​​More on Advocacy: 

• Council's Advocacy Page
• Questions? Contact Council Co-VPs of Advocacy, Terra Droney & Holly Muenchow

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. 

​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.

​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!

• Legislative issue submission information
• Legislative principle submission information
• Resolution submission information

Key Deadlines:

• Sunday, May 1, 2022 - Draft due to the WSPTA advocacy director at [email protected]
• Friday, May 27, 2022 - Complete & Submit online form (Issue Proposal, Principle Proposal, Resolution Proposal)
• Wednesday, June 1, 2022 -  Upload final proposal Word document in the provided SharePoint folder

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:

• Part 1 - "Overview"
• Part 2 - "Issues"
• Part 3 - "Resolutions"
• Part 4 - "Principles"
• Part 5 - "You've Completed Your Submission, Now What?"

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.

Legislative session is upon us and starting Monday, January 17th, ​it's
​WSPTA's Focus on Advocacy Week!!

Here's a brief run-down on what you can expect out of this week long event and how you can get involved!

When is Focus on Advocacy Week?
This week long event runs Monday, January 17th through Friday, January 21st

Who should participate?
Anyone who wants to advocate for students, teachers, or their school community! Advocacy is for everyone and now is the perfect time to get involved.

Where does this take place?
This year, Focus on Advocacy Week is virtual! That means anyone wanting to participate can do so from their phone or computer.

What is the Legislative Session?
The Legislative session is the time when our senators and representatives work on bills. They will be debating, reading emails, and holding meetings about current bills for the session.

What is Focus on Advocacy Week?
Focus on Advocacy Week is the week where we as PTA members focus on calling, writing, and having meetings with our
legislators. We do this to get our Legislative Priorities into the hearts and minds of our elected officials and to educate them on what our members need and want.

Why does Focus on Advocacy Week matter?
This is the best time to get our priorities heard by our representatives. Washington State PTA members voted and approved our top 5 issues that we believe lawmakers should work on. Now is the time that we bring these issues to the forefront of their work. See below for a list of our Top 5 Issues as well as how PTA plans to put equity at the center
of everything we do with our 2020-2022 Legislative Priorities.

How can someone participate?
1. Sign up for the WSPTA's Action Network Group to get timely alerts.
2. Find your Washington State Legislature Representatives.
3. Fill out this Focus Day Interest Google Form to schedule meetings with legislators
3. Set aside time during Focus on Advocacy Week to call and email. WSPTA has designated each day next week to a different focus topic:
   ◘ Monday, January 17 – Call to Action: Focus on dismantling racism
   ◘ Tuesday, January 18 – Call to Action: Focus on equity
   ◘ Wednesday, January 19 – Call to Action: Focus on mental health and wellness
   ◘ Thursday, January 20 – Call to Action: Focus on preserving and flexing funding
   ◘ Friday, January 21 – Call to Action: Focus on safety and emergency preparedness
4. Join Marie Sullivan, Washington State PTA’s legislative consultant, on January 11th from 7-8pm over Zoom as she presents Preparing for the 2022 Legislative Session - Your Questions Answered.
5. Check out the awesome videos and one page issue documents available on Washington State PTA’s Advocacy page about each of the priorities.
6. Spread the word! Invite others from your PTA community to join you in connecting with state legislative leaders. Use the hashtag #WSPTAOneVoice to share about Focus on Advocacy Week through your PTA's, and even your own, social media accounts. Remember to share updates via your PTA's other channels such as website or emails.

Check out the image below from WSPTA to see how PTA is putting Equity at the Center of Everything We Do with our 2020-2022 Legislative Priorities. Click here for a printable version.

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:

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 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!