The vision of PTA is to make every child's potential a reality.

PTA works in classrooms and communities, but we also advocate to decision-makers, locally and in Olympia, for the well-being and education of all children. During the annual Legislative Assembly, delegates decide the public policy positions that guide state and local advocacy work for Washington State PTA and its associated local PTAs and Councils. Your responses will assist your voting delegates who attend Legislative Assembly in Tacoma, October 20-21, 2017.

Before completing this survey, please read the complete Resolutions, Issues, and persuasive statements at https://www.wastatepta.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/2017-Resolution-and-Issue-Guide.pdf

Thank you for advocating for children. Together we speak with a powerful voice!

Resolutions are long-term advocacy positions, and guide advocacy work from local to state levels.  The delegates will be voting on the following 4 proposed Resolutions. 
After reviewing the information in the above link, please take the survey to indicate your opinions regarding each issue.

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* 1. MENTAL HEALTH NEEDS FOR CHILDREN
Washington State PTA supports policies and legislation prioritizing mental health education, early intervention, prevention, and access to school and community-based mental health personnel and services

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* 2. TRAUMA INFORMED CARE
Washington State PTA supports policies and legislation that advocate for all schools to be trauma-informed or sensitive schools; continues to call attention to the importance of family engagement in the development and implementation of school policies; and advocates that state and local jurisdictions seek a comprehensive approach to addressing the needs of children exposed to violence and trauma.

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* 3. INCREASING ACCESS AND AFFORDABILITY OF POST-SECONDARY/HIGHER EDUCATION DEGREES AND CERTIFICATES
Washington State PTA supports policies and legislation that increase access to higher education/post-secondary degrees and certificates by: increasing state funding for tuition, books and affordable student housing; expansion of the College Bound Program and State Need Grants; expansion of regional campuses of State Universities; expansion of the number of Community and Technical Colleges that can offer BA/BS and Applied BA/BS degrees; supporting “Free Community and Technical College for All”; and advocating for policies and funding to provide opportunities for earning college credits while in high school.

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* 4. LGBTQ INCLUSION
Washington State PTA supports policies and legislation that create safe, supportive and accepting environments in schools, including updating standards regarding age-appropriate, medically accurate and culturally sensitive information on LGBTQ issues; school policies that address the topics of sexual orientation and gender identification/expression as they relate to harassment, intimidation, and bullying; and training for educators and other school-related professionals to support all students.

PROPOSED LEGISLATIVE ISSUES
Legislative Issues make up WSPTA’s short-term, two-year legislative platform. At Legislative Assembly in even-numbered years, delegates vote on a completely new platform, and prioritize the top five issues. The other approved issues are placed on an “also supported” list. During the odd-numbered years, such as 2017, delegates vote to add new, emerging issues to the also supported list.  Delegates will vote on the following 7 proposed Legislative Issues.

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* 5. BEST PRACTICES FOR SCHOOL LUNCH POLICIES
The Washington State PTA shall initiate and/or support legislation or policies that
·        use CDC and USDA recommendations to clearly define a minimum lunch period for students of a minimum of 20 minutes of seated time;
·        promote Recess Before Lunch;
·        prohibit meal debt policies that shame or punish students.

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* 6. SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION AND CLASS SIZE REDUCTION
The Washington State PTA shall initiate and/or support legislation or policies that provide stable and timely financing for school construction, modernization, and safety needs; updates the square footage allocation formula, which recognizes modern educational needs and actual cost; replaces the 60 percent super-majority with a simple majority requirement for passage of school bonds; and extends the K-3 grant program.

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* 7. REDUCING THE IMPACTS OF GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE
The Washington State PTA shall initiate and/or support legislation or policies that
·        present awareness and prevention programs that address sexual harassment and violence and engage students in mandated respect and consent curriculum;
·        provide support services for victims of sexual harassment and violence;
·        include training on the responsibilities of educational institutions, and the rights of victims, under Title IX.

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* 8. EQUITY FOR HIGHLY CAPABLE
The Washington State PTA shall initiate and/or support legislation or policies that achieve proportional, equitable, and full representation of all demographic groups in Washington State public school Highly Capable (HiCap) programs, especially for: low-income students, students with learning disabilities, English Language Learners, and students of color.

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* 9. CAREER CONNECTED LEARNING, CTE & STEM
The Washington State PTA shall initiate and/or support legislation or policies that support Career Connected Learning K-12 programs that inspire, provide training, CTE, and weave real-life career options in STEM, manufacturing, and future learning opportunities into K-12 classrooms. The new 2017-19 budget expanded CTE and we need to build on that to implement new programs at the state and local levels.

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* 10. ADDRESSING THE TEACHER SHORTAGE
The Washington State PTA shall initiate and/or support legislation or policies that improve the teacher pipeline, to recruit and retain effective educators, especially in high demand, hard to fill positions, in remote locations, or high-poverty schools
through
·        funding of recruitment and conditional scholarship programs;
·        expansion of alternative routes to certification;
·        addressing reciprocity;
·        phased-in expansion of BEST grants to all schools

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* 11. DUAL CREDIT EQUALITY & SUPPORT
The Washington State PTA shall initiate and/or support legislation or policies that
·        establish a coordinated, evidence-based policy for granting as many undergraduate credits as possible to students who
have received a passing grade on any dual credit course exam; and
·        support adequate funding & the expansion of these programs to cover family outreach, supplies, staff, and staff training.

DEMOGRAPHICS INFORMATION

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* 12. WHICH DESCRIBES YOU?

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* 13. WHICH SCHOOL(S) AND GRADE LEVELS ARE YOU ASSOCIATED WITH?

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