| |
Subscribe to the Rocky Mountain Elementary School E-mail List
|
|
|
PTA Legislative Commission
PTA Legislative Vice-President:
Sharon Jarmin
E-mail: jl.jarm@juno.com
Phone: 801-785-5628
We, as members of the PTA, have a voice, and it can be very powerful.
In the 2007 legislative session:
- The PTA followed 133 bills, all of which related to Utah children in one way or another.
- Out of the 133 bills, the PTA supported 77 of them, and out of those 77, 50 of them passed.
- Out of the 133 bills, the PTA opposed 15 of them, and out of those 15, 12 of them failed.
Last Year's Big Wins for the PTA in Legislation:
- SJR11 and HB144 - Both these bills wanted to make changes in the school boards. The PTA’s position is to keep school boards non-partisan. By defeating these bills we were able to do that.
- Funding for the schools will have a significant increase. 1.5 million dollars will be going to our libraries, 1 million will be going to school counselors, 1 million will be going to school nursing programs and every teacher will have their pay increased by 2,500 dollars. We know they still deserve more than this but it is a big step forward. They will also receive a one time bonus of 1,000 dollars and 10 million dollars will be going for school supplies, which also helps the teachers out. [We love our teachers]. The WPU (weighted pupil unit) is increasing by 4%, and adding in the previous items mentioned, it really increases the WPU by 8%.
If you are interested in finding more information on the PTA's involvement with legislation, please go to the following webpage:
http://www.utahpta.org/advocacy.htm
On that webpage, be sure to look at Utah PTA Legislative Conference, PTA Day at the Legislature, Resolutions, and anything else you see there.
Most importantly, be sure to look at Bill Sheets, which shows you all the bills the PTA is following and their status.
It also gives a quick summery of what each bill is about.
If you are interested in getting involved with the legislative process, PTA is an easy way to do it.
PTA provides opportunities to be informed and educated through out the year at the Leadership Convention in May,
the Legislative Convention in October, PTA legislative luncheon, the PTA day at the Legislator and other training meetings.
If you would like to attend one of these meetings, or learn more about PTA Legislation, please feel free to call or e-mail the Legislative VP listed above.
|
