 At the 44th Annual Legislative Assembly members from across the state came together to learn, debate, and vote on the new legislative priorities WSPTA will focus on for the next two years. In addition to the issues the delegates ranked as the top five, an additional eight issues were added to the "also supported" list. Jennifer Drury, Cherry Holmes, and Kim Ortiz represented Council as voting delegates. In addition to Council delegates, there were PTA leaders from across Northshore schools that attended either in-person or remotely as delegates for their PTAs.
In addition to voting on the legislative priority issues, delegates approved one new resolution "4.16 Equitable and Impactful Family Engagement in Education" and amendments to resolutions 2.23, 18.36, and 18.40 that encompass issues on gun violence, highly capable, and students with disabilities. Learn more about the resolutions. Thank you all for advocating for our students! More on Advocacy:
 What issues are important to your school community and students across the state? Take this poll to give us some input before Legislative Assembly. Please share with all your local PTA members. We will share results with Northshore PTA Presidents and Advocacy/Legislative Chairs. More on Advocacy:
 WSPTA Legislative Assembly 2022 Registration is NOW OPEN for WSPTA's Legislative Assembly! WSPTA's 44th Annual Legislative Assembly When: Saturday, October 15th & Sunday, October 16th Where: Hybrid - Bellevue College / Remote PTA delegates from across the state will come together to update the WSPTA legislative platform. At legislative assembly, discover the power PTA has to advocate for the success of every child – the whole child. In PTA every member has an equal voice, and your input matters a great deal to the success of PTA's grassroots member-driven platform. PTA is needed more than ever right now, and you can help! Be a part of the process and help direct the course for WSPTA advocacy by serving as a delegate for your PTA! If you are interested in attending Legislative Assembly as a delegate for your local PTA, contact your local PTA president. Key Things to Note:
Voting Delegates: During the 44th annual Washington State PTA Legislative Assembly, delegates will decide the public policy positions that guide state and local advocacy work for WSPTA and its associated local PTAs and councils. To learn more about being a voting delegate, visit WSPTA's Legislative Assembly Voting Information page which includes the 2022 Voters’ Guide that has been created to help delegates prepare for the caucusing and general sessions. About Legislative Assembly: 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. Learn about WSPTA's current legislative priorities and other supported issues by clicking here. Check out the Legislative Assembly web page to learn more about this year's event. More on Advocacy:
 As we wrap up another school year, Council would like to take a moment to recap some of the amazing advocacy work that has been done this year. We also want to thank all of our local PTA Advocacy Chairs, for the work they do at their school and within their community to advocate for all children, and our PTA members, who help strengthen our voice by being a part of the oldest and largest child advocacy organization in the country! In October, PTA delegates came together for the 43rd Annual WSPTA Legislative Assembly. During this event, PTA delegates were able to learn, listen, debate and vote on additions to our grassroots legislative platform. Three new resolutions and two amended resolutions were approved during the 2021 Legislative Assembly! New resolutions:
Amended resolutions:
The 60 day 2022 Washington state legislative session ran from January 10th to March 10th. This included the February 2022 Focus Week where PTA Members advocated to elected officials about WA State PTA's Top 5 Legislative Priorities for the current legislative session. Some key accomplishments from this year's legislative session include:
The end of the legislative session means it’s time to start looking and planning ahead. Here are a few actions you can take before the school year is over:
If you would like to learn more about Council's Advocacy work or how you can get involved, visit our Advocacy page.
 As a grassroots association, Washington State PTA relies on its members to provide the priorities that we will advocate for at the state-level and within our communities. Learn more about our WSPTA legislative priorities here and the history of our advocacy efforts here.
Any PTA member is encouraged to submit an issue, resolution, or principle that addresses concerns that affect children on a state-wide level. The 2022 submission process is now open!
Key Deadlines:
To assist you in the process, WSPTA has developed a series of five videos, "The Savvy Submitter's Guide to Issues, Resolutions, and Principles," to walk you through the required steps:
At the 2022 Legislative Assembly, delegates will debate and vote on these 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. Questions about submitting or about advocacy? Contact Northshore Council PTSA's Co-VPs of Advocacy, Diana Christiansen and Jennifer Drury.  Last month Council held their 2nd General Meeting of the 2021-2022 school year. We appreciate all the local leaders from across the district as well as community and school partners who took the time to attend! Continue reading for a recap of this meeting.
