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This Week in Olympia

05/26/2017
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Capitol from the sky

Week of May 22

2017_05_Thank_You_Teachers
Thank you sign in Capitol window on last day of "Occupy Olympia."

The first special session ended and the second began with just a blink of an eye on Tuesday, and WEA members were there for both, as reported earlier this week.  

There are two small groups of legislators negotiating behind closed doors in Olympia. One is focusing on the education plan, and the other on the overall state budget. Grass is growing, paint is drying, and occasionally offers are passed back and forth.  

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Sunnyside EA members sign-waving for education funding.

We continue our focus opposing the reckless Senate Republican budget. WEA members are now organizing activities in their local communities to raise awareness about just how bad the Senate Republican budget is for students and schools.

There have been walk-ins, sign-waving, postcard parties and meetings with legislators, with more to come in the weeks ahead. Creating visibility in legislators’ home districts can be more effective than going to Olympia because it also builds awareness of the issues among voters. When parents and community members understand the implications of the Senate budget, we build pressure on lawmakers to walk away from the bad proposals.

What can you do? Visit our Take Action page and contact your local president to learn about activities in your area. There are many ways to get involved in efforts to secure a state education budget that helps our kids, schools and educators.

In case you missed it, below are some of the most reckless elements of the Senate plan. It was passed out of the Senate on a party-line vote, and we are hearing that many Senators don’t understand the implications of the bill. That is why it is so important for educators to be reaching out to their elected officials about the harm this proposal would do if passed.

  • Eliminates class size law, leading to larger class sizes.
  • Reduces spending for special education.
  • Eliminates requirement for teacher certification, allowing anyone who passes a background check to become a teacher.
  • Moves existing funds around, but doesn’t add much new money for our schools and students.
  • Limits local control and decision-making by school districts, who are in the best position to know what their communities need.
  • Caps spending, which will lead to staff lay-offs and/or service cuts for students.
  • Hinders our right to negotiate with school districts.

Coming up

McCleary Candlelight Vigil – Friday, June 2, 8 – 10 p.m.

The WEA Caucuses are organizing a candlelight vigil on the capitol steps with Washington Paramount Duty.

Educators, parents, grandparents, students, legislators and officials, union rank and file members, organizations, and community members are invited to join in and demand ample funding for public schools.

Sponsored by: WEA BAT CAUCUS | WEA LGBTQ CAUCUS | WEA NATIVE AMERICAN & ALASKA NATIVE CAUCUS | WEA HISPANIC CAUCUS | WEA BLACK CAUCUS | WA PARAMOUNT DUTY

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