Click on the photo to view more images from the event.

LEV celebrated its 10th anniversary today with 500 supporters and friends at the Seattle Westin this morning. LEV board member Eric Liu welcomed everyone to the event, followed by remarks from CEO Chris Korsmo. Denny Heck, founder of TVW, gave the keynote speech and Pat Wright and the Total Experience Gospel Choir entertained the crowd.

Did you attend the breakfast? Check out our photos from the 10th anniversary.

Did you know LEV got started at a gas station? Well, not *exactly*, but watch and see for yourself…

There was so much going on last week that we wanted to circle back around to one of our big releases – the publication of our 2011 Report Card.

Our research and policy team gets a lot of requests for information and data. But one of the most-requested graphics is our Washington’s leaky education pipeline chart, which has run in previous versions of our report card.

The graphic shows that out of 100 Washington State students entering 9th grade, only 69 will graduate high school on time, and ultimately, only 18 will receive a college diploma within 6 years.

Now, the good news is that the number has improved from two years ago. The bad news is that we’ve only improved by one student – in our 2009 Report Card, 17 out of those 100 students would receive their diploma within six years.

Some other things to note about the state of education in Washington:

• One out of every four third graders is not reading at grade level.
• Only 40 percent of eighth graders are proficient in math.
• Less than 75 percent of students graduate from high school in four years.
• Nearly half of all community college students must take remedial math.
• We spend $8,567 less per student than the national leader.

Want to know more? Read the 2011 Report Card.

It’s a tough economic climate—especially to achieve the supermajority vote needed to pass a school bond. And yet, that’s exactly what happened last week thanks to the tenacity and hard work of students, schools, and volunteers in Yakima.

For the first time in nearly 20 years, voters in the Yakima School District approved a $114 million school bond to build a new high school and modernize seven other schools.

The critical factor for this success story was the kids!

Two student coordinators from each high school worked together to organize their peers and community members to build support for the school bond. One of the culminating events was the BondFest rally, where students from each school marched from their campus to the park to hear speakers and performances. More than 1,000 students and community supporters attended the event.

In an election with nearly 12,000 votes cast, students and volunteers delivered a powerful message that reached more than 10,000 voters via door-to-door knocking, phone calls, and rallies.

These students truly gave their heart and soul. Their work will mean future high school classes will learn and walk the halls of modern and safer buildings.

Special thanks should go to Central Washington Progress and The Washington Bus for providing technical help and know-how around elections and organizing.

If you’re starting up a levy and/or bond campaign in November or next year—you’re not alone! Yakima is a success story that can work in any community in the state.

At LEV, I’m one of two field organizers who will travel anywhere in Washington State to help you setup and develop a solid plan to win a school levy or bond. We can also put you in touch with other resources that can provide voter analysis and assistance with K-12 finance and organizing. And, there’s LEV’s Levy Library for online access to collective knowledge from dozens of past levy and bond campaigns. 

Contact me or Frank Ordway, our NW WA Regional Director, about getting involved in or running a levy or bond campaign at info@educationvoters.org.

It’s a historic–but bittersweet–day for Washington’s children and schools. Gov. Chris Gregoire signed Engrossed Substitute House Bill 2261, which marks the beginning of the movement to redefine and fully fund “basic education” so all children receive the support they need to succeed in college, job training, work and life.

A broad-based coalition of parents, business leaders, community members and education stakeholders worked closely with legislators for months to pass the landmark education reform legislation. The reforms, which begin in 2011 and will be fully implemented by 2018, will:

• Expand the school day so high school students can take more math, science and world language courses to graduate with 24 credits;
• Redefine basic education to include all-day kindergarten, highly capable education, transportation and other academic programs and support services students need to succeed in school;
• Make school funding more transparent for school leaders, lawmakers and parents through the use of a “prototypical schools” model; and
• Direct the State Board of Education to develop an accountability system and intervention measures targeted at challenged schools and districts.

Two reasons make this a bittersweet occasion.

In a surprise veto, the governor removed the section that included early learning in the revised definition of basic education. The governor disagreed with the approach to provide early learning for only at-risk children. We are deeply disappointed. Including early learning was to be the foundation of a child-focused bill. Solid research demonstrates that children who are at-risk, who receive high-quality early learning, will do better in school and life. However, the governor pledged to work with policymakers to provide early learning opportunities for all children. This issue continues to be a top priority of ours and we will count on your support moving forward.

