WHAT IS IT and WHAT CAN YOU DO? 

​The Washington State
​
ARTS EDUCATION EQUITY INITIATIVE....

After years of working at the local and state level to strengthen arts education in Washington, the time has come for a more direct approach. That approach has taken the form of I-1681, The Arts Education Equity Initiative (AEEI).

WHAT CHANGES WILL THE INITIATIVE BRING?

The Washington State Arts Initiative, when passed into law, will bring the following changes:

• All K-8 students will have Arts instruction, every year. At least one visual and one performing arts class available to them to choose from.
• These courses will be taught during the school day, by qualified arts instructors.
• These courses will be given instructional time equal to that of the other core subjects. 
• High school students will have both visual and performing arts (VAPA)courses available to them, each year.
• Waiving the second VAPA credit, required for graduation under CORE 24, will no longer be an option. 
• Arts teachers will be an equal part of the VAPA curriculum development in their schools.

HOW CAN YOU HELP?
Here's how you can be a part of the effort:

1. Open the attachment of our Signature Petition sheet. The file has been included in both Publisher and PDF formats. 

2. Make copies of the sheet. **These copies must be two-sided and printed on 11" x 17" paper. If they are not, we risk having all of those signatures thrown out. <:O

3. Get out there and get as many signatures as you can possibly get! Friends, family, strangers...we've all encountered signature gatherers before---it's time to step up and be one! :) Check out this FAQ page from the Secretary of State's web site for some important info on where you may and may not gather signatures:   FAQ Page


4. If you wish to be reimbursed for the copies you've made of the signature sheet, submit your receipt to the WAEA treasurer. Of course, if you choose to make your copies a donation to this effort, that is tremendously appreciated, but the WAEA has set aside some funds to cover these costs. 
5. When you have completed all of the signature sheets you are able to, please mail them to the address below or bring them to a WAEA meeting. You may also contact James Andrews, WAEA Advocacy co-chair,  via email and arrange a meeting to hand off your sheets



**All signature sheets are due back to James Andrews of the WAEA, by Friday, 26 June, 2020. **

Address for mailing completed sheets:
James C. Andrews
1660 NW Marmot Court
Silverdale, WA 98383
advocacy@waea.net
James' email is: advocacy@waea.net

Thank you for volunteering to bring Washington's kids the education they deserve! You are a hero!

​Click image below for the

​DOWNLOADABLE 11"X17"

SIGNATURE SHEETS

​WHAT IS THE PROCESS? 
We believe that the people of Washington State will approve this initiative by a wide margin. However, we have to first get it on the ballot. The process requires us to gather approximately 350,000 signatures in support--and all by the end of this coming June. This is a huge task, but we know that no one works harder and organizes for a cause better than Arts people. We're counting on all of you to help get this important initiative on the November 2020 ballot so that we can finally give Washington students the Arts education they've been promised and deserve.

The Arts Education Equity Initiative, I-1681, is official-- now the real work begins! We have well over 300,000 signatures to gather to get this important initiative on the November 2020 ballot. We only have until the end of June to get this monumental task accomplished. The people of this state support the Arts. I have zero doubt that this initiative will pass with a large majority, but it has to get on the ballot first. Your help is desperately needed to make this happen for our students! ​

Click image below for the

​DOWNLOADABLE 11"X17"

SIGNATURE SHEETS