thanks guys! i used the logic_compare entity (from the article soup mentioned) and added the outputs to my button to change the prop_dynamic skin when the button is pressed, and it works great =)
New problem: when i first installed the light_spots, they were very bright (i have a lot of them, each with a brightness of 200). Now that they are triggered by the switch, inexplicably, they are MUCH dimmer. In the following pic, the only differeance from one map to the next is i deleted the name of the light_spots so they are always on (instead of togglable when they are named):
Any idea why naming/triggering the light would cause it to lose so much brightness? I suppose it is not a big deal, i could always just boost their brightness values, but i'm still curious why this would happen...