2019 Virginia PTA Proposed Legislation Program (PLP) Julie Shepard NOVA District PTA Advocacy Chair advocacy@novadistrictpta.org September 2018
Goals: Our Legislation Program 1 1 TABLE OF The PLP Process 2 2 CONTENTS PLP Documents 3 3 PLP Items and Talking Points 4 4 Resources 5 5
Your Legislation Program
Warning…Acronyms Ahead! • BOD - Virginia PTA Board of Directors • PLP - Proposed Legislation Program • LAI - Legislative Action Item = seeking change in law • PS - Policy/Position Statement = statement on general issues • GA - General Assembly = House and Senate of Virginia Our Legislation Program
Your Legislation Program • Based on member participation - all positions are voted on by all members • Includes our LAI’s (seeking legislation), Position Statements (general positions) and Resolutions (voted on at Annual Meeting) • PLP is voted on by PTA Members in the Fall • All approved items become part of our Legislation Program • Member participation can drive change • Member votes help reinforce our advocacy mission! Our Legislation Program
The PLP Process
How Does This Work? • VA PTA Advocacy Committee seeks input from membership for the PLP each year • VA PTA Advocacy Committee drafts recommended items based on last year’s GA session as well as issues of interest to membership • PLP goes out to all VA PTA unit leaders and is available to members on our website in August • Vote is conducted at each local unit and they report votes • Final vote is announced and approved items are included in legislation program PLP Process
When is input needed? • Members should engage with VP of Advocacy and Advocacy committee all year long • We use member input to drive positions and legislative priorities • Reach out to your District Director with ideas and concerns • Respond to our annual survey sent in the Spring • Stay on top of issues by following us on Facebook and reading The Voice • Encourage issue discussion in units PLP Process
Where can I find the PLP? • The PLP documents go out to local PTA leaders in the August mailing • The PLP documents are also available on our website • VA PTA creates a training power point for Districts to record webinars and present training workshops • Units are encouraged to use the PLP to demonstrate our more than 100-year history in advocacy PLP Process
Ways to Get Out the Vote! Deadline for voting is October 10, 2018 • Use online voting i.e. survey monkey or similiar site • Post PLP in public places • Design your own form for tallying • Remember one vote per member • Voters MUST be PTA members • Consider working with your membership chair • Combine with your back to school activities PLP Process
Your PLP Documents
Four Position Statements for 2019 ‣ Virginia PTA supports legislation that implements and fully funds resources to support students’ mental health needs. ‣ Virginia PTA supports legislation that implements and funds school safety measures and the effective use of Threat Assessment Teams to improve the learning environments of our public schools. ‣ Virginia PTA supports legislation and policies that incorporate career and technical education (CTE) into K-12 classrooms, paying special attention to real-life career options and opportunities for training. ‣ Virginia PTA supports legislation and policies that seek to recruit and retain effective educators, especially in high-poverty areas, remote locations and hard to fill positions. The PLP Documents
Letter to Presidents The PLP Documents
Letter For Members The PLP Documents
PTA Member Ballot The PLP Documents
Tips for Getting Out The Vote The PLP Documents
Your PLP Items & Talking Points
Mental Health Position Statement VAPTA supports legislation that implements and fully funds resources to support students’ mental health needs. • There are so many ways to support our students’ mental health needs in schools - but each school has a different set of needs. We support fully funding resources needed in each school - but also statewide efforts to increase funding around mental health services. • VA PTA has additional legislative positions seeking school nurses in every building and reasonable ratio of guidance counselors in order to create safe and healthy learning environments. • Parents should always advocate for programs that support the mental health of the students in their buildings. PLP Items and Talking Points
Threat Assessment Teams Position Statement VA PTA supports legislation that implements and funds safety measures and the effective use of Threat Assessment Teams to improve the learning environments of our public schools. • Pursuant to legislation several years ago, every public school has a Threat Assessment Team in order to insure the safety of schools both from within and from outside. • VA PTA supports legislation that effectively funds these teams as well as safety measures so that our members can advocate for these safeguards within their buildings. • Threat Assessment Teams should strive to create thoughtful communications plans so that parents and community members are aware of procedures and protocols. PLP Items and Talking Points
CTE Position Statement VA PTA supports legislation and policies that incorporate career and technical education (CTE) into K-12 classrooms, paying special attention to real-life career options and opportunities for training. • VA PTA has a long-held position supporting CTE in our schools. This position creates additional goals for programs - specifically supporting CTE programs in all classrooms, not just in our CTE schools and buildings. • CTE is an important and necessary course of study for all students, especially in a time of growing college tuition costs and commitment to create well-rounded students. • The Virginia “Profile of a Graduate” devotes significant resources and recommendations in the field of CTE - so we would like to continue to support those efforts around Virginia. PLP Items and Talking Points
Recruiting and Retaining Teachers Position Statement VA PTA supports legislation and policies that seek to recruit and retain effective educators, especially in high-poverty areas, remote locations and hard to fill positions. • This position closely resembles the stance from our partners at Virginia Education Association. • Like many states, Virginia is in the midst of a teacher shortage. The toll this takes on our teachers in schools, our students, families and administrators is real and difficult to overcome. • VA PTA supports legislation and policies that attempt to make real change around recruiting and retaining teachers. • Special attention must be paid to rural locations and hard to staff positions. PLP Items and Talking Points
YOUR RESOURCES
Virginia PTA Resources www.vapta.org advocacy@vapta.org https://www.vapta.org/advocacy Virginia PTA website Kim Chandler, VP of Advocacy Virginia PTA Advocacy Resources Resources
Northern Virginia District PTA Resources http://www.novadistrictpta.org/ director@novadistrictpta.org http://www.novadistrictpta.org/h ome/advocacy/ NOVA District PTA website Debbie Kilpatrick, District Director NOVA District PTA Advocacy Resources Resources
PLEASE VOTE! https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2019VAPTAPLP
THANK YOU
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