Washington State PTA Board of Directors Votes to Endorse I-1098 and Oppose I-1107

Vancouver, WA The Washington State PTA Board of Directors voted Thursday to endorse I-1098, which would provide over $1 billion in new funding for education and health care each year.

President Scott Allen explained, “When we worked to pass landmark education reform legislation in 2009, we made a commitment to help find the additional funding needed to support it. Because the initiative assures that seventy percent of the new revenue will be devoted to education, passage of this initiative would go a long way towards helping us fulfill this promise.” He added that “it is wise to invest in our future, even in tough economic times“.

The Board also voted to oppose I-1107, which would roll back temporary taxes that were passed earlier this year on bottled water and candy. The association supported the new taxes on discretionary items as part of the solution to the state’s significant revenue shortfalls.

According to WSPTA Executive Director Bill Williams, “yesterday’s vote reaffirmed our earlier position that raising some revenue to maintain minimal levels of essential services is preferable to an all cuts solution to the budget shortfall that the state faces during the next three years.”

Both votes took place during the Board’s summer meeting being held in Vancouver, Washington. Beginning today, more than 160 local and regional PTA leaders will come together for the Association’s annual Leadership Conference being held at the Vancouver Hilton and Convention Center.

About Washington State PTA: Founded in 1905, the Washington State PTA is the largest volunteer organization in the state, with more than 145,000 members in more than 900 local units across the state. WSPTA’s mission is to be a powerful voice for children, a relevant resource for families and communities, and to advocate for the education and well being of all children in pursuit of PTA’s vision that every child’s potential become a reality. More information about WSPTA can be found on its website.  There are 15 PTA units in Shoreline/Lake Forest Park, coordinated by the Shoreline PTA Council.