Washington State Board of Education Community Forums

The State Board of Education (SBE) will hold a board meeting March 9-10 in Renton. Public comment is scheduled during the meeting; however, the Board recognizes that those times may not be the most convenient for community members, so the SBE will be hosting an additional open forum.

Please join board members for an open discussion about important topics, such as strategies for closing the achievement gap, standards, and college and career readiness. The community forum will be held Tuesday, March 8 at 5:30pm at the Renton Community Center.

Not able to attend? Visit the SBE board meeting page for the remainder of the 2016 board meeting dates, locations, and meeting materials.

This is a public meeting and all are welcome. You may bring guests or share this invitation.

If a quorum of board members are present, this will be a public meeting per RCW 42.30.030.

Location

Renton Community Center, Banquet Room

1715 Maple Valley Hwy

Renton, WA 98057

Contact

Stefanie Randolph, Communications Manager

Washington State Board of Education

(360) 725-6501

stefanie.randolph@k12.wa.us

Family Engagement in Education Act of 2015

Yesterday, the Family Engagement in Education Act of 2015 was introduced in the US House of Representatives by Congressman Glenn Thompson (R-PA) and Congressman Mark Desaulnier (D-CA), and in the Senate by Senators Jack Reed (D-RI), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Chris Coons (D-DE).

These Congressional champions need our help!  Contact your members of Congress and ask them to cosponsor the Family Engagement in Education Act of 2015. The evidence is clear—schools need parents to help close the achievement gap, and we stand ready to help them with this important task. We need Congress to make sure that family engagement is a cornerstone of the ESEA reauthorization.

Please take a moment to Take Action, contact your Members of Congress today and ask them to co-sponsor the bill today!

E-Wire Update - SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION BILL PASSES HOUSE 90-7!

Good afternoon,

 

Two stories are hitting the top of the E-Wire this morning.  The first is the passage of PTA supported House Bill 2797 which cleared the House with a massive 90-7 majority less than an hour ago.  PTA members have been successfully burning up the wires for the past three days in what was one of the largest grass roots efforts we have initiated over the past three years.  Responses from legislators ranged from pleased to shocked.  To quote one, “Where did all those people come from?”

 

Good job people – your efforts paid off – now it moves to the Senate. 

 

The OTHER big news of the day is our SNOWPACK is ranging from 105-132% of normal which means we have cleared the threshold to avoid drought situations in Washington State for this year.  Going into January, we were concerned that this would be a bad year for our farmers, fish, and families.  (Farmers need water for crops, Fish need water to maintain habitat, and Families need water for keeping Hydro based electric rates low.)  No longer a threat!  Happy days!

 

Onto the E-Wire!

 

Senator Andy Hill tried this idea to get Lobbyists to speed up their testimony so that his committee could hear all bills and exec them before cut-off.

 

Education Lab Blog from the Seattle Times gets it, why doesn't anyone else?

 

So much for that idea.

 

This is a growing problem.

 

With all the challenges we face in Washington, moving ahead with judicial understanding for mental health patients is a good thing.

 

As we stated earlier, the waiver debate will resolve itself…

 

Taking STEM to Middle School…

 

Today’s magic number is 3.5 which is the average amount of homework High School Students are assigned.

 

From Our Friends over at WAPO – a look at cool graphs that explain America.

 

Enjoy folks – look for a new message for you to share with your legislators soon about Education funding!

 

The E-Wire is written by PTA Legislative Staff and edited by Legislative Director Sherry Krainick.  Have a question?  Post below or write us at PTALEGDIR@wastatepta.org!

E-Wire Special Morning Budget and Omnibus SB 6552 Edition

Good morning folks!

The PTA was out in force today testifying on behalf of Senate Bills being heard in the House Education Committee.  Priority bills for us include the Omnibus School Hour and Credit Reform Bill and Pathways for Special Education Students.  Several PTA members were in attendance to testify including President Gillette, Director Krainick, and Bellevue Special Needs PTA VP Sarah Butcher.  There was an uncommon amount of give and take in the hearing between the very engaged legislators and the members of the public testifying.  As a result, this was one of the better hearings in House Education and worth your time to listen in to when you get the chance.  Links will be posted here (6552).

The second big ticket item of the day was the release of the Senate Budget.  Some of the Capital Budget directive language to OSPI for school construction looks pretty well thought out – this is likely due to the fact that buried in the budget bill is $78 million that was left unspent in the School Construction Assistance Program.  The reason for this is that there were fewer projects that qualified for grant funding than anticipated.

WSDDA’s Marie Sullivan has a great analysis which we are including here.  House Budget is expected to be delivered later this week with a hearing by the end of the week.

Read more about the Senate Budget here, here, and here.

Jump below to read testimony by our PTA leaders on the Omnibus Bill...

HB 2217 - Encouraging School Districts to Work With Community Partners to Improve the Utilization of K-12 Capital Facilities

The Washington State PTA represents the more than 1,000,000 school aged children in Washington state with a membership exceeding 100,000.   Our vision is to make every child’s potential a reality.  Family and Community Engagement is a key priority for PTA nationwide.  Washington State PTA is here to testify in support of the changing “Parent Engagement Coordinator” to “Family and Community Engagement Coordinators.”

National PTA has an entire program titled National Standards for Family-School Partnerships which identifies six standards.  Number 1 is to welcome and connect all families and Number 6 is to collaborate with community.  Washington State PTA also has numerous policy statements to support this change.  We also recognize that expanding the scope from parent to family and community will support non-traditional families and will be a foundational effort in engaging communities to Close the Achievement and Opportunity Gaps, which is our number 3 legislative priority.

We encourage your support of HB 2217.

Governor sets aside time for PTA Q&A

Gov. Inslee to speak May 3 at our 100th annual convention

The event runs May 3-5 at the Bellevue Hyatt. Click here to register
Click here for convention guide and agenda
Send your suggested questions for Gov. Inslee to Kathyrn Hobbs, WSPTA Executive Director, at khobbs@wastatepta.org by April 29.

Other great speakers:

Evaluation bills are about helping kids learn

STATE’S WORK USES A GROWTH MODEL, NOT A BLAME MODEL

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Dear advocates,

The evaluation work being piloted in this state is about taking responsibility for the needs of students and the support that requires. The teacher, principal, school district, family and greater community all play a role in helping kids learn. The evaluation work is one piece of the puzzle. It's the part that lets teachers and principals know how they are doing, and helps them identify what they can do better.