This afternoon, the governor also signed the 2009-2011 state budget into law, which cuts more than $1.5 billion from public education. Already, children, teachers, schools and colleges are feeling the impact.

Going forward, it’s crucial that we continue to remind our policymakers that these cuts are devastating to our state’s education system and the future prospects of our children.

As for ESHB 2261, the work has just begun. It’s up to all of us to ensure these reforms are implemented so our educators and schools receive the support they need to provide the high quality education that every child deserves.

We hope you’ll join us tonight for a town hall meeting to hear Kati Haycock, president of The Education Trust, speak about the next steps for education advocates and participate in a robust conversation about the future of our public schools.

Tonight: Monday, May 18th, 7 – 9 PM
Seattle Public Library
Microsoft Auditorium
1000 Fourth Avenue, Seattle, WA 98104
View your invitation to this event.

Please send your RSVP to katie@educationvoters.org.

Kati Haycock is one of the nation’s leading child advocates in the field of education.  As president of The Education Trust, Kati speaks up for what’s right for young people, especially those who are poor or members of communities of color.

We hope to see you tonight at this free public town hall for students, parents, and education advocates who are interested in building the movement for education reform.

Join parents and school advocates to find out what’s next for your kids and schools in Washington State.

You’re invited to a town hall meeting to hear Kati Haycock, president of The Education Trust, speak about the next steps for education advocates and join a robust conversation about the future of our public schools.

Monday, May 18th, 7 – 9 PM
Seattle Public Library
Microsoft Auditorium
1000 Fourth Avenue, Seattle, WA 98104
View your invitation to this event.

Please send your RSVP to katie@educationvoters.org.

Kati Haycock is one of the nation’s leading child advocates in the field of education.  As president of The Education Trust, Kati speaks up for what’s right for young people, especially those who are poor or members of communities of color.

We hope to see you at this free public town hall for students, parents, and education advocates who are interested in building the movement for education reform.

This is an historic day for one million public school kids in our state. The state Legislature passed the education reform bill, ESHB 2261. For the first time in 30 years, we’ve re-defined basic education to include the tools our educators need to prepare our kids for college, work and life.

The passage of ESHB 2261 commits the state to fully implementing and funding early learning for at-risk kids, all-day kindergarten, stronger graduation requirements, a longer school day, and other reforms to improve outcomes for children by 2018. It’s up to all of us-parents, educators, and students-to work together to hold our lawmakers accountable to fulfilling that commitment.

Congratulations! Applaud yourselves for achieving an historic milestone for children and schools. Thank you for your passion and persistence. It’s clear that your personal phone calls, messages and visits made a tremendous difference. Now we need to thank our lawmakers.

Please send a thank you note to the legislators who made this possible.

• View the roll call vote on ESHB 2261.
• Call the legislative hotline at 1.800.562.6000. Staff will help you leave a message for your legislators.
• Thank your legislators for supporting ESHB 2261, and helping to build the world-class education system that our children deserve.

We know schools and educators are doing the best job possible in the midst of budget cuts. ESHB 2261 is an acknowledgement that our state is not living up to its paramount duty, and that our teachers deserve the support and resources they need to provide a high quality education for every child. The legislation provides a roadmap for the future to build a stronger and more amply funded education system that will be protected from devastating budget cuts. And, it positions our state to compete for $5 billion in federal funds dedicated to innovation in our public schools.

ESHB 2261 now goes to the governor’s desk, where it is expected to be signed into law. Stay tuned for more information about the bill signing ceremony.

Again, thank you for making a difference!

We’re one step closer to re-defining basic education for the first time in 30 years for Washington’s one million public school children.

The State Senate passed the education reform bill, ESHB 2261, by a vote of 26 to 23 yesterday. The bill now goes to the House for approval before reaching the governor’s desk.

Your personal call will make a difference in the outcome of this vote.

TAKE ACTION: Please call your state representatives by Monday morning and urge them to vote YES to send ESHB 2261 to the governor’s desk.

• Call the legislative hotline at 1.800.562.6000. The hotline is open from 8 AM to 8 PM M-F and 9 AM to 1 PM on Saturday.
• Urge your state representatives to vote YES on ESHB 2261.

