Take+Action+NOW

Now more than ever, our State Legislators need to hear from PTA members and K-12 advocates. Please take a moment to click on the action alert below because just our voices alone will make a difference. Send it to your school and make a bigger impact.  There’s only 8 days left in the session, let’s make it count. - Take one minute send the PTA [|action alert]  – PLEASE DO THIS - Take 3 minutes, send the PTA action alert and call the Legislative Hotline (800-562-6000 ) about the budget and the bills mentioned below - Take 4 minutes: do all of the above plus send the LEV action alert  on the bills - Take 10 minutes, do all the above and send it to your PTA board and PTA email lists . The [|PTA action alert] is a generic message to “Save our ABCs” – do not cut the school year and increase revenues that are fair and just (based on our PTA Resolution, pasted below). Please contact your legislators and let them know that K-12 is a top priority. <span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;"> **<span style="color: red; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">SPECIFIC BILLS THAT NEED SUPPORT ** <span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">In addition, please take a few moments to support the following bills or votes. These are all bills that support the PTA Priorities or resolutions. <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">-  ** First is ****__  HB 2078  __****, which is being heard by the WA House Ways & Means committee Thursday at 2:30. This **** bill funds smaller K-3 classes and eliminates a sales-tax exemption for out-of-state shoppers and eliminates a B&O tax deduction for Wall Street banks **** on interest income over $100 million from first home mortgages. Together these tax breaks will raise over $160 million – all for K-12. **     o <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">The League of Education Voters CEO commented, “Ensuring that Washington’s children are reading by third grade should be one of the highest priorities of this state. I am glad to see that this bill asks the Legislature to decide what our priorities really are. We favor a more balanced approach. And it makes sense to me to ask out-of-state businesses and tourists to pay a fair share so that the children in this state get the best opportunity to start off on the right foot.” o <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">Almost all of the class size reduction funds for the early grades were retroactively cut for the current school year during the last two supplemental budgets. o <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">The House’s proposed budget for the 2011-13 biennium, which passed on Saturday, eliminated almost all ($170 million) of the K-3 class size funds, leaving $25 million for targeted class size reductions in high-poverty schools. This bill helps fund the gap. o **<span style="color: red; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">If you support HB 2078 – please call the **  **<span style="color: red; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">legislative hotline 800-562-6000 or email your legislators – ****<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">there is no specific action alert for this bill ** <span style="color: red; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">-  ** Second, is the state budget. Please urge Senate leaders to support the House budget – the better budget for K-12. **<span style="color: red; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;"> o <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;"> The Senate budget cuts $200 million more from public schools than the House budget. Senators also propose a 3 percent salary cut for teachers. But since school districts have already negotiated teacher contracts, this cut would come out of basic education. It could even force some districts to cut up to five school days! Please tell Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown and Ways & Means Chair Ed Murray that you support the House budget over the Senate budget. <span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">-  ** Third is ****  [|HB 1443] which was passed in the House with huge bi-partisan support (83 to 14) moved the QEC recommendations forward to continue the ed reforms passed in the last two sessions. **** The bill was amended in the Senate to include an end to seniority-based teacher layoffs (RIFs). Now the House leaders are reluctant to pass it again. Please tell the Speaker and Majority Leader Pat Sullivan that you support this bill as passed in the senate. HB 1443 will improve public education at little to no cost include the following: ** o <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">Allowing high school credits to be based on competency not just seat time; o <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">Expanding the Learning Assistance Program to serve students struggling in science; o <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">Revising the definition of highly capable to be more inclusive; o <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">Supporting continued development of a more meaningful evaluation system for teachers and principals; and o <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">Requiring districts to lay off teachers and principals with lowest evaluation ratings first when forced to make layoffs. <span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">- ** You can send messages to your legislators, call the hotline 800-562-6000 or use the __  [|League of Education Voter action alert]  __ ** <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">(change the name from me to you, at the bottom). <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">But please hurry, but if you are away on break, please send it when you get back as the PTA action alert is generic for any of the upcoming bills. <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;"> <span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;"> <span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;"> **<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 14pt;">FROM the WA STATE PTA **<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 14pt;"> <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">Grassroots Connection: <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">Increasing revenue and efficiencies to support our legislative principles - - April 18, 2011 **<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">Dear advocates, **<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;"> <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">This past fall our association adopted a resolution that said we would consider taking public positions in support of **revenue increases that support our core legislative principles** of funding education and protecting and promoting the health, safety and welfare of youth. <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">A number of revenue bills have been introduced recently, including a referendum for voters. They are listed below, along with a copy of our revenue resolution. You should know that we took a balanced approach in this resolution and **also called for encouraging efficiency** in state spending. To that end, we focused on bills this session that improve <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">instruction or that directly engage and support vulnerable students. Remediation is costly, and the societal costs of drop outs even more so. The Washington State Institute for Public Policy puts that annual cost at $10,500 per drop out, for life. <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;"> <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">- <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">CONTEXT: <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">Cuts have been proposed for a number of programs that affect children, including K-12 basic education. Most significantly, the Senate proposed **cutting teacher pay by 3 percent, for a $250 million reduction**. If enacted, this could affect the number of school days or programs districts are able to offer. While state employees agreed to a 3 percent cut, it is being taken in the form of furlough days. If teachers were to agree do the same, students could lose about a week of instructional time. If districts opted make up for the 3 percent state cut, they may not be able meet other core student needs.