General Updates from President Jane Chiodo:
Council Business: The minutes from the September 2021 meeting were approved as written. Council's AIM insurance for the year was renewed and paid for in October. The mid year financial review committee was appointed while the election for the Nominating Committee was postponed until the next membership meeting. Guest Speakers:
Council Reports:
We hope you will join us for our next General Membership Meeting on January 20th, 2022 @ 7pm. For a full list of our upcoming meetings and events, check out our Calendar.  We're fresh out of Legislative Assembly and gearing up for Focus Week which will take place January 17 - 21, 2022! Let us know how we can support advocacy efforts at your school! Please complete Council's short Advocacy Efforts Survey to help us serve you better. Additionally, Council's Co-VPs of Advocacy, Diana Christiansen and Jennifer Drury, are happy to speak at one of your PTA's board or general meetings or talk with folks one-on-one about questions they have about getting involved in advocacy at all levels. Please reach out to us at advocacy@northshorecouncilptsa.org.  Last weekend, delegates from Northshore PTAs joined over 350 members to come together at the 43rd Annual WSPTA Legislative Assembly to learn, listen, debate and vote on additions to our grassroots legislative platform.
Three new resolutions and two amended resolutions were approved during the 2021 Legislative Assembly. New resolutions:
Amended resolutions:
The WSPTA Resolutions webpage has been updated with the titles of the new resolutions and are identifiable as either *new*, *amended*, or *retired*. WSPTA looks forward to seeing everyone next year for the 44th annual WSPTA Legislative Assembly where delegates will vote on a new Top 5 platform. Look for information this spring on how to submit a proposal on a topic that is important to you, your community, or your PTA!  Registration is now open for the 43rd Annual WSPTA Legislative Assembly!
PTA delegates from across the state will come together to update the WSPTA legislative platform. At legislative assembly, discover the power PTA has to advocate for the success of every child – the whole child. In PTA every member has an equal voice, and your input matters a great deal to the success of PTA's grassroots member-driven platform. PTA is needed more than ever right now, and you can help! Key Things to Note:
During the 43rd annual Washington State PTA Legislative Assembly, delegates will decide the public policy positions that guide state and local advocacy work for WSPTA and its associated local PTAs and councils. To learn more about being a voting delegate, visit WSPTA's Legislative Assembly Voting Information page which includes the 2021 Voters’ Guide that has been created to help delegates prepare for the caucusing and general sessions. 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. Learn about WSPTA's current legislative priorities and other supported issues by clicking here. Be a part of the process and help direct the course for WSPTA advocacy by serving as a delegate for your PTA! If you are interested in attending Legislative Assembly as a delegate for your local PTA, contact your local PTA president. Check out the Legislative Assembly web page to learn more about this year's event.  PTA Advocacy is still going strong! Read below to hear about some of the things that have been happening recently and find out how you can still get involved at both the State and National levels! PTA Supports Clean Drinking Water in Our Schools. WSPTA supports House Bill 1139, which would pay for and require testing for lead and remediation of public-school outlets that have elevated levels of lead (above 5 ppb). We encourage you to ask questions, educate your parents, and advocate where necessary for clean drinking water. Read this Seattle Times article for more information on the proposed bill. View the bill itself here to find out more and even comment directly on the bill by clicking the “comment” button on the upper right. PTA Call to Action: Addressing Firearm Safety Measures to Increase Public Safety 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. PTA Advocates can write their legislators and encourage their friends and community members to take a few minutes for the safety of our kids. Add your personal request or story into the accompanying message provided in the Action Network link. Legislators have told us that hearing your personal touch makes a huge impact! Reopening School Buildings - Role of PTAs PTA is the oldest and largest child advocacy organization in the United States. Washington State PTA and all its affiliated PTAs have the mission to advocate for the health, safety, well-being, and education of the 1.1 million K-12 students across all of Washington state. The role of PTA in advocacy regarding students returning to learning in school buildings is complicated and you may find yourself asking "What CAN PTA leaders do?". WSPTA has put together this resource to help local leaders navigate this unprecedented time. Washington state legislators are well into their session. Some highlights of what they have done so far:
To see current bills and their progress check out WSPTA's Week 8 Bill Status Report.  Don't forget about National PTA LegCon 2021 which starts next week! There's still time to join NPTA March 9-11 for their first virtual Legislative Conference! You can now register up until the last day of the conference. Don’t miss this opportunity to network with other PTA leaders and learn how to advocate for every child. Check out the full schedule of events and workshops. Read about the benefits of attending LegCon and be sure to register today! Ways to Continue PTA Advocacy Education for You & Your Members
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