View the vote count on HB 2261 to see how your state representatives previously voted.

For the first time in a generation, we’re poised to re-define our state’s definition of basic education based on today’s expectations. ESHB 2261, which incorporates improvements from the Senate, would:

• Strengthen Washington’s high school diploma and expand the school day to prepare students for college, job training and the workforce;
• Re-define basic education to include transportation to and from school, all-day kindergarten, highly capable funding, and early learning for children considered at-risk; and
• Fully implement these reforms with full funding by the 2018-19 school year.

Click here for a full summary of the bill passed by the Senate.

Thank you for your support.

Washington’s schools, like families, have been tightening their budgets, while doing everything they can to ensure kids continue to grow and thrive.

This week, the Senate and House released their 2009-2011 budget proposals, which close a $9 billion shortfall with cuts and federal stimulus dollars. Although legislators prioritized children and education, both budgets would cut early learning, public schools and higher education by more than $1.3 billion.

The Senate and House make tough choices in their education budgets. Here’s our overall view of how the budgets would impact the future of our state’s children, schools and colleges.

Early Learning

Access to high quality early learning is the key to dramatically improving outcomes for young children and families. We appreciate that the Senate and House prioritized and protected early learning in their budgets. Despite modest cuts, both budgets would largely maintain access to preschool programs for children from low-income families through our state’s Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program (ECEAP) by preventing 1,000 cuts to enrollment slots. Although, we prefer budget writers had make cuts elsewhere and fully funded this essential program.

K-12 Public Education

Although public education is the state’s paramount duty, the budget only protects a narrow, legalistic definition of “basic education.” Education programs that are essential, but are not technically part of basic education, have either been eliminated or deeply cut such as Initiative 728, levy equalization and funding to lower K-4 class sizes. The loss of I-728 alone could mean between 3,000 and 5,000 teachers would lose their jobs.

If we had a robust definition of basic education, children would not be faced with the prospect of losing their new teacher and not getting the help that they need to be successful in school and life.

We applaud the House budget for including funding to implement education reform legislation. We are concerned that the Senate relied heavily on federal stimulus dollars, which are one-time funds, to pay for basic education.

Higher Education

Our children are counting on being able to afford and enroll at one of our state’s colleges or universities to learn the skills necessary to earn a living wage. Unfortunately, both budgets make devastating cuts to our state’s higher education system. Up to 10,000 students may be denied access under the Senate budget. The House attempts to maintain current enrollments by implementing greater tuition hikes and deeper cuts in faculty and courses.

Click here to view the Senate and House operating budget summaries.

Help ensure a bright future for children in our state

The education budget represents our investment in our children’s future. We have a responsibility to our children to take care of them first because they are counting on us to help them achieve their dreams in life. Unfortunately, the proposed cuts will mean the future prospects of children across Washington State will be dimmed.

We have the ability to break this cycle of cutting school budgets during downturns and filling in the holes when our economy improves by taking bold action now. Now is the time to redefine basic education and adopt systemic reforms and accountability measures and tie them to a responsible implementation schedule. If we do so, we will be able to hold our state lawmakers and ourselves accountable for providing our children the kind of education they need to succeed in good economic times and in bad times. We would also better position Washington State to receive federal stimulus dollars and other funds tied to President Obama’s call for innovation in our public schools.

You can take action to make a difference for children and education by:

• Urging your legislators to support revising the definition of basic education to include what our children need to succeed in school, college, job training and the workforce.

More than 5,400 parents, educators and students have signed the Washington Kids Can’t Wait petition. We need your help to present the petition to Gov. Chris Gregoire with 10,000 signatures.

Please ask two people to sign the Washington Kids Can’t Wait Petition to help us pass 10,000 signatures by Friday, April 3rd.

And, tell them to take a moment to ADD A COMMENT when they sign about why this is important-our voice matters!

Reaching our goal will send a loud and clear message that:

• We want our lawmakers to protect funding for Washington’s children and schools; and
• We want our lawmakers to redefine basic education to pay for what our children need to succeed in college, job training, work and life.

Next week, state lawmakers will release a budget proposal that will make cuts in our public education system in order to close a historic budget shortfall. Kids in our public schools will feel the real impacts of these cuts.

Our lawmakers need to know that we are paying attention and will hold them responsible for investing in our children’s future.