 * Proposed $250 million cut to teacher pay could translate to loss of a school week**

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">Revenue bill that affects K-12 <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;"> ·  **<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">HB 2078 ** <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">(**Jinkins and 47 others**) Narrows a tax deduction for banks and other financial institutions and eliminates a sales-tax exemption for non-residents to fund smaller K-3 classes. (The measure would hold small community banks harmless by capping deductible home mortgage interest income at $100 million.) <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;"> **<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: 'Arial Black','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">WA STATE RESOLUTION -- ****<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial Black','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">Increasing revenue to support our legislative principles ** <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">(Adopted October 2010) <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black','sans-serif';"> **<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">Whereas **<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">, Our legislative principles state that “The Washington State PTA shall identify and initiate education and action on public policy affecting tax policies that are fair, equitable, and provide stable, adequate revenues for public education and for programs that benefit children and youth”; and, <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black','sans-serif';"> **<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">Whereas **<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">, The Washington State PTA has long had redefinition of and fully funding basic education for all students as a top legislative and policy priority, and worked to help win approval of the basic education reform legislation and enhanced funding formulas embodied in ESHB 2261 and SHB 2776, in addition to a substantial history of support for health and welfare legislation and policy for our children and youth; and, <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black','sans-serif';"> **<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">Whereas **<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">, The implementation of education reforms approved through ESHB 2261 and SHB 2776 will require substantial additional funding for K-12 education from Washington State; and, <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black','sans-serif';"> **<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">Whereas **<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">, In the 2009 education funding lawsuit Mc Cleary vs. the State of Washington, Superior Court Judge Erlick ruled in favor of the plaintiff, noting that there has been substantial underfunding of public education over many years; and, <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black','sans-serif';"> **<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">Whereas **<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">, Despite the Superior Court ruling calling for additional funding, recent revenue shortfalls have caused Washing ton State to reduce the K-12 education budget; and, <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black','sans-serif';"> **<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">Whereas **<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">, Realizing efficiencies in state spending by reducing waste and reprioritizing funding toward education may be possible and desirable, but will not alone be sufficient to avoid cuts and pay for education reform; and, <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black','sans-serif';"> **<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">Whereas **<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">, Instead of having fair and equitable tax practices, Washington State is recognized as having one of the most regressive tax systems in the US; therefore, be it <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black','sans-serif';"> ·  **<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">Resolved, **  <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">That the Washington State PTA will encourage reprioritization and efficiency in state spending to increase funds available for education, when these spending changes are consistent with our Legislative Principles, which include protecting and promoting the health, safety and welfare of children and youth; and be it further  <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black','sans-serif';"> ·  **<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">Resolved//,// **  <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">That the Washington State PTA will consider taking public positions in support of fair, equitable and ample rev enue increases as a necessary component of fully funding education and meeting other needs of children and youth; and be it further  <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black','sans-serif';"> ·  **<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">Resolved **<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">, That the Washington State PTA will consider all major legislation and initiatives that impact education funding as they emerge and take action consistent with our goal of achieving and maintaining ample education funding, and our Legislative Principles pertaining to protecting and promoting the health, safety and welfare of children and youth. <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">-- **Ramona Hattendorf,** Government relations coordinator, Washington State PTA <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">
 * As always, members are encouraged to contact their legislators**. Washington State PTA also has an **Action Alert** set up, calling on legislators to support basic education:[]. -