Are you concerned about the larger class sizes, lack of student and special education support, cuts to activity bus, sports, music programs or other shortfalls caused by lack of state funding for education?  Now is the time to advocate!

There are several important opportunities to stay informed and engaged before the 2026 Washington State’s Legislative session begins. In preparation for Focus Day, WSPTA will host Legislative Preview Zoom Calls on Dec. 10,  2025 and Jan. 8, 2026. We encourage you to attend the School Funding Crisis Town Hall in Bellevue on Jan. 7, 2026 to amplify our voices and hear from our legislators.

By attending WSTPA Focus Day in Olympia on Jan. 19, 2026 you can voice your concerns directly with your legislators. They appreciate hearing first hand from students and their constituents.

The number of advocates matter to our legislators, so please be sure to sign up with Northshore Council PTSA to attend Focus Day, as we are coordinating meetings with legislators in the 1st, 45th, and 44th districts. We hope to see you at these events!

If you are unable to attend Focus Day, but would like Northshore Council to share your concerns about the impact of budget cuts or other advocacy topics with our legislators, please Click here to share your advocacy story

PTAs please share this widely in your school and newsletters. Thank you for all you do to advocate for our kids and ensure their voices are heard.
​

📅 FOCUS DAY – January 19, 2026
Join Northshore advocates in Olympia for WSPTA’s Focus Day and “Go to Bat for Kids”. This is a powerful opportunity to meet with our legislators, share our priorities, and advocate for closing funding gaps in public education. All WSPTA members are welcome. Bring your kids/teens to join in the fun!
​
STEP 1: Click here to SIGN UP to attend FOCUS DAY with Northshore PTAS
Carpool opportunities are available.
​
STEP 2:  Register with WSPTA for Focus Day today! The event is free. Sign up for a Capitol tour (limited space available).
Date/Time: Mon. Jan. 19, 2026
Location: Olympia

LEGISLATIVE PREVIEW ZOOM CALLS
📅 Legislative Preview – December 10, 2025 (Educational Zoom call)
Join Legislative Consultant Marie Sullivan and leaders of the Washington State legislature for a discussion about priorities during the 2026 legislative session.
Date/Time: Wed. Dec. 10, 2025    7:00–8:30 PM
Location: Zoom –  Sign up to attend the session.

📅 “What to Expect” Legislative Session – January 8, 2026
(Educational Zoom call)
Join WSPTA Legislative Consultant Marie Sullivan for an overview of what to expect in the 2026 legislative session, including post-election changes in the legislature, known session protocols, and how to best engage with the 2026 legislature during this short session.
Date/Time: Thurs. Jan. 8, 2026    7:00–8:00 PM
Location: Zoom –  Sign up to attend the session.
Help take action during the 2026 legislative session: Subscribe to WSPTA's Action Network Group

📅 SCHOOL FUNDING CRISIS: Town Hall - January 7, 2026
Washington State continues to fall short of fully funding K–12 education, and our students feel the impact every day. The School Funding Crisis Regional Town Hall on Wednesday, January 7, 2026 brings families, educators, and community members together from 10 school districts. With student testimonies of funding gaps, expert insights, and a legislative panel, this event amplifies our collective commitment to accelerating progress for Washington’s public schools. When we show up as a community, we strengthen our schools and our future.

Date/Time: Wed. Jan. 7, 2026    7:00–9:00 PM
Location: Newport High School Gym, 4333 Factoria Blvd SE, Bellevue, WA 98006
📝 Pre-submit your questions to Legislators for the Q&A panel.
February 2026 Election – NSD Funding Measures
Northshore School District will run three funding measures. District staff are prepared to present details to PTAs, HOAs, Faith Communities, Senior Centers, Rotaries, and more.

• To schedule a presentation, email [email protected].
• To support the bond and levies and help build voter momentum, connect with Citizens for Northshore Schools.

Questions?
Email Council's Co-VPs of Advocacy, Terra Droney and  Holly Muenchow at [email protected].

​On Presidents Day, about 25 Northshore PTA parents and students travelled to Olympia and met in person with three lawmakers that represent our district, Representatives Berg, Donaghy, and Kloba. Joining them was Interim Superintendent Mike Tolley and School Board Director Sandy Hayes. 

Leading up to and during Focus Day, members of Northshore PTSA Council met with all nine Senators and Representatives that cover the large territory of Northshore School District.  These advocates shared the Top Washington State PTA Legislative Priorities including Special Education Funding, Addressing Student Mental Health, Gun Safety and Suicide Prevention, School Safety, and Addressing Critical Gaps in Funding. Specifically, students and their families shared how educational policies and gaps in funding directly impact them. They also advocated for specific laws like raising the cap on Special Education Funding and Universal Highly Capable Screening.  Here is a complete description of Washington State PTA's Platform.  

Focus on Advocacy - Q&A "Office Hours" is being offered by WSPTA. This is an open opportunity to have your questions answered by experienced WSPTA Advocates and learn how to best hold effective meetings with legislators. There is no formal program, please just come by and let us help you. Register to receive meeting link. 

• February 01 | 12pm - 1pm | Online
• February 01 | 7pm - 8pm | Online

​Would you like to discuss more on how your PTA can participate this year? Please contact Northshore Council's VP of Advocacy, Jennifer Drury.