Please ask two of your family, friends and colleagues to sign the Washington Kids Can’t Wait Petition so we can reach our goal of 10,000 signatures by Friday, April 3rd.

Thank you for supporting children and schools!

Lisa Layera Brunkan and Susan McBurney, Fund Our Future Washington
Kelly Munn, League of Education Voters
Shannon Campion, Stand for Children
Laura Bay, Washington State PTA

This is the face of an ECEAP graduate succeeding in kindergarten. Every morning 8,226 children attend preschool statewide thanks to the state’s Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program (ECEAP).

ECEAP gives them the educational, nutritional, health and social/emotional support they need to start kindergarten ready to succeed. The program also serves as a safety net for many families. The program, for example, helps parents locate emergency food and shelter services, find affordable housing, access health services, and find employment within their communities.
Due to Washington’s $9 billion budget deficit, funding for ECEAP is in jeopardy.

The House and Senate budgets will be released next week. We need you to contact Speaker Chopp and Majority Leader Brown today to urge them to protect funding for ECEAP. You can also call them via the legislative hotline at 1.800.562.6000.

Tell them that cuts to ECEAP would hurt Washington’s neediest kids. With more than 2,600 children on the ECEAP waiting list, the need is already too high. Also, ECEAP programs often serve families that Head Start programs can’t reach. This is especially true in some rural areas of the state where Head Start programs are not located.

Legislators are believers in early learning. However, they are gambling on the other Washington to provide federal funding for early learning programs. Cuts in ECEAP funding cannot be replaced with federal Head Start stimulus funds. The federal Head Start funding is temporary and the majority of the funding will not be used for expansion.

Please contact Speaker Chopp and Majority Leader Brown today and tell them to protect our children’s future by funding ECEAP.

With only 39 days left in the legislative session, we can’t let up.

Two education reform proposals, Senate Bill 6048 and House Bill 2261, are moving through the legislative process. Both chambers passed their respective bills, so now the Senate will consider HB 2261, and vice versa.

HB 2261 will receive a public hearing in the Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education Committee next Wednesday, March 25th at 8 AM.

TAKE ACTION: Email us if you would like to testify on HB 2261 in Olympia. Or, send us your testimony and we’ll pass it along to the committee members.

We believe the success of education reform efforts this year depends on the Senate. Nine freshman lawmakers, led by Rep. Marcie Maxwell, sent a timely letter to Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown and Sen. Rosemary McAuliffe, chair of the Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education Committee, urging them to pass HB 2261.

Of the two education reform bills, we believe the House proposal, HB 2261, is the stronger measure because it would:

• Redefine basic education to include what our children need to succeed in school, college, job training, and life;
• Improve academic achievement by including early learning for at-risk children, all-day kindergarten, and support for struggling students in the program of basic education; and
• Add more instructional time to give students the opportunity to take additional courses so they graduate ready for college, job training and the workforce.

Click here to view a side-by-side comparison of HB 2261 and SB 6048.

Also this week, Gov. Chris Gregoire said she would not sign an “education bill that puts in a new definition of education without the funds to pay for it.”

In fact, HB 2261 would not impose new burdens on our schools now. It would phase in reforms over time beginning in 2011. The bill would fund the changes by dedicating a portion of the state’s growth in revenue to basic education.

Take a minute to help public school children

You can send our lawmakers in Olympia a loud and clear message that now is the time to update the definition of basic education this legislative session. Please take one minute to sign this petition in support of children and schools.

Thank you for your support.

I have been fighting for the resources and reforms that our public schools need for many years. Now more than ever, I believe that an investment in public education is an investment in the future. And, that begins with a redefinition of basic education requiring Washington State to provide our children with what they need to succeed.

We need to build a MOVEMENT in support of public education. We need to hold our lawmakers accountable for our state’s paramount duty-education. We need to send our lawmakers in Olympia a loud and clear message that now is the time to update the definition of basic education this legislative session.

Take one minute to sign this petition in support of children and schools. The goal is to get thousands of signatures on this petition.

For those of you that don’t know, the definition of basic education in Washington was last updated in 1977. The world has changed dramatically since then and today’s graduates need a MUCH higher level of skills and knowledge to be successful in our rapidly changing economy.

