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This
column can also be read in the Tacoma News Tribune.
House education bill will pave the way for Washington's future
By Reps. Skip Priest and Pat
Sullivan
Over the last two
years, a bipartisan group of legislators gathered monthly, and sometimes
weekly, to redefine “basic education” and revamp how the state funds
education. As a result of the Basic Education Finance Task Force, a
bipartisan group of legislators joined us and other stakeholders who
served on the task force in proposing House Bill 1410.
Sixteen years after
education reform, we believe it is time to update our education system
to reflect the realities of today’s classrooms and ensure the best and
brightest are teaching our children.
While there are some
detractors, the measure received support from education advocates,
including Puget Sound region school superintendents, the League of
Education Voters, Stand for Children, the Parent Teacher Association and
early learning groups.
For those of us who
served on the task force and have been active in the education debate
over the years, this legislation is long overdue. Our K-12 education
system is at a crossroads. To those who say now is not the time – in the
current economy – to overhaul the education system, we would point out
that even in the recent good years when the state had a surplus of $2
billion, nothing was done to fix education funding and shore up our
schools. We simply cannot use the economy – in good times or bad – as an
excuse for inaction.
If we don’t commit
to restructuring the system now, when will the Legislature revisit the
issue? After 19 studies on education funding and curricula over the last
decade, students simply cannot wait any longer for the education the
Legislature continues to promise them.
The 111-page bill
tackles issues stakeholders told us must be addressed if we are ever to
move our education system forward to better ensure equity and student
achievement. The bill would:
• Increase teacher compensation significantly;
• Reward teachers for demonstrating competence in the classroom;
• Add early learning to the definition of basic education;
• Remove inequities among school districts by eliminating grandfathered
salary differences and levy lids;
• Increase high school graduation requirements from 19 to 24 credits
and pay for six classes a day instead of five at every high school;
• Create a mentoring program for new teachers;
• Provide more money to schools with more kids living in poverty or
immigrants just learning English; and
• Simplify school allocation formulas to make them easier for school
districts and parents to understand.
Having worked with
teachers, administrators and parents all of us believe that we must
commit to early learning for students we worry about the most - those
receiving free or reduced-priced lunch or learning English as their
second language. House Bill 1410 is an extremely important step toward
achieving this goal.
Supporters of our
bill made it clear they understand the pressing nature of the budget
crisis, but they also believe short-term decisions must be made if we
are to ever reach our long-term goals in education. It’s time to make
critical updates to the system to reflect the global job market and the
skills our children will need to compete in the world economy.
In addition, we
cannot address accountability and transparency in our K-12 system until
we have a road map for school districts statewide. Our bill creates a
guide to a six-year phase-in of needed reforms. The plan takes into
account that each district is different, however a uniform plan for
funding, accountability and achievement goals is a must if our ultimate
goal is to get every child across the academic finish line.
The Legislature must
act now by passing the task force’s final report recommendations
included in House Bill 1410. This will allow us to move forward with a
clear plan over the next several years to substantially improve our
education system for our children, their future and the future of
Washington’s economy.
# # #
State Rep. Pat Sullivan, D-Covington, and state Rep. Skip Priest,
R-Federal Way, served on the Basic Education Finance Task Force, which
met over the last two years and was required to redefine “basic
education” and restructure K-12 education funding.
For more information, contact:
Bobbi Cussins, Public Information Officer: (360) 786-7252
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