HDC Town Hall Meeting Schedules: Saturday, February 20

Greetings members of Washington State PTA. 

We would like to make you aware of some legislative town hall meetings coming up this weekend. We very much hope that you will make time to attend, as these events serve as an excellent forum to engage directly in conversations with the policy-makers who represent you at the state level. It's also an outstanding opportunity to hear often candid and details accounts of what your legislators are experiencing in their respective chambers of government. Download the schedule.

As always, we encourage you to be frank and honest in your communications, but also polite and professional. It's imperative that we not lose sight of the human being who is serving a role as an elected official, and to also remember that your Senator and Representatives are individuals who serve with hundreds of others - they cannot enact policy by fiat, only by compromise and negotiation. 

All that to say, we certainly live in frustrating times as parents and educators, and that feeling of frustration is legitimate. But like we teach our children; while it's perfectly fine to feel frustrated, or even angry, those feelings must be tempered in our expression, or else we jeopardize our reputation, our agenda, and our hope of moving forward. 

So please, make time to participate in the town hall for your legislative district. I think you will find it is one of the most participatory forms of direct engagement you can have with the policy makers who represent you in Olympia, and it's a chance to make your voice heard with not only your legislators, but also your community at large. It's a great chance to learn about issues from all corners of your community, and your presence ensures that someone will be standing for every child in the State of Washington. 

Wishing you the very best, and as always, never hesitate to reach out to me with questions, concerns, ideas, or feedback. 

Sincerely yours, 

Duncan Taylor 

Legislative Director 

PTAlegdir@wastatepta.org | 317-WAST-PTA (317-927-8782) | WSPTA Advocacy

Learn More and Get Your Questions Answered on Washington's K-12 Learning Standards and Assessments

The Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) and Ready Washington (ReadyWA) invite you to join a telephone town hall meeting about Washington’s K-12 learning standards and assessments. This is your opportunity to learn more and ask any questions you may have about learning standards and assessments in our state.

OSPI and ReadyWA will host a telephone town hall for the communities below on the following dates:

Wednesday, July 22 | 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Southwest Washington, Olympic Peninsula, Kitsap Peninsula and Tacoma

Thursday, July 23 | 7:00 pm - 8:00 p.m.

Central and Eastern Washington

Tuesday, July 28 | 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Northwest Washington

Thursday, July 30 | 7:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.

Puget Sound area

Tuesday, August 4 | 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.

South Puget Sound

To participate and live-stream a telephone town hall on your computer or mobile device on the dates above, please visit the Tele-Town Hall on K-12 Education website.

To help ensure all students are ready for success after high school, the Common Core State Standards were established. Washington’s K-12 learning standards are aligned to the Common Core State Standards and provide clear, consistent guidelines for what every student should know and be able to do in math and English Language Arts from kindergarten through 12th grade. The Smarter Balanced assessment system, which is aligned to the new standards, provides a way for teachers to measure student progress on those standards throughout the year and make adjustments and interventions as necessary to ensure students are on the pathway to success. The assessments are administered in grades 3-8 and 11.

To learn more, visit the OSPI website and the Ready Washington website.

Stand up, Speak up, and Show up to Legislative Town Halls this Weekend.

At the beginning of the Session, the PTA called on its members to "Stand Up, Speak Up, and Show Up" on McCleary.  This coming weekend, you will have the ability to do so in the comfort of your own community. Starting on Thursday evening, legislators from across the state will be hosting town hall meetings to discuss state issues.  We need to be heard on McCleary and deliver a simple message to our legislators.  

Levies are for extras, not for funding basic education. Teacher compensation is the job of the state, not the local district. We support your need to stay in Olympia until you fix this.

To find out where a town hall is for you legislators, click here.

Remember when you go to town halls, you are helping spread the message of the PTA.When you speak, remember, you are not alone, and we are united in our efforts.  Be firm, but be respectful. We understand the legislators have a tough job ahead of them.  We are there to be strong for them and to help them succeed.

Stand Up, Speak Up, and Show Up this weekend!