You can HELP send that message by clicking on the link below to sign this IMPORTANT petition. It only takes a minute!

http://gopetition.com/petitions/wakidscantwait.html

Please write a comment about the importance of redefining basic education this year. Once we amass enough signatures-we will hand deliver the list, along with the comments, to Gov. Chris Gregoire, Speaker Frank Chopp and Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown.

For those of you that miss getting signatures for education initiatives, here’s your opportunity. There is a paper version of the petition at www.wakidscantwait.com. You can print it out and take it to book clubs, meetings and sporting events!

We need this petition to go viral. Please do your part by spreading it around to your family, friends and colleagues.

Thanks for all you do to help set our children up for success!

Parents and education advocates cheered as the state House passed a bill today that would reform Washington’s schools. House Bill 2261 passed with a bipartisan vote of 71 to 26 and will move on to the state Senate for consideration.

The passage of HB 2261 is a huge step forward for children and schools.

Please send a “thank you” message to the four House members, Rep. Pat Sullivan, Rep. Skip Priest, Rep. Ross Hunter and Rep. Glenn Anderson, who were the architects of HB 2261.

The House members worked together to improve HB 2261 to include reforms that children need to succeed in college, job training and the workforce. A major piece in HB 2261 was added as an amendment by Rep. Hunter to strengthen Washington’s high school diploma to ensure students take the courses they need to pursue their dreams after high school.

HB 2261 received support from both sides of the aisle during floor debate. Rep. Priest asked, “If we don’t do education reform now, when will we?”

Rep. Sullivan said the bill will hold the Legislature accountable for a quality education for every child. Rep. Marcie Maxwell and Rep. Reuven Carlyle, both freshmen lawmakers, said education was why they ran for the Legislature.

Speak up for education reform at your town hall

In order to pass education reform legislation this year, the state Senate and House must agree on one bill to send to the Governor’s desk.

Your legislators will be in your community this month to hold a Legislative District Town Hall Meeting. This is your best opportunity to talk face-to-face with your state lawmakers and urge them to support education reform.

View the list of Senate and House members who supported or opposed education reform legislation. Thank your Senator and Representatives for voting YES or let them know why you support education reform.

Click here to view the latest list of Legislative District Town Hall Meetings.

Thank you for your support.

Between now and tomorrow’s vote, your two members of the Washington State House will hear a lot from colleagues, constituents and lobbyists about House Bill 2261, a proposal that moves education reform one step forward.

It’s urgent that they also hear from YOU. Please contact your House members and urge them to VOTE YES on HB 2261.

CALL THEM VIA THE LEGISLATIVE HOTLINE AT 1.800.562.6000.
SEND THEM AN E-MAIL MESSAGE.
TO FIND YOUR LEGISLATORS, CLICK HERE.

House members will be voting on an amended bill that includes proposals to:

• Redefine basic education to include early learning for at-risk children and the academic programs and support services students need to succeed in school and life;
• Make school funding more transparent for school leaders, lawmakers and parents through the use of a “prototypical schools” model; and
• Dedicate a certain portion of the growth in state revenue to basic education.

Education reform continues to be a work in progress. The Washington State Senate passed their proposal, Senate Bill 6048, yesterday. We expect substantive amendments to be introduced and debated on both bills. We believe it’s important to keep both options alive and moving forward.

Speak up for education reform at your town hall

Your legislators will be in your community this month to hold a Legislative District Town Hall Meeting. Besides traveling to Olympia, this is your best opportunity to talk face-to-face with your state lawmakers.

Click here to view the latest list of Legislative District Town Hall Meetings.

It’s critical that you urge your state lawmakers to remain committed to education reforms that will provide our kids what they need to succeed in school and life.

Thank you for your support.

Our children and schools are counting on us to vote YES to approve local school levies and bonds tomorrow.

View a list of March 10th school levy and bond elections.

If your school district is on the list, visit your school district’s home page for more information about the levy and/or bond.

Your YES vote on a school levy provides critical funding that supports student learning. The levy helps fund smaller class sizes, new textbooks, student transportation, technology, bilingual and special education services, and student activities.

A YES vote on a school bond will fund renovation or construction of new schools in your community. Bond elections still require a 60 percent supermajority to pass.

For your vote to count, please postmark and mail your ballot by Tuesday, March 10th.

