Leaders for quality public education from cradle to career
At the end of the 2011 Legislative session, Washington adopted the Common Core State Standards as its very own. The standards, which aim to bring consistency and rigor to every state’s education, will be brought on in Washington over the next three years. As we transition to these standards, OSPI is looking for feedback from [...]
Yes, I know it’s Tuesday. This Friday-ish report took a three day weekend. Hope yours was great. The Sine that Won’t Die: The Legislature finally closed up shop last Wednesday. Session was gaveled to a close “Sine Die” – which is Latin for “until we meet again,” or something like that. The special session closed [...]
Despite a tough budget year and an extra 30-day special session, state lawmakers were in a celebratory mood last night. They were relieved that one of the most challenging legislative sessions was done. Legislators and staff lined up on the floor of each chamber and watched through the open doors as Speaker Pro Tempore Jim [...]
Last night, state lawmakers in the House voted on legislation to provide funding to lower K-3 class sizes. Although the vote was 52-42 for House Bill 2078, the bill failed because it did not receive a two-thirds supermajority. The vote came one day after a joint op-ed was published in the Seattle Times by LEV [...]
House and Senate budget leaders announced their bi-partisan budget agreement one day before time runs out on the 30-day special session. The biggest shock was House budget leaders agreeing to a 1.9% across-the-board salary reduction for teachers and 3% for principals and administrators. The Senate had proposed 3% for all educators while the House had [...]
LEV and the Washington Education Association have teamed up to fight for funding for our schools. Together, we co-authored the op-ed below in today’s Seattle Times urging lawmakers to support House Bill 2078, which would provide $115 million over the next two years to reduce K-3 class sizes. Fund smaller K-3 class sizes by eliminating [...]
The End is Near: While some are calling for the “end, end” tomorrow, (rapture reports are rampant – say that five times fast) I’m actually referring to a budget agreement. Looks like House and Senate leaders are very close, some say within a hundred million dollars, and that an agreement could come this weekend. Which would [...]
In public school districts around the state, school leaders are making the painful decision to hand out pink slips to our teachers. Parents are outraged that the state continues to cut school budgets, leading to these awful decisions. But parents also wonder: Are these the right teachers? Current policy means teachers are let go on [...]
Major Domo: This week, the Governor signed the WaKids bill. SB 5427 will support school readiness for roughly 70,000 kids. This glimmer of light in an otherwise dark and stormy session went almost unnoticed by the media. Google it. I dare you. The House Ways and Means Committee passed HB2078 out of committee last week. [...]
As part of our series on key programs affecting kids in the state’s budget, we ran a blog post about Apple Health for Kids, the state’s health coverage plan for children. The program is now facing potential cuts. The Senate’s budget proposal would limit enrollment in the plan, denying at least 2,500 children access to [...]
