By Mark

I've been lucky to teach in a community which over the years has supported bonds and levies to support their schools and infrastructure. In the last ten years or longer, our population has exploded and demanded the building of what seems like countless new schools just to house all the students. However, over the last few elections, the margin of support has gradually eroded with the sliding economy.

We're running a replacement levy this month. Unfortunate timing. Passage of the levy will have zero impact on our patron's taxes–it is a replacement levy, merely continuing the level of funding already being provided so the proportion per $1000 of assessed property value will be the same as last year.

Failure of the levy will mean the instantaneous loss of approximately twenty percent of our district's total budget. I'm new to the budget cut game, but that number is huge and scary.

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By Kristin

An editorial in the Seattle Times gives a vote for charter schools and merit pay.  "Students are graded according to their abilities," the piece says.  "Imagine paying teachers according to theirs."  Let's take a moment to imagine that.

Merit pay would be great.  I work hard and I care.  I think I'm effective.  I should be paid a little more than the teacher who alternates between movies and packets.  But merit pay is problematic.  When we "grade students according to their abilities," it's based on spending an hour a day with them for nine months.  If someone wants to come give me that kind of attention I'd be so excited I would hardly know what to do.  Just thinking about it gives me shivers, because it would be the end of the mindless societal whining about what's wrong with education, and it would be the beginning of people realizing we cannot continue to impoverish our schools and expect educational miracles.

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Rena

Recently I have been struggling with seeing my young students go down the hall for their specially designed instruction.  I am not convinced that this is the least restrictive and most appropriate environment.  Most educators work diligently at building a community of learners.  Then at some point in the day some students are sent the message, that they aren't quite good enough to remain in the community, and go elsewhere for learning. 

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 By Tracey

One sunny afternoon in the spring, during my third year of teaching, I walked into my classroom to find two strangers.  They were smiley and warm, and apologized for startling me.  They were also elementary teachers.  I could tell this was true, as they wore the uniform – sandals, jumpers, and turtle-neck shirts.  They explained that they were attending a conference nearby.  They went for a walk and stumbled upon my school and my open door.  They were most excited about seeing the word science posted on my schedule for the day.  “Wow,” they explained, “You have time to teach science everyday?  Where we come from they got rid of that.  We’re lucky if we can teach it once a week!”  I think they said they were from Idaho, or maybe it was Iowa?  In any case, I thought that comment was strange at the time, and then promptly forgot all about it until recently.  It was as if these women came from the future, foreshadowing what is yet to come, and warning me of the road ahead. And now here I am, ten years later, remembering their prescient words while feeling lucky to have the chance to teach science once a week.

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 by Brian

 "Our new Constitution is now established, and has an appearance that promises permanency; but in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes."  Benjamin Franklin

Earlier this month Gov. Chris Gregoire released her 2010 supplemental state budget,
which would fill a $2.6 billion hole in the budget for 2009–11 through
service eliminations, reductions or suspensions. As required by law,
she submitted a budget based on currently available revenue. And she basically said she hates it.

Senator Rosa Franklin recently wrote a guest editorial in The Seattle Times calling for an overhaul of our state's regressive tax system.  If we are going to really deal with school funding we are going to have to talk about taxes.  No politician in this day and age can consider reelection without having a default position of no new taxes.  But given the projected $2.6 billion shortfall, something must be done.

Last month I participated in a policy symposium where our task was to prioritize the implementation of the education reform bill, ESHB 2261.  It's feeling more and more like an exercise in futility to talk about education reform when it requires funding that just isn't there.

The present taxation system was cobbled together over the last hundred years or so, and little of it makes sense in the 21st century.  People who earn less than $20,000 pay 17.3% of their income to state taxes.  People who earn between $99,000 and $198,000 pay 7.6% of their income.  In tough economic times like these state revenues dwindle because spending decreases, and a big piece of our tax system is the sales tax.

Seven years ago the Gates Commission recommended the tax-reform plan that Senator Franklin has championed. It calls for an income tax, which is a tough, but necessary sell. In their report to the legislature in 2003 the members of the commission said it might take ten years before their recommendations would be enacted.  Looks like they were right on that one.

If we are serious about education reform and funding, and we must be, then we need to overhaul our regressive tax system and create a state income tax.  If we don't the only options will be to drastically cut public services or raise taxes and make our present system even more regressive.  If we truly want a world class education system in Washington State we're going to have to find a better way to pay for it.

By Tom

Besides having the most functional name in the publishing industry, US News and World Report also ranks high schools. This year Bellevue's International School, one of our area high schools, made their top ten. Three other schools in the Eastside suburbs made the top 100: International Community School in Kirkland, Bellevue High School, and Newport High School, also in Bellevue. Let me first of all offer my most sincere congratulations to the students and staff of these schools. I have heard wonderful things about each of these institutions even before the list came out.

So what makes these schools so great? Is it their staff? Their students? Their mascots? And more importantly, what can other schools learn from their success?

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By Tom

(Editor's Note: The Quality Education Council has backed off a proposal to examine transferring local collective bargaining to the state level. On Tuesday, QEC members voted to remove the bargaining amendment from the discussion portion of their House Bill 2261 required draft report. Sen. Eric Oemig, who voted to approve the amendment at a previous meeting, introduced the motion to remove the amendment. Sen. McAuliffe (absent from the last meeting) was a strong second to the motion and worked with Oemig to remove the item.)

Just when we thought things couldn't get bleaker, Washington State's Quality Education Council, charged with the unenviable task of fleshing out HB 2261, recently passed an amendment to their preliminary draft document to "Examine transferring local collective bargaining to the state, including all matters pertaining to compensation, benefits and employment terms and conditions."

For crying out loud.

I understand the need to look everywhere and anywhere to save money, but do we really think the school system will run more efficiently without local collective bargaining?

Let's imagine what that might look like.

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