In December of 2016, the Seattle PTA adopted a resolution to support a solution to extend the Levy Cliff set to expire in January, 2018 by one year to align it with the deadline for complying with the McCleary decision to fully fund basic education set for September, 2018. The Genesee Hill PTA approved to adopt and endorse this resolution today. Please join us!

We need your advocacy help TODAY. Contact your legislators and urge them to back House Bill 1059, a temporary extension on the Levy Lid set to expire by year end, to buy time for legislators to devise a solution to fully fund basic education in Washington. This delay would prevent the estimated layoff of 440 staff positions in Seattle (10% of SPS Staff) due to an estimated $74M budget short fall that would be experienced by the District being unable to collect necessary local tax funds to cover its costs of operating. If this expiration is delayed, we can push off this RIF process, set to begin in March, 2017 – for at least a year. We hope that this delay will buy legislators time to devise a more permanent solution to funding education that includes cost of living differences by September, 2018.

To be clear, delaying the cliff is not a solution to educational funding but a stop gap. We all need to strongly urge our legislators to work together to fund basic education for all students in Washington State. It will take you less than 2 minutes to send a message to our representatives.

To Advocate, click here: https://app.leg.wa.gov/pbc/memberEmail/34/2
Verify your address
Identify House Bill 1059
Click SUPPORT
Request a response from Joe Fitzgibbon
Copy your correspondence to Sharon Nelson and Eileen Cody

To read the bill, click here
If House Bill 1059 is referred to committee, the House Committee on Appropriations will hold a public hearing on HB 1059 on Wed., Jan. 11, at 3:30 pm.

Not familiar with McCleary? You can read more here,