eNews Bulletin, training and contracts

A brief overview of legislative chair position and the upcoming Wash State PTA Legislative Assembly
A review of issues delegates will discuss and vote on at Wash State PTA Legislative Assembly
Review of November ballot measures that affect education
Chance to network with other leg advocates in the city
There is no charge; membership dues pay for this and all council workshops and forums
Every local unit should send a representative

RSVP: Heidi@SeattleCoucilPTSA.org
INFO: http://www.seattlecouncilptsa.org/cat_index_42.shtml

Putting together the pieces
Wash State PTA leadership training comes to Seattle

September 25, 9 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
John Stanford Center, 2445 Lander Ave S.

Feeling puzzled? You should be here. There will be a keynote address and two class sessions.

Session 1: Leading the Team; For the Record; Membership Basics; Reflections; role of legislative chair; Treasurer Nuts and Bolts.
Session 2: Programs and awards; advocacy; outreach; general meeting planning; attracting, retaining and awarding volunteers; board development strategies

$40 advance fee covers your entire board ($65 at the door).

Registration, more information on the Region 6 calendar page:
http://www.wastatepta.org/regions/region_6/region_calendar.html

Wash. State PTA Legislative Assembly
Deciding our priorities

Friday and Saturday, Oct. 8-9
Marriot Hotel, SeaTac

A statewide gathering of PTA/PTSA delegates will debate and determine the Wash State PTA platform for the next two years.

Includes classes and training
Cost is about $140/per attendee, early bird discounts will be available
PTAs/PTSAs can also apply for a leadership grant from the SCPTSA to help offset costs
Please add this event to your budget. Every PTA/PTSA should send a representative

More info: http://www.wastatepta.org/advocacy/index.html

2010 Legislative Assembly Issue Guide:
http://www.wastatepta.org/meetings/leg_assembly/Issues_Guide_2010.pdf

2010 issue survey

http://http://www.wastatepta.org/advocacy/index.html

Legislative listserv signup

http://www.wastatepta.org/advocacy/index.html

PTA and the Law
The most important class you will ever take

Tuesday, Oct. 12; 5:30 p.m. checkin; class 6-9 p.m.
John Stanford Center, 2445 Lander Ave S.

All officers need this class. It gives you the information you need to stay in compliance with federal and state nonprofit law.

$40 advance fee covers your entire board ($65 at the door).
Fee includes two PTA and the Law books.
Questions? Contact Leanne Hawkins, Region 6 director, at ptareg6@wastatepta.org

Registration, more information on the Region 6 calendar page:
http://www.wastatepta.org/regions/region_6/region_calendar.html

SCPTSA grants can help with costs

Our leadership grant can help offset costs for legislative assembly, leadership training or PTA and the Law

Also, we offer grants for arts and family engagement.

http://www.seattlecouncilptsa.org/cat_index_43.shtml

WORKING WITH EDUCATORS

CRAFTING A BETTER WEBSITE, PAC NOMINATIONS

Refining SPS' web tool

SPS is working to make sure its online content is easy to find and use. The committee needs your help. You can participate through two methods:

1. Online, via a "card sort" where you organize topics and they can see where users would likely look for information. This should take about 10 minutes.
http://websort.net/s/E614A7/

Information about the WebSort application:
http://websort.net/faqs

2. In person at a community meeting:
Tuesday, Sept. 14, 6:30 - 8:00 p.m.,
Rainier Beach High School, 8815 Seward Park Ave S, 98118. Participants can do a live "sort" to help organize content and comment on possible re-designs. Interpreters will be available.

Help craft SPS family-school partnerships

The School Family Partnership Advisory Committee to the Superintendent (PAC) is recruiting new members for the 2010-2011 school year. The nomination deadline is Monday, Sept. 20.

The PAC provides support and technical assistance to schools to help them integrate and institutionalize family and community engagement national best practices to support student success.
The committee's work involves one to two meetings a month, a presentation of the School Family Partnership report to the superintendent, and a presentation to the Seattle School board.
Term is November 2010 to October 2011. Candidates can self-nominate.

