
Subscribe to Washington State PTA’s Action E-Liste 
Keep up on Washington State PTA’s advocacy through Grassroots Connection

2012 Bond

Here is the bond information in an understandable way:

•Bond homepage: A rundown of what’s in the bond, the tax impact, and a bond overview. 
•Quick overview flier
•Frequently asked questions: A few of the most common misperceptions we have encountered thus far; PLEASE CONTINUE TO SEND MORE QUESTIONS MY WAY AS YOU HEAR THEM, and I will add to the list.
•Construction history/facts: A good snapshot of how we have been managing construction for the past decade and beyond.

Here are some key messages about the bond:

•Quick facts: The election date is April 17, 2012; the package is $219 million and spans eight years of construction. 
•The bond allows us to be fiscally prudent with maintenance and repairs so we don’t otherwise have to use operations dollars that directly support classrooms. For instance, if a boilerbreaks, the replacement cost is at least $500,000 (equivalent to about six teaching positions).
•The bond includes rebuilds of our oldest schools during a period of historically low construction costs. After more than five decades, Clark Elementary, Issaquah Middle, and Sunny Hills Elementary are reaching the end of their lifespans; long-term financial forecasts favor rebuilding now rather than making ongoing major repairs for years to come. (This also saves operational dollars, as a new buildings run much more efficiently.)
•We are one of the most fiscally responsible districts in the country. Moody’s recently reaffirmed our highest credit rating—Aaa—even after the federal government’s downgrade. Only 0.76% of all school districts nationwide share this distinction.
•In relation to current school tax expenditures, residents can expect to see a decrease even if the bond is approved. The owner of a $500,000 home would pay about $215 less per year. How? Recognizing the current economic climate, the new bond package is structured to be about half as much as the bond debt retiring in 2012. The retiring bond debt will drop the tax rate from $4.85 to $4.05 per $1,000 of assessed property value; approval of the new bond will result in an estimated $4.42 tax rate.
•By modernizing Tiger Mountain Community High School, we are expanding career and technical training to help all high-school students compete in a dynamic global economy. This could include partnerships with local STEM businesses, job training, and flexible scheduling (online home base) options for all. 


Contact: 
Sara Niegowski
Executive Director of Communication
Issaquah School District
(425) 837-7004, phone
(425) 837-7005, fax

11/22/2011 Update: Why should you care about legislative stuff? It matters more this year then I have seen in my 10 years of education advocacy. Below are just some of the proposals in this legislative session:

•Cut 5 days from the school year
•Add 2 students in every class 4th grade and above
•Increase taxes to pay for our schools
•Charter schools
•Through the teachers’ evaluation process provide support for struggling teachers and principal

You need to speak up! Now more than ever! The PTA can be a political force if we collectively speak up. Our legislators plead with us to get parents to speak up. Our legislators tell us that they hear from pet advocates and pornography advocates more then they hear from education advocates.
If you see an email go through your inbox that asks for you to speak up, please speak up! You do not have to agree with the PTA position, but you DO need to speak up!

Kelly Munn
Skyline HS Legislative Chair

My name is Jennifer Edson and I will be representing Creekside Elementary PTSA this year as our Legislative Rep.While it’s important for all of us to be involved with education issues first hand, the main role of a Legislative Rep is to disseminate information coming out of the State Legislature on education issues for the local PTSA.Your PTSA will then encourage you to act on what you learn by contacting your representatives or even taking a stand yourself in Olympia.As Legislative Rep, I can’t tell you how to vote on an issue or what to say to your representatives in Olympia, but I can keep you apprised of what the PTSA’s stance is on an issue and point you to easy tools to use to make sure your voice is heard.

If you are so inclined to keep up on education issues firsthand, you can follow this link to register for email updates such as Grassroots Connection, which is a regular email sent out when legislature is in session that provides you with timely, pertinent public policy issues affecting our children.You can also sign up to be on the Legislative Contact Team where you agree to make a personal phone call or visit to your Senator or Representative.You also have an opportunity to get Legislative Action Alerts to hear about fast-breaking happenings in Olympia or you can use Legislative Listserv to discuss advocacy topics in a two-way forum.

http://www.wastatepta.org/advocacy/leg_basics/Get_Connected_Legislative_Listserv.doc

Another way to make an immediate impact is to go to the WSPTA page and sign up to be on the Action E-list.This service will send you an email alert when your involvement can make a critical difference.This link will take you there and you will go to the bottom of the page to find the registration link in the Stay Informed box.

http://capwiz.com/wastatepta/home/

Please feel free to email me with any questions at jennifer.edson.cpa@gmail.com.

2011-2012 Legislative Assembly

The 2011-2012 WSPTA Legislative Assembly will be held at the SeaTac Marriott on October 14-15th.Legislative Assembly is where the WSPTA develops our statewide legislative platform and where you can learn how to effectively advocate for children at all levels.There are many useful seminars you can attend – some of them led by your State Representatives and Senators.It’s a great way to get face time with the folks debating the future of education in Washington State.The current 2010-2011 platform includes following up onreform efforts, math and science instruction, literacy screening and instruction, reduction in force policies, funding education first, and a new model for teacher compensation.The proposed issues for the 2011-2012 platform are related to early learning initiatives, juvenile justice, opportunity gap, school zone signage, charter schools, highly capable programming, and a proposed amendment to a previous issue related to teacher compensation.To learn more about Leg Assembly and how you can get involved, follow this link!

http://www.wastatepta.org/meetings/leg_assembly/index.html