Washington State PTA Legislative Updates
Parent Field Trip!
Focus Day 2010
Monday, January 18, 2010
Focus Day this year was a huge success! About 800 families gathered to show their support for education funding. Thanks to all who participated. Your support matters to all of us.
There is still so much to be done. Please sign up for Legislative updates and keep in touch with our legislators to see what's happening in Olympia.
When one person speaks alone, it’s an opinion
When 10 of us speak together, it’s a concern
When 50 of us speak together, it’s a strong suggestion
When 200 of us speak together, it’s a movement
But when 150,000 of us speak together, it’s a victory for children!
The PTA advocates for children in education.
“If you speak up for a child, you are a child advocate.” - Nancy Amidei,
Region 2 PTSA web siteTop Legislative Priorities for 2009:
1. Basic Education Funding - The Washington State PTA shall initiate and/or support legislation and/or policies that strive to redefine and appropriately fund a new basic education system in accordance with the demands of education reform and our global economy. 2. that support a new definition of Basic Education focused on improving student outcomes, instead of inputs such as seat time. 3. which focus on meeting the needs of all children according to their individual potential and in alignment with their personal goals 4. that increase the transparency, flexibility, equity and accountability of the entire system.
2. Strengthening Math and Science Curriculum and Education - The Washington State PTA shall initiate and/or support legislation and/or policies that strengthen math and science education by 1) providing students access to curricula that has clear examples and explanations, aligns with the new WA math and science standards and national math panel recommendations which include a focused, coherent progression that emphasizes key topics to prepare students for success in authentic algebra and geometry and simultaneously develops conceptual understanding; computational fluency in basic number facts, standard algorithms, and fractions; and problem-solving skills. Parent involvement in all phases of math/science curriculum adoption is critical. 2) implementing initiatives to attract, train, and retain qualified math/science teachers 3) providing students who are able to excel in math/science opportunities to advance quickly.
3. Washington State Assessment System Improvements - The Washington State PTA shall initiate and/or support legislation and/or policies that improve the Washington State Assessment System to make it more efficient and focused on student learning, while preserving high standards. This shall be accomplished by requiring the assessment system to 1) provide nationally comparable individual student progress data, 2) provide diagnostic assessments to determine student needs, 3) measure individual student growth in a manner that is reliable and valid, 4) provide results quickly so that they can be used to guide instruction during the current school year. The assessment system must also be cost and time efficient, while continuing to meet education testing requirements from the federal government.
4. Support State Board of Education CORE 24 Framework -The Washington State PTA shall initiate and/or support legislation and/or policies that endorse the Core 24 framework proposed by the State Board of Education. This proposal is contingent upon the provision of adequate, sustainable, supplemental funding from the State.
5. Support Rational Approaches to Teacher Compensation - The Washington State PTA shall initiate and/or support legislation and/or policies that 1. eliminate outdated inequities based on the grandfathering that occurred when the current salary schedule was adopted. 2. promote teacher compensation agreements that have sufficient resources and flexibility to recruit and retain highly qualified professionals 3. base realistic pay on comparables considering state labor market factors, plus characteristics that have been demonstrated to contribute to improved student outcomes.
OTHER SUPPORTED ISSUES:
Creating a School Safety Zone
Autism Insurance Parity
School Emergency Preparedness
School Traffic Safety
Training for School Nurses
Firearm Violence Prevention
Conditional Scholarships
If you have questions or comments about Legislative action, contact
Michelle Silvey Legislative Chair,