|
Education Reform and Race to the Top Action Alert – Your Support Needed Come to Olympia this Monday the 8th
We are on the brink of either realizing meaningful education reform or delivering more empty promises to our children. To increase student achievement, close the achievement gap and prepare our kids to be college and career-ready, we need to keep up the pressure for real progress, not just talk and studies.
Last year we helped pass 2261, which created a framework for education reform and funding. Now we need to pass 6696, as it passed the House, which includes a plan for phasing in both critical new funding and reforms. Today 6696 was passed by the House 76 to 22. If they voted yes we encourage you to send them a quick thank you email using our legislative action center at http://capwiz.com/npta2/wa/home/.
But, don’t stop there. The bill is in trouble as it moves back to the Senate.
What is the problem? The Senate supports the reform pieces of 6696, but objects to the commitment to new funding. The funding is essential to actually move beyond empty promises, toward improving education in our state.
What will 6696 do? The version that passed the House would commit 2.7 billion over 7-8 years in new funding starting in the 2011-13 biennium for class size reduction, transportation and utilities, all things that we know are currently underfunded. Doing this will take pressure off of local levy dollars, which can then be used to fund other reform priorities.
Passage of 6696 will push legislators to plan for this implementation as soon as session is over, during what is called the “interim”. Without it, they may do nothing. This is not acceptable.
Act now to be part of the momentum needed to ensure a better future for our kids!
- Come to Olympia on Monday, March 8 to talk with your Senator or send a note onto the floor about this issue. We are joining forces with the League of Education Voters to send a strong message on this day. To assist you, Bill Williams (360-789-2905) will be on site at the Legislative dome from 8AM-10AM. WSPTA V.P. Dori Tate (253-961-8687) and Sherry Krainick (425-269-3383) will be there from 10AM-2PM. Call when you arrive so that we can help you deliver your message.
If you can’t come to Olympia…. - Go to http://capwiz.com/npta2/wa/home/ to send a message to your Senator. Also, forward this message to your email lists and post it to blogs and Facebook pages. Larger numbers of messages will influence the outcome.
Thank you for helping us achieve our #1 legislative priority this session, for our kids!
Kim Howard Government Relations Washington State PTA 2003 65th Ave. West Tacoma, WA 98466 253-565-2153 office 360-951-0174 cell khoward@wastatepta.org
Northshore Council PTSA Nominating Report The 2010 Nominating Committee places the following names to nomination: Respectfully Submitted, Janice Kutzera Kathy Armstrong Julie Cluff (Nominating Committee)
Washington State Office of the Education Ombudsman Family Dictionary of Education Terms In response to parent requests for tools to better understand the terms used in schools, the Office of the Education Ombudsman (OEO) has created a dictionary of K-12 education terminology. Education vocabulary can be complex and confusing to families. This dictionary helps parents better understand school mailings, participate in school meetings, talk with their children’s teachers, and make more informed decisions about their children’s education. The first edition of this publication provides brief definitions to common general education terms and Special Education vocabulary. You can get your copy of this publication by clicking on the following link - OEO's Family Dictionary of Education Terms.
Community Announcements Community announcements concerning non-PTSA events can be found on the Northshore School District website. If you are looking for information regarding community events, please following the link called "Community Announcements" found on the right sidebar under links.
Northshore Council PTSA Announces New "Innovative Program" Award for 2009/2010 This award will recognize a Northshore PTA/PTSA unit who has presented a program, project, or activity showing originality, involvement, potential, usefulness, and results. Applications - only one per PTA/PTSA unit please - must be submitted to the Northshore Council PTSA Board of Directors who will select a winner. The award will be presented at the annual Spring Recognition Luncheon on May 26. You can find more details about this award at the bottom of our Awards Page.
Northshore Council PTSA and Region 6 Leaders visit Olympia Several Northshore Council PTSA leaders visited Olympia to discuss educational funding, and stopped briefly to pose for this photo, which includes (first row left to right: Sue Freeman, Cristen Hoffman, Ethan Hoffman, Sudene Snyder, Julia Lacey, Berta Phillips, Bear Creek Elementary Principal Gary Keeler. Middle row left to right (close to the lecturn): Riley Simmons, Megan Jensen, Aria Manning. Back row left to right: Janice Kutzera, Corey Simmons, Derek Simmons, Senator Rosemary McAuliffe, Representative Al O'Brien, Amber Manning, Sherry Krainick, Cindy Jensen, Arrowhead Elementary Principal Pete Misner, Canyon Creek Elementary Principal Bill Bagnall.) 
WSPTA Scholarships Available  The Washington State PTA is awarding scholarships to graduates of Washington State public high schools beginning their freshman year of post-secondary education in the United States. Scholarships are awarded on the basis of 1) financial need, 2) academic performance, and 3) leadership/community service. The application form is available on the Washington State PTA Website. This application form is the only form that will be accepted.
Applications must be postmarked by March 1, 2010. Award notifications will be determined by May 1, 2010. Those who do not receive a scholarship will not be notified.
Current Northshore PTSA Newsletter: Current Newsletter (January-February '10) (Adobe Reader Required) (Archives can be found here) Sign-up below to receive notifications when future newsletters are posted. (To unsubscribe, please send an e-mail to the webmaster with your request.)  | | | |