Welcome to Outlook

Welcome to the Washington Education Association's Legislative Outlook, a regular update on what's happening in Olympia. The paper version of Outlook is mailed to every WEA building representative in the state. (If you are a rep, please post Outlook on your WEA bulletin board.) You can subscribe to the e-mail version of Outlook by sending an e-mail to Lyris. Include the words "subscribe weaoutlook" in the body of the message. A printable version of Outlook is available online (Adobe PDF file). Questions? Contact Rich Wood in the WEA Communications Department.

Thank Gov. Gregoire for supporting our COLAs

Gov. Chris Gregoire says she plans to release a budget sometime after March 17, which is when the next state revenue forecast is scheduled.

One thing is certain: Gregoire supports funding voter-approved COLAs for public school employees. At the WEA-PAC convention last spring, and in her inaugural speech last month, Gregoire pledged support for educator cost-of-living adjustments.

"I won't approve a budget that doesn't have 732," she told WEA-PAC members.

Gregoire deserves credit for taking such a strong stance in support of improved compensation. With the state facing a large budget shortfall, ensuring funding for I-732 will be crucial.

WEA members who wish to thank Gregoire for supporting our COLAs can either call the Legislative Hotline at 800-562-6000 or send her an e-mail via the WEA Legislative Action Center.

Proposal would allow voters to invest more in local schools

The high cost of housing in certain parts of the state is taking a toll on student achievement, school supporters told legislators this week in Olympia.

High housing costs result in high teacher turnover as school employees move out of high-cost areas into more affordable communities, they said.

"There has to be staffing stability to have high levels of student achievement," said Wendy Kimball, president of the Seattle Education Association.

Seattle teacher Katie Thorleifson's take-home pay is about $2,000 a month. She lives in the New Holly neighborhood of Seattle. It's a government-subsidized development.

"As a first-year teacher, I qualified for low-income housing," Thorleifson told a panel of legislators this week.

Kimball and Thorleifson testified this week in support of House Bill 1484. The bill would allow voters to approve permanent countywide levies for schools, using a portion of the state's uncollected property tax authority. The money would be allocated to school districts on a per-pupil basis and could be used for professional development, student programs and collectively bargained cost-of-living supplements for teachers and education support professionals. The bill is a top WEA priority.

Democrat Rep. Ross Hunter is the bill's prime sponsor, and Republican Reps. Fred Jarrett and Rodney Tom are key supporters. Tom, a real estate agent, said the median price of a home in King County is $324,000.

Simple majority moves

Simple majority legislation for school levies and bonds stands a good chance of passing this session -- more so than anytime in recent years.

Senate Bill 5144 and Senate Joint Resolution 8202 passed the Senate Education Committee this week. The House Education Committee passed a levies-only proposal Thursday.

Either proposal would require two-third approval from the Legislature before going on the fall ballot for voters to decide. Currently, school levies and bonds require a 60 percent supermajority to pass.

WEA lobbyist Gary King said the simple majority is a matter of fairness, cost and stability.

"The minority is superseding the majority," said a Bethel High School student who testified before the House committee.

COLA, health benefit funding top the list

When it comes to compensation this session, WEA members have three main priorities:

• Restoring I-732's annual state-funded COLAs;
• Making up the COLAs we lost over the last two years by the suspension of I-732; and
• Ensuring that health benefit funding keeps up with increased costs.

WEA's complete legislative goals for this session include school funding, commonsense school accountability and strengthening the education profession.

McAuliffe backs memorial to Bush, Congress

WEA is backing a legislative resolution calling Congress and President Bush to fix and fully fund the ESEA, or the so-called No Child Left Behind Act.

The measure, Senate Joint Memorial 8011, is similar to proposals in at least nine other states.

Here's how it reads, in part: "… the President and Congress of the United States (should) work together with state legislatures and the United States Department of Education to fully fund the mandates of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, to improve language in the Act and regulations concerning its implementation, to make improvements to address the issues raised in this Memorial, and to grant the time, flexibility, and changes that will ensure successful nationwide implementation of the No Child Left Behind Act."

Sen. Rosemary McAuliffe is the memorial's chief sponsor. Similar efforts in other states have been bipartisan, and backers hope to get support from both Republicans and Democrats.

Bill puts educators in charge of education profession

House Bill 1067 would give educators more responsibility for the education profession.

The bill would give the existing Professional Educator Standards Board control over teacher certification, authority that now lies with the State Board of Education.

"We believe delegating to teacher practitioners decision-making authority over their own preparation and licensing standards can only make the profession stronger," WEA lobbyist Lucinda Young testified this week before the House Education Committee.

HB 1067 also would eliminate the commission that has helped oversee the implementation of education reform in Washington.

"WEA strongly supports eliminating the Academic Achievement and Accountability Commission," Young said. "Their work is done. The SBE and OSPI should be charged with and held responsible for the oversight and improvement of student learning in Washington State."

Notable quotes

"… teachers are underpaid …" -- The Seattle Times, 2/2/05

"(Gov. Chris) Gregoire said it's still too early to talk about the possibility of raising taxes but wasn't thrilled about the trade-offs her top budget writer recommended instead of a tax proposal." -- Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 2/2/05

"The Washington State Patrol is protecting … Dino Rossi, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, according to Rossi spokesperson Mary Lane." -- The Weekly, 2/2/05

"It's time to get rid of 60 percent supermajority rule for levies and bonds." -- The Olympian, 2/2/05

Please contact Rich Wood if you have questions or comments about the content in Legislative Outlook.

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