​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:

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 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:

• SHB 1590 will provide school districts with enrollment stabilization funds for the 2021/22 school year equal to half of their enrollment decline from the 2019/20 school year. It will also allow school districts to use 2019/20 enrollment levels to set limits on levy funds collected in 2023.
• 2SHB 1664 will increase state funding for nurses, social workers, psychologists, and counselors in phases through the 2024/25 school year. Note: Northshore already pays for a lot more nurses and social workers than are funded by the state, this increase in state funding will not necessarily lead to an increase in these staff positions, but it will add some money to NSD's budget. It is a step in the right direction. 
• E2SHB 1153 will require most school districts to adopt a language access policy and procedures that will help them engage with non-English speaking families.
• ESHB 1699 will temporarily allow school districts to rehire retired school staff without jeopardizing their retirement benefits. This may help with our current staff shortage problem.
• SSB 5933 establishes a school seismic safety grant program that will help schools make renovations to increase safety in case of earthquakes and tsunamis.
• ESSB 5078 will limit the sale of high-capacity magazines to no more than 10 rounds of ammunition.

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:

• Thank your legislators! We’ve had some great wins this session, so it’s always a good idea to send legislators an email thanking them for their work.
• Organize a Voter Registration Drive - It’s never too early to register to vote, especially since in Washington State, 16 and 17 year-olds can pre-register and automatically receive their ballots when they turn 18. And 17 year-olds can vote in a primary election, as long as they turn 18 by the time of the general election. Organizing a high school voter registration drive is easier than you think, particularly when you partner with the League of Women Voters Seattle/King County. They have a wealth of information on how to conduct a drive, and often are able to help you on-site with registration forms, signs, buttons, and stickers.
• Organize a Candidate Forum - This fall, the whole WA State House and half of the Senate are up for re-election this fall, so consider holding a candidate forum. Candidate forums are a great way to get your community engaged in the electoral process, and to voice your issues to the candidates. WSPTA has a Candidate Forum Toolkit to help you have a successful event.
• Connect with Advocates Across WA State - Want to hear what’s going on with advocacy in other regions across the state? Have information or insights to share? Or are you just looking for an online advocacy community? Join the FB group WA State Parent Legislative Chairs.
• Save the Date for the 2022 Legislative Assembly, October 15th & 16th - 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. Check with your local PTA about including a budget line to send delegates to the 2022 Leg Assembly if you don't currently have one.

Council Business:

• November 15th, 2021 meeting minutes were accepted as presented.
• Serena Xu, Northshore Council PTSA Treasurer, reported that the mid year financial review will take place on Monday January 24th.
• The Nominating Committee was elected and includes: Diana Christiansen, Jasmine Fry, and Cherry Holmes. Click here to learn more about serving on Council in the 2022-2023 school year or to make a nomination.

Bond & Levies Support/Opposition Vote:
Council's Board of Directors put forward the issue of supporting the bond and levies that are on the February ballot.
During this meeting, both the pro and con positions on the issue were presented before calling for a motion to determine our PTSA’s support of or opposition to the bond and levies. Council would like to announce that the motion to support the Northshore School District Bond & Levies on the February 8th Ballot was passed unanimously. Learn more...

District Updates:

• We heard form NSD Partnerships & Volunteer Coordinator Marco Garcia who discussed how he organized a COVID testing clinic and food donations packages.
• NSD School Board Updates were provided by Director Amy Cast which included reviewing the monitoring report and the budget.

Council Committee Reports:

• Advocacy: Diana Christiansen & Jen Drury provided updates regarding the recent Focus on Advocacy Week as well as information on signing up for the action alerts which can be found here: https://actionnetwork.org/forms/subscribe-to-wsptas-action-network-group
• Educational Speakers and Community Events Grants Program: Mary Khouzam, Grants Committee Chair, reminded us that there was still time to submit grant applications for the Jan 21st deadline. She also announced that the date may be pushed but that this decision is still pending. If you have further questions, please reach out to the Grants Committee.
• Reflections: Jasmine Lee Fry, Reflections Chair, reported that the online showcase will be up and running at a later date as it is still be worked on. Council's Reflections Results now available!
• Mental Health Committee: Melissa Kline, Co-Chair for the Mental Health Committee, provided an update regarding what the committee has been working on including advocating for more resources, putting out articles, and working with counselors on flyers and communication materials. The committee also put out a call for action - asking local PTA leaders to check how accessible mental health resources were at their school. Learn more about that here.
• Membership: Co-Chairs, Hanisha Bakshani and Melissa Kline, provided an update that we have 5181 members across the district with many of our local PTAs already earning a WSPTA Membership Growth Award. The more members we have the stronger our voice is in the district!
• Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: DEI Chair, Cherry Holmes, hosted a DEI roundtable meeting early in the school year. Cherry asked for feedback on "What does DEI mean in your PTSA/School?" - send your response here.
• PTA Support: VP of Elementary Support, Grace Jurado, asked that you please reach out with any questions or concerns or if you need any help. VP of Secondary Support, Brenae Brix, discussed that families are looking for more information on preparing around college and a local parent has volunteered to provide this information. This parent is partnering with Council to provide an info night on March 16th about preparing for college. More information will be coming soon. Middle school career days are being worked on at several middle schools. It will be a half day and presented within the students classroom.
• Emergency Preparedness: Co-Chairs, Tracy Jokisch and Robin McKenzie, reported to us that an additional 117 Stop the Bleed! kits were obtained this round. That is a total of 862 kits in the district. The next meeting for E-Prep is Feb 1st at 11am and the guest speaker will be Deb Fuller. Learn more...
• Special Education: Laura Staneff will soon be joining council as our new Special Education Chair.

We hope you will join us for our next General Membership Meeting on March 21st, 2022 @ 7pm.
For a full list of our upcoming meetings and events, check out our Calendar.