We know economic times are tough in our state. However, our economy will eventually recover. A levy failure can impact a child’s quality of education for years to come.

To get involved, share best practices, and learn more about school levy and bond elections, visit the League of Education Voters Levy Library.

Thank you for supporting our schools.

In two days, parents, educators, and students across Washington State will rise early in the morning to board buses and join carpools to Olympia to participate in PTA Focus Day 2009.

It’s not too late to join the movement! Register online to participate in PTA Focus Day 2009.

We need to tell our state lawmakers to remain committed to education reform. And remember, kids should be our priority. The only way we will get improvements in the system is if we talk about how changes will affect kids.

The stakes could not be any higher this year. Children and schools are facing nearly $1 billion in proposed cuts that could result in larger class sizes and the elimination or reduction of programs to boost student achievement.

Your local state senator and state representatives need to hear how this will impact your children and schools.

• Make an appointment to visit with your legislators. Make sure they are paying attention to what’s happening with their local schools and education reform this year. If they’re unavailable, visit their offices and let their legislative assistants know you stopped by.

• Join the PTA Focus Day rally on the Capitol steps at Noon.

• If you are unable to attend, participate in the PTA Focus Day movement online by e-mailing your legislators today.

Click here for a detailed agenda for PTA Focus Day 2009 this Thursday, February 26th.

This is a critical time to pass long-term reforms that will redefine basic education so the Legislature will fund what our children really need. Our goal is a more stable, equitable, and adequately funded education system that prepares all children for college, career or technical education, work, and life.

Register online to participate in PTA Focus Day 2009.

Your VOICE can help a child succeed in school and life.

Let’s rally for the future of Washington’s public schools. Join the PTA on February 26th for its Focus Day 2009 in Olympia. This is a day for parents, educators and students to rally for school funding and reform.

Register online to participate in the PTA’s Focus Day 2009.

Need a ride? Email us and we’ll help you find a ride to Olympia.

Here’s what you need to know:

PTA Focus Day 2009 – Thursday, February 26th

• Activities begin at 9 AM
• Rally on the Capitol Steps from Noon to 1 PM
• Focus Day events conclude at 4 PM
• Detailed Agenda

The time is now to fix our broken school finance system.

The stakes could not be any higher for the future of our children. Policymakers are considering legislation that would redefine basic education and fund what our children really need. It is time to raise our voices to show how much we care about our kids and schools so:

• Every child is ready for kindergarten;
• Every child is able to read by third grade;
• Every child has an excellent teacher in the classroom; and
• Every child graduates from high school ready for college, work and life.

We can change the outcome of children’s lives across our state by improving our education system. Let’s make sure our legislators hear how important it is to fulfill our state’s paramount duty.

Register online to participate in the PTA’s Focus Day 2009.

If you are unable to attend, send an e-mail to your legislators.

Your participation WILL make a difference!

Our students are counting on us to vote YES to approve local school levies and bonds on Tuesday, February 3rd.

Click here to view a list of February 3rd school levy and bond elections.

If your school district is on the list, visit your school district’s home page for more information about the levy and/or bond.

Your YES vote on a school levy provides critical funding that supports student learning. The levy helps fund smaller class sizes, new textbooks, student transportation, technology, bilingual and special education services, and student activities.

A YES vote on a school bond will fund renovation or construction of new schools in your community. Bond elections still require a 60 percent supermajority to pass.

Please postmark and mail your ballot by Tuesday, February 3rd.

We know economic times are tough in our state. However, our economy will eventually recover. A levy failure can impact a child’s quality of education for years to come.

To get involved, share best practices, and learn more about school levy and bond elections, visit the League of Education Voters Levy Library.

Thank you for supporting our schools.

For a decade, we’ve been pushing for bold reforms to improve our schools. It’s like pushing a boulder uphill.

For the first time in 30 years, there’s real hope that our lawmakers will adopt a new definition of basic education — one that will drive the policies and funding that our children need to be successful.

This week, more than 350 parents, educators and students helped move that boulder a long way. Legislators and the press took notice of the packed hearing rooms in support of Senate Bill 5444 and House Bill 1410, which would implement the recommendations of the Basic Education Finance Task Force.

Last night, our passion and optimism for real school reform kept us going until the last person testified, close to 10 PM.  Rep. Dave Quall, chair of the House Education Committee, remarked, “This is probably the most outpouring of support for an education issue in the time I’ve been in the Legislature. And I’ve been here too long to even mention how long that’s been.”

