Seattle Schools Community Forum

PTA Wars from Time Magazine This article even has quotes from parents at Salmon Bay K-8 (wonder how they found them). We here know the issues: "You now see parent groups paying for a substantial part of the budget," says Julian Weissglass, an education professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara. "But what happens to schools in poorer areas, where parents can't afford to do this? It's very troubling." But here's a great thing: When the Bellingham, Wash., district cut a conservation program from its budget, the PTA at Carl Cozier — whose leaders say it could have funded the field trip for its own students — asked to spearhead a fundraising campaign so that every third-grader in the district's 14 elementary schools could attend. The district green-lighted the proposal, and PTAs throughout Bellingham joined forces to foot the $30,000 bill. Those are parents committed to equity. The dangers (again, we know this as well): One...

( Update: Couldn't find a direct link to the actual ruling. Here's a link to the KOMO story with a link at the bottom of the story.) In what is sure to be a huge story (and possible battle royale with the Governor and the state versus the school districts), the Times reports that King County judge John Erlick has ruled that the state is not " providing ample funding for public schools ." The judge expressed that he had no doubt this was the case. From the article: "He ordered the state Legislature to establish the actual cost of funding an ample education, and then to fund it with stable and dependable sources. One question mark is the timeline determining the cost and how to pay for it. Attorneys for both sides said they would have to first read the full decision to see if the judge set a deadline. If the judge decided on 2018, the year that the Legislature has said it planned to increase education spending by an estimated $1 billion a year, the state woul...

Please take 2 minutes to read and sign this petition: http://gopetition.com/online/25946.html From an e-mail I received from Melissa Purcell: "...the message we must send to Olympia is the same; Redefine the definition of Basic Education this legislative session and lay the groundwork for creating an equitable and sustainable funding system that will FULLY fund all of our public schools and pay quality teachers a respectable wage.The goal is to collect thousands of signatures in support of education... ...Please, take an extra minute to add your own comments or at the very least, use the phrase "Redefine Basic Education" or "Reform Washington State Education in 2009." These comments will be sent directly to your legislators, and the Governor."

From Kelly Munn at the League of Education Voters: Our kids can’t wait! Indeed, this is our once-in-a-generation opportunity to change our schools so every child graduates ready for life. Let’s continue to show our lawmakers that we expect change this year. Senate Bill 5444 and its companion, House Bill 1410, provide the framework for the next decade of investments in education. We need to continue our grassroots effort to ensure one of these bills reaches the Governor’s desk. We have two more opportunities tomorrow to testify and show support: Senate Bill 5444 Senate Early Learning & K-12 Committee Cherberg Building, Hearing Room 1 Wednesday, January 28, 8:00 – 10:00 AM House Bill 1410 House Education Appropriations Committee John L O’Brien, Hearing Room A Wednesday, January 28, 6:00 – 8:00 PM Hit 'reply' and let us know if you can attend and/or testify. If you’re not able to attend, we’d like to make sure YOUR VOICE is heard. Send us your testimony at info@educationvoter...

Passing on a good reminder I just got from the George Scarola at LEV: Today, the Basic Education Finance Task Force’s Final Report became  House Bill 1410 . The four House members on the Task Force, Reps. Sullivan, Priest, Hunter and Anderson, are co-sponsors. We have a short 24-hour window to add more House co-sponsors to this critical education reform legislation.  Send a message to your state representatives to urge them to sign on to HB 1410 today. Here’s how you can take action now: Send your state representatives an e-mail. Legislative e-mail addresses are  lastname.firstname@leg.wa.gov . If you don’t know your legislators’ names,  click here to find out . Or, call your state representatives via the legislative hotline at 1-(800) 562-6000. Here's what you can tell them:  Please co-sponsor House Bill 1410, which contains the recommendations of the Basic Education Finance Task Force’s Final Report. HB 1410 is a blueprint for building a K-12 system that better prepares our child...

