Sure, That'll Solve ALL Our Public Ed Problems

Apparently this bill comes - in one form or another - every couple of years.

That would be HJR 4216 to bring to a vote of the people a constitutional amendment to get rid of the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. (I have a call in to Reps. Sullivan and Lytton to ask why.)  OSPI had no comment except to say this has come up before.

So the legislature doesn't like the Supreme Court calling them out on McCleary.

And they don't like the State Superintendent of Public Instruction calling them out on McCleary.

So the answer is to create bills to reduce the number of Supreme Court justices and/or get rid of OSPI?

What a bunch of crybabies.


Comments

Catherine said…
Rather than doing the real work, they're making busy work. Can we make sure their districts know about this during election season?
Anonymous said…
Perhaps Representatives Sullivan, Lytton, Blake, and Rossetti could in form us of how many seemingly necessary functions of SPI will be carried out, if SPI no longer exists.
Is the plan to get rid of teacher certification, etc.?

-- Dan Dempsey
Watching said…
I share your concern, Catherine. Last year we saw a bill for the Supreme Court to pound sand. The bill didn't advance and I don't think this bill will advance, either. Perhaps some legislators want to make a statement. None-the-less....I'm seeing a lot of time being wasted in Olympia and Olympia is unlikely to provide funding for their Paramount Duty.

The only way to turn Olympia around is through elections and getting key individuals out of office.
Anonymous said…
OSPI is a joke, just like SPS. Don't you liberals understand understand. I'VE already voted NO and NO.

30 years of Demo control and now you want to blame another party...fools!

WEA and SEA you can eat it!

Voting NO
Voting No, on what are voting no?
Charlie Mas said…
If OSPI is a joke, it's not a very good one. I don't hear anyone laughing. Same for Seattle Public Schools.

I do understand that a lot of people vote No on levies. Of course, more people have voted Yes in recent elections.
Catherine said…
I got curious... so I did some looking at for what is OSPI responsible? Looking at this list:
http://www.k12.wa.us/siteinfo/OfficesPrograms.aspx

It's things like
Background checks and finger printing
Getting and distributing funds from the feds
All levels of certifications
Graduation requirements
Pre-Disaster Mitigation Projects

While I'm sure OSPI could be doing a better job - and I can't think of an organization, agency, or company that couldn't do better than they are - who exactly should be responsible for the important safety provisions for which OSPI is responsible? Or are the reps suggesting getting rid of the department suggesting that we stop performing background checks on those to whom we entrust our children?




seattle citizen said…
Catherine, the charter schools could perform background checks, I'm sure they will be diligent and thorough. And we can hold them accountable for that work by...Oh, wait...
Charlie Mas said…
Seattle Citizen, as any good laissez faire capitalist knows, the market will hold the charter school operators accountable. If they do things badly, families will simply stop choosing them and they will close when their enrollment drops. That's the accountability built into the system.
And, I suppose, if pharmaceutical companies make unsafe or ineffective drugs then people will stop buying them, so there's no need for the government to regulate medicines. Look at all of the accountability the market provides in the unregulated herbal supplement market. No problems there.
And there's no need for the government to confirm that our food is pure and wholesome - people will just inspect slaughterhouses for themselves if they are concerned.
No need for the government to regulate anything so long as the invisible hand of the market provides all of the accountability we will ever need.
Most of all, there is no need to regulate sarcasm, as it a right guaranteed to us by the Constitution.
Sharpener said…
OSPI is run and staffed by petty, tyrannical bureaucrats who have to make up work to justify their meaningless existence. They couldn't organize their way out of a wet tissue-paper bag. They issue confusing, absurd, often conflicting policy decisions that would be laughable if they didn't cause so much harm. Please... dismantle the entire department. Good riddance.
Anonymous said…
Speaking of getting rid of entire departments.....

Ted Cruz wants to get rid of the US Department of Education.

I like that idea a lot. Imaging the last several years without Arne Duncan, NCLB, RttT,
etc.

By the way the US Feds contribution to WA State k-12 schools is only 8.58%

You can check it out HERE


http://www.bipps.org/education-feeding-at-the-federal-trough/

-- Dan Dempsey
mirmac1 said…
I just heard that the SPD SWAT team, yes the SWAT TEAM will be the Garfield/RBHS basketbal game tomorrow. What kinda mess is this? Whatever happened to the DARE Dodge Charger and Officer Friendly?
Anonymous said…
Mirmac, have you ever been in the parking lot after a close RB/GH or RB/FH game? Isn't about the students, it is about warring local gangs using the game as an excuse for a drive by or fight.

-SWWS
Anonymous said…
Any update on which 19 after school programs
Are closing ?
Waiting
Lynn said…
Sounds like that basketball game should be cancelled or held offsite or without any spectators.
Anonymous said…
Or, just whatever police presence SPD thinks is appropriate.

-SWWS
Anonymous said…
If you're in sped, you surely know how worthless OSPI really is. Imagine, an organization so corrupt that it would demand that the sped director in Seattle hire the friends of OSPI's sped director -- to the tune of 15% of the federal funds intended for students with disabilities, to oversee special ed in Seattle. Imagine, OSPI demanding over and over that Seattle's sped director specifically name particular consultant in order to receive federal funds for students with disabilities. Imagine, OSPI forced to bully SPS into redirecting those same funds to the only other consultants because the the same SPS sped director bungled the contract with OSPIs darling consultants. Imagine, that this consulting firm, who had 0 experience in special ed, or consulting group now sits at JSEE. Their big accomplishment for all that? A set of secret procedure manuals, that nobody has read. The secret scrolls.

Imagine, that even though OSPI has oversight of special ed in Seattle, and that it recognizes the legitimacy of more than half of the communities complaints.... the only remedy is "have another IEP meeting" for individuals, or "write a book about your process" for the system and "by the way, be sure to hire my friends go write that".

Yes. OSPI is a joke, and all their friends are laughing all the way to the bank. I've seen I with my own eyes.

Next
Charlie Mas said…
The OSPI has the duty of enforcement yet refuses to enforce.

So what can be done about that? The Superintendent of Public Instruction is an elected office. Can people find a candidate who is willing to do the work and support that candidate's campaign?
mirmac1 said…
Exactly, why would you expose students and families to potential SWAT-level violence? Overkill.
I would agree; if it is possible that things could get that bad, for the good of the teams, a closed game.

Catherine said…
"The OSPI has the duty of enforcement yet refuses to enforce.

So what can be done about that? The Superintendent of Public Instruction is an elected office. Can people find a candidate who is willing to do the work and support that candidate's campaign?"

Sounds like a great opportunity for a candidate questionnaire....
Catherine, there are at least four people running and I hope to get a candidate questionaire out there.

mirmac1 said…
My initial thoughts are: if a candidate has been at OSPI for years and yet effectuated no change, they have a higher bar to climb.
Catherine said…
Sounds great Melissa! Let us know if we can help.

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