Hello Genesee Hill Families!
The legislative session in Washington has started. We would like to take this time as a PTA to focus on advocacy for public education in our state. As families of public school students and PTA members, this is an opportunity for us to advocate for our children and children across our the State of Washington.
How exactly can we do that though?
Below are some concrete ways we can take action over the coming months. Many of these actions are simple, and some only take a few minutes to do.
If you only do one thing … sign up for Action Alerts from Washington State PTA. They will send you emails that both inform you about what is happening with education legislation in this current session AND give you ways to take concrete action, such as stating your position on some proposed House and Senate bills.
If you want to stay informed about education bills during the current legislative session… read Marie Sullivan’s articles in the Advocacy section of the WS PTA site. Marie is the WS PTA’s Legislative Education consultant and her articles are informative and easy to understand.
If you want to take in-person action… attend the WS PTA’s Advocacy Day in Olympia on February 20. Visitors can network and hear speakers from the WSPTA’s Advocacy Committee, the State Board of Education, OSPI, and Governor Inslee’s office. They can also take docent-led tours of the Capitol grounds and potentially meet with local legislators. If you’re interested in going, please email me at victoria@victoriabhegani.com. If we have enough interested people we can organize a group to go. Also, don’t forget to get your free tickets here. FYI this event is not designed for children.
If you want to financially support education advocacy, become a PTA member… Washington State PTA is the longest-serving grassroots organization that supports children in WA state (hurrah!), and a large percentage of our GHE membership dues goes to it. If you aren’t a PTA member already, join!
And finally… if you are interested in doing the legislative chair role for the GHE PTA, please contact me or a member of the Board. I did it from 2020- 2022 and would be happy to support you. Advocacy is the foundation of the PTA’s work, and we really need someone to step into this important role.
Thank you!
Victoria Brown Bhegani, Michael Brown, Lia Barros, and your PTA Board
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