This week in Olympia
Week of January 30
Republicans Push through Punitive Funding Plan
State Senate Republicans wasted no time approving their reckless and punitive K-12 funding plan (Substitute Senate Bill 5607). It was released last Friday, heard in committee on Monday and passed on the Senate floor on Wednesday.
Lowlights of the Senate Republican funding plan include undercutting funds for special education, capping pay, merit pay, lower teacher standards, expanded charter schools and eliminating voter-approved laws for smaller classes and annual COLAs. The Senate Republicans’ plan also restricts local bargaining and outlaws strikes, eliminates local levies in 2019, and on and on.
Just the night before, Gov. Inslee spoke to about 75 WEA members in Olympia for the annual WEA Member Lobby Day. He compared his budget with the Senate’s. We all agree, we like his best. We also like that he understands McCleary, telling us:
“I’ve read the McCleary decision. I’m a lawyer, and I’ve pored over those pages many, many times. Never have I seen language anywhere in the decision, or our constitution, that says you must punish teachers in order to increase education funding.”
It's not too late to send your lawmakers a message to support the Governor’s budget and oppose the Senate Republican plan.
Paraeducators: SB 5070
Among the bizarre moves the Senate Republicans made, they amended their own funding plan (SSB 5607) to include their version of the paraeducator bill. In the same document where they stripped certification requirements for teachers (one only needs to pass a background check) they voted to begin requiring licensing for paraeducators.
HB 1319 was heard Monday in the House Education Committee. It would reduce the frequency of focused teacher evaluations for those who receive a 3 or a 4 on their TPEP. WEA supports this bill. Testimony was positive. It is expected the bill will be moved out of Committee prior to the Policy Cut-off deadline.
Working Families Caucus
Rep. Monica Stonier (a WEA member) chairs the weekly Working Families Caucus meeting, where Democratic legislators and union lobbyists discuss labor issues. WEA lobbyists Lucinda Young and Lorrell Noahr gave a presentation defining what McCleary is and isn’t and explained the stark differences between the Senate Republicans’ education plan (see SB 5607 above), Gov. Inslee’s bold budget and the House/Senate Democrats’ education plan. WEA supports the Governor’s budget – don’t forget to send a message to your legislators telling them to support it too.
ESA Salary Schedule Placement
On Thursday, House Appropriations heard HB 1374, which would change the years of service model for salary allocation purposes for Education Staff Associates (ESAs), including nurses, counselors and other non-teacher certificated educators. WEA supports this bill. ESAs, special ed directors and the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction all presented excellent testimony. Next steps are to get this bill moved from Appropriations to the floor of the House.
Higher Education
HB 1237 provides for full-scope bargaining rights for our community and technical college faculty. This bill passed out of House Labor and Workplace Safety on a 5-2 vote with one Republican, Rep. Matt Manweller, voting with the majority Democrats.
NEXT WEEK:
House K-12 education funding plan
The House will have a public hearing on its education funding plan, HB 1843, on Monday. This is the school funding plan, not the House budget. We see good things in their plan, though it appears funding levels are not as high as what Gov. Inslee proposed. We are encouraging the House, when it develops its budget, to get closer to the Governor’s levels of investment. If you have not yet sent a message to your lawmakers in support of the Governor’s budget and in opposition to the Senate Republican plan, now is a good time to do so.
