Urgent: Contact Senator Murray's Office Today on NCLB Waiver

Education Week is reporting that Senator Patty Murray will be meeting this weekend with Education Secretary Arne Duncan about Washington State waiver request for NCLB.  Really good insights from Education Week:

Washington State is in the unfortunate position of being just one of four that had its NCLB waiver put on "high risk" status by the U.S. Department of Education. The Evergreen State has run into trouble with the teacher-evaluation component of the waivers, which has been the trickiest part for those states seeking the flexilibility under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.

But Washington is in the fortunate position of having a very powerful advocate on its team: Sen. Patty Murray. She chairs the Senate Budget Committee, is trusted by Senate leadership, and is a senior member of the panels that oversee education policy and spending. What's more, she could be in line to chair one or both of those committees in the next Congress, after Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, retires. 

"Although Senator Murray can't offer any blanket assurances that the waiver will be granted, she is committed to continuing to advocate for its extension because she understands the impact losing it would have on schools," Matt McAlvanah, a spokesman for Murray, wrote in an email. "Additionally, she is focused on working with her colleagues in Congress to fully reauthorize ESEA with the input of Washington state stakeholders."

I urge you to weigh into the Senator's office TODAY.   I will be calling to request that she ask Secretary Duncan for the waiver.  Washington State has made a lot of forward progress on teacher evaluations and this "stick" is not going to help. 

Washington, D.C.  toll-free - (866) 481-9186
Seattle - (206) 553-5545
Email

Comments

Anonymous said…
From Washington State Wire :

http://washingtonstatewire.com/blog/state-senate-gambled-vital-funds-for-neediest-students/

PSP
2/21/14, 11:46 AM
Anonymous said…
Rid our schools of Common Core and the curriculum that drove the standards!!
Nobody needs or benefits from fuzzy, writing intense, "rigor" let's get back to giving our kids a strong foundation and less testing!
2/24/14, 5:11 PM
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