ADVOCACY RESOURCES

LWSD 2022 Levies 

Three local education levies to support excellence for every student

Voters will consider three measures in the February 8 election to continue funding for our students, staff, and schools. These funding measures help us ensure excellence for all of our students, including staff, programs, technology, and safe and healthy school buildings.

Two replacement levies and one capital construction levy will be on the February 8, 2022, ballot. The Educational Programs and Operations (EP&O) levy and a School Technology and Capital Projects Levy both replace levies that expire in 2022 fund staff, programs, early learning, technology and help ensure our school buildings are safe and maintained. The Building Excellence Construction Levy funds facility construction projects to accommodate our rapid enrollment growth and continue to provide learning environments that promote excellence for students.

Town Hall Question & Answer Sessions

Throughout the month of January, LWSD will hold a series of town hall question and answer sessions for the public on the topic of 2022 education levies. Dr. Jon Holmen, Superintendent, will share information about the February 2022 education levies and then provide time to answer questions. Meetings will be held on Teams Live, with the “Question and Answer” feature enabled. These meetings will all be the same presentation. So pick a date and time that works best for you. 

Upcoming meeting dates/times/links:

• Tuesday, January 25 from 12:00-1:00 p.m.
• Thursday, January 27 from 7:00-8:00 p.m.

Your voice matters!

We need your stories, we need your voice, and we need you! PTA’s legacy is strong because of passionate advocates just like you building our legislative platform, one resolution at a time.

Join us for Focus on Advocacy Week, January 17-21, 2022, as we share this platform with our legislators in Olympia. Subscribe to the WSPTA Action Network and be part of #WSPTAOneVoice.

In the grassroots spirit of the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., on Monday, January 17, we will kick off the week by meeting with state representatives and senators. We will provide you with the tools and information you need to ensure that PTA is loud and proud that day.

Throughout Focus on Advocacy Week, we will send you calls to action to help you share your opinion and your story with your legislators. Subscribe to the WSPTA Action Network today to engage in the calls to action.

LEGISLATIVE PLATFORM

The Washington State PTA legislative platform is a two-year platform to mirror the Washington state legislative cycle. In the even-numbered years, the new platform is voted on by members at the legislative assembly in the fall. The top five issues become our short-term platform and consist of our priority issues when advocating throughout the year. Other issues are placed on an “also supported” list.

Top 5 Legislative Priorities for 2020-2022:

• Increase access to nursing, mental health, and social-emotional learning staff.
• Support students and preserve education funding
• Increasing educational equity by closing the digital divide
• Supports and funding for students with disabilities and their families
• Prevent and reduce gun violence and suicide.

 Visit this link to learn more: Advocacy (wastatepta.org)

Reach out to your legislators. Share your story. What are you concerned about and why? What do you want to ask your legislators to do? What work are they doing that you're thankful for? Washington State Legislature

WA PTA Region 2 Advocacy Chair: Gwen Loosmore