For information and nomination form:
http://www.seattleschools.org/area/fam/PAC.xml

Learn about national education initiatives

Family and Community Education Forum, U.S. Dept. of Edcucation

Tuesday, Oct. 12, 7 - 8:30 p.m.
Federal Way High School, 30611 16th Ave. S, Federal Way, WA 98003

Alberto Retana, director of community outreach with the U.S. Dept. of Education, is inviting PTA and PTSA leaders to find out about national education initiatives and policies that will affect your school and community.
Refreshments will be provided.

For more information: Call 206-607-1655, or contact Trise Moore FWPS Family & Community Partnership Director, 253-945-2273, or tmoore@fwps.org

STUDENT CLASS TIME

OUR SHORT DAY ADDS UP TO 2.5 WEEKS LESS THAN AVERAGE

Contracts affect time for student learning

SCPTSA has registered concerns with implementation of proposed collaborative time blocks that might result in 2-hour early dismissals or late starts. These could dramatically affect student schedules.The concerns:

Disruption to student learning
Added costs of child care during bad economic times
Limited access to after-school programming

A stressed system

Some parents have concerns about lost blocks of learning time. To put that worry into context: Seattle's students already have shorter school days -- and a shorter year -- than most students nationally.

According to analysis by the National Council of Teacher Quality, at seven hours elementary teachers in Seattle have the shortest workday in the region and compare unfavorably with a national average of 7 hours and 38 minutes. A 30-minute difference in a school day is equivalent to cutting two and half weeks out of the school year. The NCTQ report also noted Seattle students have three fewer school days than the state-mandated 180 days. SPS receives a waiver and those days are used for professional development.

NCTQ report
http://www.alliance4ed.org/NCTQSeattleHumanCapital.pdf
see page 6, also pages 38-43

Followup analysis of proposals
http://www.nctq.org/tr3/docs/analysis_of_seattle_contract_proposals.pdf

see page 4

NEGOTIATIONS AND NEW LAW

HOW WILL SPS/SEA AGREEMENT MEASURE UP?

While others collaborate on pilots, SPS goes it alone

Seattle Public Schools and the teachers union here (SEA) are negotiating a contract that will likely revise the way teachers are evaluated. But what's not mentioned in articles and opinion pieces is whether or how district and SEA proposals align to a new state law.

Nine school districts, plus 1 group of small districts, are developing pilots. The Washington State PTA is participating in a steering committee that is organizing support and trainings for the pilot programs. The impetus for this stems from the recognition by all stakeholders that the current two-tier satisfactory/unsatisfactory system is inadequate.

A new, 4-tier evaluation system must meet a new, more robust, set of criteria by 2013.

The new minimum criteria:

Centering instruction on high expectations for student achievement; demonstrating effective teaching practices;

Recognizing individual student learning needs, and developing strategies to address those needs;

Providing clear and intentional focus on subject matter content and curriculum;

Fostering and managing a safe, positive learning environment;

Using multiple student data elements to modify instruction and improve student learning;

Communicating and collaborating with parents and the school community;

Exhibiting collaborative and collegial practices focused on improving instructional practice and student learning.

Districts have just one year to figure out how to both define and measure this criteria. The following year they will pilot the model they each develop. During the pilot process they will collect data and report back to the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction. OSPI will then make recommendations to the legislature as to whether or not there should be one model or multiple models for statewide implementation.

INVOLVING COMMUNITY

The steering committee and piloting districts just met for two days. During this event, Washington State PTA advocated for the

inclusion of parents and community members on their district development teams. Washington State PTA will also be making recommendations regarding how to define and measure the parent and community involvement criteria.

For more information, see the web page for this work at

http://www.k12.wa.us/EdLeg/TPEP/default.aspx

HOW WILL SPS MEASURE ITSELF?

PTA works to ensure every child meets his or her potential, and we work to ensure public education is a collaborative process between family and school. While the state is moving toward more collaboration at the district and state levels, SPS and SEA are crafting changes through contract negotiations, which unfortunately exclude parents and community.

SCPTSA has not heard of any proposals in the new contract that define and measure either communication or collaboration with parents and the community;

SCPTSA has also not heard how SPS and SEA will ensure parents understand what data points are being used to improve student learning.

Summary of SPS proposal
Frequently asked questions
SEA updates

Thanks for sharing your time. Please also share this information with friends and members. This newsletter does not go out to all members. But they can subscribe! (Just send a note to info@seattlecouncilptsa.org)

Sincerely,

Ramona Hattendorf
Seattle Council PTSA president