Please support our kids and schools, plus our teachers by keeping up to date on education issues as well as contacting your legislators and representatives to let them know that education is important to you!
The League of Education Voters, or LEV for short, has a website that will help you stay informed on what is happening with regards to education and our Legislature. Please click on the link below. You can then sign up if you want to receive updates in your email box. http://www.educationvoters.org
Or check out the WA State PTA’s page at: http://www.wastatepta.org
Langley Middle School PTSA's Blog 
Below is a copy of Mary Lindquist of Washington Education Association or WEA, latest email. To subscribe to her emails yourself, please visit: http://www.washingtonea.org/
3,684.4 FTE That’s the number of full-time positions the state paid for in the fall of 2008 that are no longer funded: the librarian in Bellevue, the counselor in Ferndale, the math specialist in Seattle. Paraprofessionals who used to work in classrooms now monitor the lunch room and do bus duty. And many more.
These are the positions that have been reduced or eliminated in one of the recent rounds of budget cuts — 3,684.4 full-time positions that are no longer part of the state funding for schools.
Last week, Education Secretary Arne Duncan granted Washington state’s application for funding under the Education Jobs Fund. That’s $208 million that will flow directly to our school districts by early November — money that could restore most of those 3,684.4 FTEs that have been cut.
This money could be used to rebuild art classes, allow math coaches to support students struggling to learn geometric concepts or provide one-on-one support for students who need a little extra help. It’s money that could lower class sizes where they have skyrocketed. Each district now gets to decide how to spend their portion of the $208 million.
What would you do — right now — with your school’s share of the new federal dollars? Each district will receive an average of $211 per student. How should your school spend that money?
School administrators in your district will be making these decisions soon. While we have until September 2012 to spend the money, let’s tell administrators our students shouldn’t have to wait for another week or month or year to go by before districts invest in their education.
We’re the experts on the front lines every day. Let’s make sure our voices are heard.
Now is also the time to join a national conversation about how educators would improve our schools. As part of its weeklong “Education Nation” summit, NBC is hosting a Teacher Town Hall with anchor Brian Williams on Sept. 26. Register to be part of that conversation. The formula for success is fairly simple: caring, dedicated professionals with ample resources, working in partnership with parents and the community. That’s what will make a difference.
We have to speak up. We have to advocate for our students. Every child deserves the same quality education in tough — and good — economic times.
What is WEA? WEA began as a statewide education organization in 1889. For more than 80 years, membership included teachers and administrators. In the 1970s, following passage of a collective bargaining law for teachers, WEA evolved into a pro-active teachers union. Public schools have, of course, undergone tremendous change since statehood, but many of the greatest strides for school employee rights are relatively recent. Today, our members include teachers, librarians, counselors, higher-ed faculty, school psychologists, bus drivers, occupational and physical therapists, cooks, coaches, custodians, curriculum specialists, speech and language pathologists, nurses, secretaries, office assistants, classroom paraprofessionals, preschool specialists and technology experts. Click the link to the right under “Helpful Links” to go to their website.