Click here to watch the House Education Appropriations hearing on HB 1410 on TVW.

We’re building momentum, what’s next?

The momentum is building to change the outcome of children’s lives across our state-and it’s all because of you. Your attendance at the hearings and your e-mails are making a difference. But I bet you’re asking, what’s next?

A legislator told me this week that our House and Senate leaders are counting the number of e-mails in support of Senate Bill 5444 and House Bill 1410.

Please take just a few minutes to send a message to our state lawmakers so our Governor, and Senate and House leaders can see just how much support is behind these bills.

Here’s how you can take action today:

• Send your state lawmakers an e-mail. Legislative e-mail addresses are lastname.firstname@leg.wa.gov. If you don’t know your legislators’ names, click here to find out.
• Or, call your state lawmakers via the legislative hotline at 1-(800) 562-6000.
• Send Gov. Chris Gregoire a message.
• Tell them you support Senate Bill 5444 and House Bill 1410 and include a personal reason why you support these bills.

For more information about SB 5444 and HB 1410, click here.

Thanks for being part of this movement to pass bold education reforms this year.

When students, parents and educators come to Olympia-legislators notice and listen.

That’s exactly what happened yesterday at the first public hearing on Senate Bill 5444, the legislation to implement the recommendations of the Basic Education Finance Task Force. There were so many parents and children that staff had to open up an overflow room.

Here’s a brief excerpt of testimony in favor of SB 5444:

• Byron from Redmond: “This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reform our schools.”
• Brooke from Kent: “My biggest concern is to ensure our children’s future is brighter and better.”
• Connie from Issaquah: “We’ve waited a long time for these recommendations.”

Click here for a summary of the public hearing.

Our kids can’t wait!

Indeed, this is our once-in-a-generation opportunity to change our schools so every child graduates ready for life.

Let’s continue to show our lawmakers that we expect change this year.

Senate Bill 5444 and its companion, House Bill 1410, provide the framework for the next decade of investments in education. We need to continue our grassroots effort to ensure one of these bills reaches the Governor’s desk.

We have two more opportunities tomorrow to testify and show support:

Senate Bill 5444
Senate Early Learning & K-12 Committee
Cherberg Building, Hearing Room 1
Wednesday, January 28, 8:00 – 10:00 AM

House Bill 1410
House Education Appropriations Committee
John L O’Brien, Hearing Room A
Wednesday, January 28, 6:00 – 8:00 PM

Contact us at info@educationvoters.org and let us know if you can attend and/or testify.

If you’re not able to attend, we’d like to make sure YOUR VOICE is heard. Send us your testimony at info@educationvoters.org. We’ll hand-deliver your message to legislators. Please include your name, city, school district, and reason for supporting SB 5444 and HB 1410.

Click here for talking points on these education reform bills.

It’s up to all of us to move education reform forward this year. Your personal stories involving your school and what matters to children will make the most difference.

For the first time in nearly 20 years, we now have a comprehensive plan that can powerfully explain what is broken in our education system and how we can fix it.

The time is now! The recommendations of the Basic Education Finance Task Force represent our best opportunity to build a better education system that will prepare all our children for college, work and life. These recommendations are now in two bills, House Bill 1410 and Senate Bill 5444, and scheduled for public hearings next week.

We need to pack these hearing rooms with parents, educators and students to deliver a strong message: we want education reform to move forward this year.

Contact us at info@educationvoters.org to sign up to testify or let us know you’ll join us in Olympia. Our field directors, Kelly Munn and Frank Ordway, will contact you to help you prepare your remarks and make sure you’re signed up to testify.

Let us know which of these public hearings you plan to attend and/or testify:

Public hearing on Senate Bill 5444
Senate Early Learning & K-12 Committee
Cherberg Building, Hearing Room 1
1:30 PM, Monday, January 26

Public hearing on Senate Bill 5444
Senate Early Learning & K-12 Committee
Cherberg Building, Hearing Room 1
8 AM, Wednesday, January 28

Public hearing on House Bill 1410
House Education Appropriations Committee
John L O’Brien, Hearing Room A
6 PM, Wednesday, January 28

Click here for a printable map of the Capitol campus with parking information.