Seattle Schools Community Forum

I must be blind because I can't see what the Seattle Times editorial board sees when they look at the legislature's response to the McCleary decision.

From my old fav, Horsesass.org (welcome back, Goldy): The indisputable mathematical truth is that we simply cannot meet McCleary and maintain existing government services at constant levels,  without raising new revenue . It can’t be done! And anybody who tells you otherwise is either a liar or an idiot. Washington state has a structural revenue deficit. There is absolutely no way we can magically fund McCleary through economic growth alone. The math doesn’t work. Which means there is no way the state doesn’t eventually find itself in contempt of court. It is going to happen. It is inevitable. Barring a farfetched pro-tax Democratic sweep in this November’s legislative elections, the state will not meet the  McCleary  mandate . So how will the court react? Legislators enjoy immunity, so the court can’t throw them in jail on contempt charges, as much as they might deserve it. And the court lacks the authority to levy taxes itself. So the only rem...

With a tip of the hat to Keith Olberman, I would like to nominate state senator Michael Baumgartner (R-Spokane) for "Worst Person in the World" this week. Mr. Baumgartner has introduced a bill before the state senate that mocks the state supreme court's McCleary decision . This is guy who complained about the waste of time when the senate squandered fifteen minutes naming a state oyster. What a prick  a pointless, unproductive irritation committed for his entertainment. If he and his senate colleagues would do their job and fully fund education as the constitution requires, then they wouldn't have lost the McCleary decision.

From the Seattle Council PTSA: Dear Seattle Council PTSA Members, As you probably know, our state constitution requires ample funding for education.  The Washington Supreme court has directed the legislature to show real and measurable progress by 2018--the McCleary Decision--, and yet, our schools are still underfunded. Please take a few minutes for kids and complete this quick s urvey  .   Your survey reply will be printed into a postcard.  These postcards will be hand delivered to your Washington State Legislators (your Senator and 2 Representatives) plus Governor Inslee on Washington State PTA Focus Day on Tuesday, February 4, 2014 in Olympia. Our kids deserve a twenty-first century education.  The  survey  takes less than 3 minutes but time is short and we need your response by Tuesday, January 28th, 2014. Thank you very much, Eden Mack, SCPTSA Legislative Chair Heidi Be...

How to fund schools properly?  The Stranger Slog offers up not one but two alternatives.  It can be done and done without adding onerous bills (like grading schools) in order to say "we're doing something about education" before education is truly fully funded. Here's the district's "official" notice about proposed Transportation changes.  I'll note a couple of things.  One, they don't list (or link) what schools would be affected.  You'll get a letter if you are affected.  Two, they claim money saved will go to teachers and classrooms.  All $3.4M goes to classrooms?  I'd like to see real and verifiable proof that claim will happen.  Three, about those secondary late start times and the Board wanting a real timeline, here's what staff says: During the School Board’s March retreat with senior District leadership, Board members will discuss their governance priorities and when staff might pursue this work. So they'll h...

It will soon be the start of a new legislative session in Olympia, which, of course, means that the Legislature will take another run at doing the absolute minimum they can do and still claim to be making progress towards their obligation under the McCleary decision. It also means that there will be a bunch of people - all of the usual suspects - claiming that the McCleary decision isn't just about money. Let's stop that nonsense right now. The McCleary decision was about money, not reform. Anyone who tells you different is lying. They will claim that McCleary is as much about reform as it is about money. That's simply not true. McCleary is about reform like Moby Dick is about the second mate, Stubb. Yes, he's in there, but he's not central to the narrative. The book would be the same without him. Don't let anyone deceive you: McCleary is about money, not reform. Yes, there was some mention of reform in the decision, but it wasn't central to the decisio...

I attended the 43rd Dems meeting last night; it's my district.  As you may be aware, the election of Ed Murray as mayor means he leaves the State Legislature as senator.  So his post needs to be filled and, so far, the only person to step forward is the one of the 43rd's representatives, Jamie Pedersen .  (The other is Frank Chopp, the Speaker of the House.)  Senator Murray is to resign on December 31st and the seat must be filled within 60 days of that date. Naturally, that means Pedersen's seat will be open and there are - so far - three candidates vying for the appointed position.  (It seems a complicated process who gets the appointment.  It was explained that the PCOs for the 43rd will vote, their rank order votes for all three are then sent to the King County Council who will make the final decision. Pedersen and Chopp spoke to the crowd about coming legislative issues.  Their overriding message was that the Dems need to regain control of t...

Two good political reads today. First, from Publicola , the explanation of how we don't have enough money for McCleary but boy, do our legislators have enough money to continue tax breaks.  It's just ridiculous and wrong.  From their story(bold mine): Following up on a legislative session in which lawmakers fell $420 million short on funding specific line items to meet the Washington State Supreme Court's McCleary mandate to fund basic K-12 education, the Joint Legislative Audit Review Committee (JLARC), a bipartisan task force of legislators that evaluates the worthiness of tax breaks, signed off on more than $500 million in expenses that are vague and unclear. Why spend the full court-mandated $141.6 million on school buses, $597.1 million on materials, supplies, and operating costs, and $219.2 million on reduced class sizes, I guess, when you can give money away for ambiguous policy goals? (The most recent budget spends about $1 billion on K-12 rath...

Good wrap-up from John Stang over at Crosscut.  Pieces of that question include: What's "steady progress"? What does a 2018 deadline really mean? If you measure progress on a make-believe linear graph, where does Washington stand? How does the lack of a cost-of-living raise for teachers factor in? "Did they define 'steady progress?' " asked Rep. Gary Alexander, R-Olympia. "They did not define 'steady progress,' " replied Susan Mielke, attorney for the House K-12 Education Committee. When the Legislature submits its progress report to the Supreme Court no later than Aug. 29, legislators need to ask for those clarifications, said Rep. Jamie Pedersen, D-Seattle, and a member of the eight-person House-Senate committee tasked with editing and approving the staff-written report.

The answer to that headline is - not really.  Are they getting more money?  Yes.  Enough money? No.  Can the Supreme Court really do anything?  Doubtful. So really, it's a lot of legislators blowing smoke about education.  (And no legislator should pat themself on the back for finally getting a budget.  That said, I know many districts are relieved to finally have some answers so they can finish their own budgets.) The Times reports that half the money would go to fund "student transportation, school supplies and building utilities" (things districts now pay for that the Supreme Court - go figure - said the state should pay for). The rest would go toward expanding state-funded all-day kindergarten and class-size reduction in kindergarten/1st grade in high-povery schools. This is all great but not enough.  (I believe the class-size reduction is about two students per class.  I don't know if the kindergarten funding means no more pay-fo...

I normally don't agree with a lot of the thought process over at LEV.  But here's something I agree with: Which of these makes more sense to you? A) Keeping questionable industry tax breaks on the books? OR B) Amply funding our schools? If you picked "B," it's time to voice your choice. Please take two minutes of your time sending a message to your legislators.  We need to get a tsunami of e-mails to these legislators.  We need them to hear our voices. I know, it's Spring Break, there's a fugitive on the loose in Boston, it's Friday and so on. Please do this. Don't listen to me.  Listen to the words of Blair Butterworth, a well-known political consultant, who died recently.  This is from an op-ed posted at Crosscut .  I have no idea what type of ed reform he is speaking about but it seems to come from the heart.  This is partial: