The State House has passed legislation to help Washington win a federal Race to the Top grant and begin fully funding basic education (E2SSB 6696). The bill now goes to the state Senate for concurrence.
Now, parents and educators need to contact their state senators to urge them to support Senate Bill 6696 as it passed in the House. This plan will begin fully funding basic education as they promised in House Bill 2261 and help Washington win a $250 million Race to the Top grant.
Here’s why it’s urgent you contact your state senator. Currently, the Senate is making:
- No commitment to begin fully funding basic education as they promised in last year’s House Bill 2261. Yesterday evening, they passed legislation that ignores HB 2261 by rejecting key recommendations of the Quality Education Council.
- No commitment of state dollars to make real the required education reforms necessary to help Washington win a Race to the Top grant.
Tell your state senator to support Senate Bill 6696 as it passed in the House. This bill adopts Race to the Top reforms and keeps our commitment to begin fully funding basic education.
Race to the Top, so far in the first round, has given out half of its 4.4 billion, or 2.2 billion. 16 states “won” (which of course means 25 states lost funding…)
2.2 billion divided by 16 states = about 150 million, a one-time payment.
Washington’s education budget is well over seven billion.
So….for less that 1/40 of our states education budget, you want us to support massive and unproven reforms that target and demean teachers and other educators?
I don’t think so.
Who will pay for these “reforms” (charters, merit pay, union-busting, etc etc) NEXT year?
I don’t think so.
“Reformers” are nothing but mouthpieces (willing or not) for organizations that want to focus merely on teachers as “the problem,” ignoring root causes, ignoring the problems the economy brings to our communities….”Blame the teachers! Fire them all like we did in Rhode Island!”
I don’t think so.
Washington values education at the top of its list of “to-dos” in its constitution. And you want us to follow meekly along like little lap-dogs, wagging our tails for the fed’s little tid-bit?
I don’t think so.