Every Saturday the editorial board at the PI have a weekly snark on things they find objectionable or off. Here was part of it this week: SCHOOLS' AGENDA? The state constitution says public schools are important for Olympia's lawmakers. The constitution puts it this way (which has probably had legislators laughing about the crumbs they get away with giving schools for decades): "It is the paramount duty of the state to make ample provision for the education of all children residing within its borders." Yet, while school boards grumble endlessly, they never seem to mount the kind of effective public-relations and lobbying effort the environmental community has learned to coordinate. Consider Seattle Public Schools, where leaders have been saying for years how they were going to work with Olympia for better treatment of education. A check at the SPS Web site shows the School Board had a government relations committee but it's kaputt. Its agenda for legislative ac...

Are you concerned about education funding in our state? Here’s a way you can get involved today! It’s as easy as a few keystrokes. Important work is being done right now by our elected officials to prepare for the next legislative session. We urge you to take action today by sending an important message to the Governor and your legislators using our Legislative Action center. Follow the link below to our action center. Then scroll over and click on the title “Support Education Funding and Finance Reform”. This is the link to the alert. A preprinted message has been included. You are encouraged to add a personal story as well. We also strongly encourage you to forward this message with the link to your member and non-member email lists ( anyone who supports our message is encouraged to respond)...taking care not to include any government email addresses. We have set a goal of sending 40,000 emails! That’s right we want 10,000 of you and your friends from every l...

Monday, December 1, there will be a discussion of state funding for public schools at district headquarters at 7 p.m. From the Seattle Council PTSA flyer: Learn more about basic education, find ways for your voice to be heard and help ensure Olympia is listening to the needs of public schools in this state. Representative Ross Hunter will review the progress of the Basic Education Finance Task Force, scheduled to release their recommendations in Dec. 2008. WHY: Our Education finance system has not been overhauled in over thirty years! Budgets and curriculum that were established in the 1970’s do not work in today’s global economy and technological world. It is time for change. The result of this task force’s efforts and the outcomes of this upcoming Legislative session will determine whether public schools are on the right track to make changes to ensure that our kids graduate ready for university, college and work. Questions, or to reserve child care, please contact: Heidi.Bennet...

I received this e-mail today from the state PTSA. ******** As you know Basic Education Funding continues to be the #1 Priority for the State PTA, Seattle Public Schools and most of our local units. State budgets that were established in the 1970’s don’t work in today economic and technological world, our kids aren’t getting enough from their public school education. The Seattle PTA in conjunction with the League of Education Voters and CPPS, has scheduled a conversation with Rep. Ross Hunter who is on the Basic Education Finance Task Force . The Task Force is working on their final recommendations to be presented in mid- December. Rep. Hunter will present the current proposal and be available for questions Where: John Stanford Center Auditorium, 2445 3d Ave S (at Lander) We are asking that every school send at least one representation to know more about changes that will affect our schools and opportunities that lie ahead. Also, please spread the work and announce this event at your sc...

This article appeared in today's Times. I had heard about this situation previous to the article; here's the problem in a nutshell from the article: "Two Seattle high schools are among seven statewide that will lose a chance to add and strengthen Advanced Placement courses in math and science because a $13.2 million grant that Washington state won last year has been scrapped. NMSI declined to give any specifics, but state Rep. Bill Fromhold, who resigned his legislative post as of next year so he could help administer Washington's grant, said it had to do with how teachers would be paid for the time they spent in training, and how they would receive incentives for how well students scored on AP exams. NMSI wanted to pay teachers directly, he said, while Washington's collective bargaining laws require that teacher pay be negotiated between teachers unions and school districts. "We worked hard to try to find middle ground," Fromhold said. But at the e...

Hello I was looking at the report on Revenues and Expenditure of Public Elementary and Secondary Education for the 2005-2006 school year. This is published by the National Center for Education Statistics. It is compilation of data by state. I took a look at how Washington stacked up and one first glance it is not too good. In overall spending per student, Washington spent $7,984. The average for the 50 states and Washington DC was $9,337 with a median of $8,645 (that means half the states spent more than that and half spent less). Washington ranks 38 th in overall spending per student. In spending on instruction (money that goes directly to the classroom for teacher, books, classroom aides, etc), Washington spends $4,725 per pupil. The national average is $5,651 with a median of $5,304. In this category, Washington ranks 36 th . Finally, on the percentage of overall spending used for instruction, Washington spends 59.18% (4,725/7,984) of i...