Political Advocacy

Speak Up! Speak Out! Treehouse Legislative Priorities

A Disappointing End 

April 15, 2008 

Dear Friends:

You were excellent advocates during the legislative session that ended last month. The Education and fiscal committees of both the House and Senate passed SHB 2679, the bill Treehouse supported, intact – and it passed both houses unanimously.

In the end, the bill fell victim to a last-minute veto by Governor Gregoire, who had a goal of $850 million in a rainy day fund. However, the non-fiscal items in the bill were passed, so the statutory change we sought in records sharing and the requirement that OSPI report to the legislature educational outcome results for foster children have become law.

The veto report suggests that the Governor's staff really did not understand the purpose or impact of the work we proposed. Senator Rodney Tom (48th legislative district) and Representative Mary Helen Roberts (21st legislative district) have both had lengthy discussions with the Governor's staff to try to clear the way for next session. The Treehouse Board sent a letter reiterating our position.

Now it's your turn!  Please email the Governor to let her know you are disappointed with the veto, that children in foster care must have better educational outcomes and that children simply can't wait. 

Thanks for your support!

Janis Avery
Executive Director
Treehouse

Olympia 2008 Update: Treehouse Supports Education Bills

Imagine trying to advocate for your child in school without basic information about his educational history, or even about how he’s functioning in school today. This is the dilemma facing the Children’s Administration (CA), the state agency that oversees the safety and well-being of children in foster care.

This legislative session, Treehouse will be on the front lines in Olympia to support legislation to correct this and other problems that create barriers to educational success.

The bill will establish an electronic information sharing system for CA to track school records for kids in their care. Although social workers receive report cards and other school communications, these documents don’t always follow a child through changes in schools or social workers. The proposed electronic link between CA and the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction would give social workers easy access to complete school records foster kids.

Other components of the bill Treehouse is backing will establish pilot programs to increase support services to students in foster care, and to enable CA to develop new and improved strategies increase the number of foster families in communities where they are most needed.

Finally, Treehouse is seeking legislative support to nearly double the size of its statewide Educational Advocacy program.

You can help by calling your representatives and senator, or by testifying for a legislative committee. For more information, contact Janis Avery, Executive Director.