Let's Get McCleary Done
Washington's Paramount Duty is organizing a trip down to Olympia on Tuesday, September 6th to address the Education Funding Task Force that is working on McCleary funding issues.
Yes, I know that's the first day of school but if you can't come, please DO weigh in anyway.
E-mail Tali Rausch, who is the head of WPD, with your funding thoughts. She will be compiling these e-mails to present to the committee. A huge stack of statements from parents and communities really would send a message to these legislators. Her e-mail is:
tali@paramountduty.org
Here's what input the Task Force is seeking:
1) What is your vision for education in Washington?
2) What do you see is the impact of chronically underfunding schools?
3) How would you like to see education funded in our state?
Need help with what to say? WPD has a toolbox to help you out.
If you want to submit your testimony to your legislator as well, here's a link to legislators' e-mail addresses.
From Tali and WPD:
Dear WPD Supporter,
I am going to Olympia on September 6th with my 3 children, Jonah (5th grader), Ezra and Ellie (twin 3rd graders), because I believe every child in our state has the right to an amply funded public education -- to having updated textbooks, books on their library shelves, access to art and music classes, support of school counselors and nurses, and an uncrowded classroom, allowing teachers to give each child the individual attention and support they need.
Will you join me? Come hold a sign or testify, show up and be noticed. Your presence makes a difference!
The first report from the consultant to the Task Force is due September 1st. We anticipate this hearing will involve a discussion of that report.
Sign up today!
Education Funding Task Force Meeting
Tuesday, September 6, 2016
10:00 am – 12:00 pm
John L. O'Brien Building, Room A
Olympia, WA
Get involved:
· Come to Olympia and be with us to share our message. Hold a sign outside the hearing room or join us inside!
· Volunteer now to help us organize the event.
· Testify during the hearing or by proxy (email me your a one page testimony and we will submit to the task force on your behalf).
· Share this event, http://paramountduty.org/vision-for-education/, on Facebook, tweet it, and tell your friends/neighbors.
· Help us raise the $5,000 we need for:
· Transportation & food — Most of our supporters will be traveling a significant distance.
· Child care — 9/6 is a weekday, and many supporters will need to bring their children. During the 2-hour hearing, we need to provide child care.
· Messaging Materials — We need to produce messaging materials for our supporters to distribute in Olympia – and back home.
THANK YOU, as always, for your support.
Tali
Tali Rausch,
President
Washington's Paramount Duty
Yes, I know that's the first day of school but if you can't come, please DO weigh in anyway.
E-mail Tali Rausch, who is the head of WPD, with your funding thoughts. She will be compiling these e-mails to present to the committee. A huge stack of statements from parents and communities really would send a message to these legislators. Her e-mail is:
tali@paramountduty.org
Here's what input the Task Force is seeking:
1) What is your vision for education in Washington?
2) What do you see is the impact of chronically underfunding schools?
3) How would you like to see education funded in our state?
Need help with what to say? WPD has a toolbox to help you out.
If you want to submit your testimony to your legislator as well, here's a link to legislators' e-mail addresses.
From Tali and WPD:
Dear WPD Supporter,
I am going to Olympia on September 6th with my 3 children, Jonah (5th grader), Ezra and Ellie (twin 3rd graders), because I believe every child in our state has the right to an amply funded public education -- to having updated textbooks, books on their library shelves, access to art and music classes, support of school counselors and nurses, and an uncrowded classroom, allowing teachers to give each child the individual attention and support they need.
Will you join me? Come hold a sign or testify, show up and be noticed. Your presence makes a difference!
The first report from the consultant to the Task Force is due September 1st. We anticipate this hearing will involve a discussion of that report.
Sign up today!
Education Funding Task Force Meeting
Tuesday, September 6, 2016
10:00 am – 12:00 pm
John L. O'Brien Building, Room A
Olympia, WA
Get involved:
· Come to Olympia and be with us to share our message. Hold a sign outside the hearing room or join us inside!
· Volunteer now to help us organize the event.
· Testify during the hearing or by proxy (email me your a one page testimony and we will submit to the task force on your behalf).
· Share this event, http://paramountduty.org/vision-for-education/, on Facebook, tweet it, and tell your friends/neighbors.
· Help us raise the $5,000 we need for:
· Transportation & food — Most of our supporters will be traveling a significant distance.
· Child care — 9/6 is a weekday, and many supporters will need to bring their children. During the 2-hour hearing, we need to provide child care.
· Messaging Materials — We need to produce messaging materials for our supporters to distribute in Olympia – and back home.
THANK YOU, as always, for your support.
Tali
Tali Rausch,
President
Washington's Paramount Duty
Comments
We'd love to have as many people join us on 9/6 in Olympia as possible. Please come, whether or not you testify. Just having a presence is very helpful. Also, please know that I'd never testified in the legislature until a year ago, and I found to my great surprise that it really isn't hard! The best testimony is based on personal experience. (Which is a lesson I need to remember too.) I'm happy to talk to anyone who thinks that he/she or his/her child might testify. Email me at summer@paramountduty.org.
Also, if you can't make it, please do submit testimony in writing to Tali (tali@paramountduty.org), and she'll submit the written testimony to the task force.
Summer Stinson
I've also heard that WPD is working with LEV. I'd like to know-more.
There seem to be a number of bills floating around that could potentially be helpful, like SB 6093, as well as some property tax related ones. If I knew which bills or proposals were deemed best by the group, we could do a letter writing campaign in support of specific proposals, and maybe get some traction around those action items.
These comments reflect what WPD has heard from parents and teachers across the state. It's not a final plan for a single new revenue source, but it instead lays out the basic philosophy by which education revenues should be generated, and lists some possible options that fit those values - including a capital gains tax on high incomes, closing corporate tax loopholes, a carbon tax, a state income tax, and more.
Alyssa, I think we will see specific proposals made in the new legislative session, but for right now the best thing to do would seem to be to tell the legislature directly what you want to see. They need to hear from more people.