Legislative updates as of February 24, 2012
As always, please remember to contact your elected legislators with your input on these important issues. Find your legislators at: http://apps.leg.wa.gov/DistrictFinder/Default.aspx
ESSB 5895 Certified Employee Evaluations
This bill has now passed out of the House Education Committee and it passed the Senate last week, 46-3. It is scheduled for public hearing in the House Committee on Ways & Means at 1:30 p.m. today.
Bill analysis at:
http://apps.leg.wa.gov/documents/billdocs/2011-12/Pdf/Bill%20Reports/House/5895-S.E%20HBA%20ED%2012.pdf
SB5896 Implementing revised teacher and principal evaluation systems
Senate Bill Report http://apps.leg.wa.gov/documents/billdocs/2011-12/Pdf/Bill%20Reports/Senate/5896%20SBR%20WM%2012.pdf
According to the Wa state PTA Government Relations Coordinator: These 2 bills (5895 & 5896) could work in conjunction or separately, so if you’re tracking either, you may want to track both. SSB 5895 essentially codifies recommendations for implementation, allows for a three-year phase in and designates funds for evaluation training. SSB 5896 addresses using the evaluations to ensure staff assignments support the learning needs for all the students in the district, giving specific attention to high-need schools and classrooms (per state law); requires educators to be proficient or distinguished before being granted “continuing contract status” (what some think of as “tenure”); and moves more aggressively to exit the few poor performing teachers from the system. (If experienced teachers or principals get two unsatisfactory ratings in a row, they would lose continuing contract status. This means they could be fired at will. Provisional employees, currently those in their first three years of employment, can be fired at will. There are no requirements other than length of service for moving out of provisional status.)
PSHB 2127 First draft of 2012 supplemental operating budget from the House Ways and Means budget writers, released this week. There was a public hearing on 2/21. No status update yet. Use this link to track this bill.
Highlights:
- No additional cuts to basic education
- $400 million “delay” in school payments and levy equalization payments
- Some cuts to education reform programs, mostly to reductions in bonuses for National Board Certification
- $222.4 million in reductions in health care and human service programs
Related Links:
Press conference http://www.tvw.org/index.php?option=com_tvwplayer&eventID=2012020162
TVW blog: http://www.tvw.org/capitolrecord/index.php/2012/02/house-democrats-release-supplemental-budget/
Striking amendment: http://leap.leg.wa.gov/leap/Budget/Detail/2012/HOBillStriker0221A.pdf
Summary re striking amendment: http://leap.leg.wa.gov/leap/Budget/Detail/2012/HOoverview0221A.pdf
Agency detail: http://leap.leg.wa.gov/leap/Budget/Detail/2012/HOAgencyDetail0221A.pdf
Race to the Top – Early Learning Challenge
Our state is one of the grant recipients. This grant focuses on improving early learning and development programs for young children by supporting states’ efforts to:
- Increase the number and percentage of low-income and disadvantaged children in each age group of infants, toddlers, and preschoolers who are enrolled in high-quality early learning programs;
- Design and implement an integrated system of high-quality early learning programs and services; and
- Ensure that any use of assessments conforms with the recommendations of the National Research Council’s reports on early childhood.
Visit the following link for more information. http://www.del.wa.gov/government/racetotop/
HB 2448 Creating the high-quality early learning act
This one is still working its way through the legislature. The bill analysis can be found at http://apps.leg.wa.gov/documents/billdocs/2011-12/Pdf/Bill%20Reports/House/2448%20HBA%20ELHS%2012.pdf
Visit the following for more information including links to TVW videos:
http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/summary.aspx?bill=2448&year=2011
Related Washington State PTA positions
If any of the links below don’t work, please visit the following link for more information about the state PTA’s legislative positions. http://www.wastatepta.org/advocacy/index.html
2012 legislative platform, No. 1:
Improving basic education – This includes implementing and funding a new definition that emphasizes and supports college and career readiness and that improves the system of delivery, as laid out in ESHB 2261 (passed 2009), and SHB 2776 and E2SSB 6696 (passed in 2010)
2012 legislative platform, No. 4:
Changing layoff policies to include more than just seniority
2012 legislative platform, supported:
Adopt strategies to eliminate achievement gaps and improve educational opportunities
Long-term legislative principle, Public Education Policies:
Washington State PTA shall identify and initiate education and action on public policy that will strengthen public education for our state’s children and youth, including:
o Continued support for education reform efforts
o Reducing the achievement gap
o Reduction of high school dropout rates
Resolution, EXCELLENCE IN OUR EDUCATION SYSTEM 4.3, Adopted, 1983
Resolved, That the Washington State PTA work together with other members of the education community to recommend improvements for evaluative procedures and/or changes in policies, where needed, that will enable the schools to encourage and reward those educators who upgrade their skills and work effectively in the schools and to provide counseling for those who need to become more skilled or those who need to consider other employment; and be it further
Resolved, That the Washington State PTA encourage local units and councils to provide information to members of their school communities on procedures for expressing concerns about staff members.
