Are you a member of the Washington Coalition for Gifted Education?

MEMBERSHIPS

It’s time to considering renewing your membership in the Coalition, or becoming a member for the first time.

We also offer the Joint Membership in all three gifted organizations, NWGCA, WAETAG and the Coalition, at a savings of $15 over individual memberships.

Since we are a state-chartered political advocacy group, the Coalition is the only one of the three groups which can hire a lobbyist to represent all of us in Olympia. More than 95% of our revenue goes toward the retainer for our lobbyist. The remainder goes for operating expenses and the costs of Gifted Eduction Day.

Linked are three pdf files: a Treasurer’s Report for the fiscal year which ended on August 31, 2011, a membership form for the Coalition and a joint membership form.

COALITION FINANCES

A quick review of the Treasurer’s Report shows we have a substantial balance on hand compared to prior years. This is due to a one-time-only contribution from WAETAG when we were in danger of running out of funds during the year. It is our plan to continue to pay current costs out of current income and to reserve the WAETAG contribution for special expenses and as a cushion for the future. Therefore, despite what you see on the report, we do need your membership this year.

Aside from our lobbyist, all the work of the Coalition is done by unpaid volunteers such as yourself. In addition to the work many of you do for your local parent support and advocacy groups, you answer our calls for contacts with Legislators by phone, letter or e-mail; to testify before committees in Olympia; and to make a big showing at Gifted Education Day. In the last two years, attendance at GEDay has exceed that at Legislative Action day of the state PTA – which, when considering the relative size of the two groups, says a lot about our devotion to our cause.

We invite all of you to join us in this important work on behalf of our children. Become a supporting or contributing member of the Coalition and/or participate in our legislative advocacy activities. Above all, plan to join us for Gifted Education Day, January 23, 2012.

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Special Session, WAETAG, Gifted Education Day and More

SPECIAL SESSION OF THE LEGISLATURE

The Governor has convened a special session of the Legislature beginning November 28th to address the most recent, dismal revenue forecast. With the necessity for a supplemental budget we feel that it will be vital to muster a show of strength and commitment. The details of the various proposals to be considered by the Legislature will determine what actions we need to take. For a first take on possibilities, see Ross Hunter’s blog.

While HCPs are now a part of basic education, and are thus somewhat protected against budget cuts, funding at the state level is not truly secure in these difficult financial times for our state. We anticipate having to mount a strong effort with Legislators to retain our status and funding. Details as they become available.

WAETAG CONFERENCE

The annual WAETAG Conference is scheduled for October 28 (special session for administrators) and October 29 at the Convention Center in Wenatchee. More information can be found on the WAETAG web site.

GIFTED EDUCATION DAY – MARK YOUR CALENDAR AND START PLANNING NOW

Gifted Education Day is scheduled for Monday, January 23, 2012.We hope all of you will joint us in the Columbia Room in the state capitol building. We’ve just begun to plan so details will be available later. If you plan to bring a student group, you need to start work now to get the necessary permissions, etc.

COALITION/NWGCA/WAETAG LEADERSHIP MEETINGS

If you are interested in joining the Coalition leadership group and taking part in our discussions and decisions, we invite you to attend our meetings. The October meeting will be especially important as we begin planning for the special session of the Legislature. At the December 7 meeting we will review our options based on what has happened in the special session and make plans for Gifted Education Day.

Tuesday, October 25, 11 am to 2 pm
Wednesday, December 7, 4 pm to 8 pm
At the Burien Community Center, 14700  6th Ave. SW, Burien.

We hope the evening session will allow more of you to attend and participate. For more information contact us at wagifted@earthlink.net.

We hope to see you there!

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Welcome Back to Another Year of Advocacy

Welcome back to another year of advocacy. We expect it to be busy. The recent revenue forecast is bleak, as is usual these days, and rumors are that there may need to be a special session this fall for a supplemental budget. Brrr!

If you are not following the Coalition on Facebook, you may have missed these two important articles:

Back to School:  Are We Leaving Gifted Students Behind

“TALENT Act” could assist best US students in math

You can follow us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/wagifted.

Supporting Emotional Needs of the Gifted (SENG) is a great organization and they have made available their booklet “The Joy and the Challenge of Parenting Gifted Children: Readings and Resources.”  If you don’t have a Kindle, you can also download a free Kindle reader to access this amazing collection.

The Washington State PTA will hold its annual legislative assembly on October 14th and 15th.  A proposal regarding support for highly capable is among the issues up for debate this year.  You can view the proposal here.

Our next message will be concerned with Coalition finances, with a Treasurer’s Report for our fiscal year ending August 31, 2011, and reminders about memberships. Look for it the middle of the month.

We have a lot of hard work ahead of us this coming school year and need both your financial support and participation in advocacy activities. Meantime, thank you to those who have recently renewed their memberships for the year 2011-2012.

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