April 21, 2009

Education reform legislation is critical step, Anderson says
Measure overhauls definition of 'basic education,' updates school funding formula

After 19 studies, and meetings by the governor's Washington Learns Task Force and the recent Basic Education Finance Task Force over the past four years, the Legislature finally passed a measure to update the state's education system. Rep. Glenn Anderson co-sponsored the landmark education reform legislation, House Bill 2261.

"This education bill is the success story of my entire experience in the Legislature," said Anderson, R-Fall City. "This was a genuine, bipartisan effort to fix the most important thing that we do here – provide for our kids' education. In the course of the years I’ve been working on this, we have the culmination of the effort in this measure.

Anderson explained the current system, after a generation of cut-and-paste fixes, is imploding. And, he said, it would not last due to lawsuits that are in process and may force the hand of the state.

"Is it better that we allow the courts to define our role and our paramount duty, or is it better for us to define our role and our paramount duty?" asked Anderson in his floor speech on the bill.

"Waiting on the courts while we have children in Washington who are, on average, less educated than their parents is unacceptable. I can think of nothing we have discussed in the Legislature that is a more alarming or more compelling reason for us to rise up and make the needed changes in our K-12 system," said Anderson.

"One quote I always think of is, 'The excuse that this is difficult is the excuse history will be least accepting of,'" Anderson said. "This is a good opportunity to make a difficult decision that will set the course for generations to come."

House Bill 2261 is the first major overhaul of the state's basic education system since early 1993. The measure would put early learning in the mix for at-risk children and phase-in all-day kindergarten. Among other things, the bill would create a prototypical school model for funding schools and school districts.

The measure will now be sent to the governor for her consideration.

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For more information, contact: Bobbi Cussins, Public Information Officer: (360) 786-7252