Happy Spring!!
barGAINing News:
Attached is the Demand to Bargain from this past December snow issue. Your negotiators will be going to the table with the district again on Monday. We should also have an online survey (Zoomerang) ready for you to take early this week using your school email address. If you know you have a unique school email, please let me know ASAP, so I can make sure you get your survey. Thank you in advance for taking the time to provide your input.
FYI:
The two superintendent finalists will be in the district on Friday, March 27, 2009, to speak to various groups in a public interview process. The schedule is:
Community members/parents 10:00 a.m.
School administrators 1:00 p.m.
Certificated and classified staff 4:00 p.m.
Community members/parents 7:00 p.m.
You are invited to participate in any of these sessions.
All sessions will take place in the Board Room.
Candidates will address questions that are written down in advance or as people enter the room and given to the moderator. Comment sheets will be provided for attendee input and will be given to board members afterwards for their consideration.
If you have any questions, please contact Diane Beaman at extension 9202. On behalf of the Board, thank you for your participation.
New Educator Events:
March 25, 2009 is the next New Educator event occurring at the Skagit Ridge in Bow.
The topic will be Procertification National Board Issues with Jim Meadows, Instructional Specialist WEA Learning & Education Policy Center.
For more information on National Board Issues check out WEA National Boards website.
If you have any questions please contact Edna or Lyn at the Fourth Corner office.
PLCs (Professional Learning Communities-Professional Development):
Why is WEA is involved in PLCs? If done right, it values our members. The reason why WEA has become involved has been stalled implementations, misguided implementations, bad implementations, no implementation (perpetual planning) and forced implementation.
Many of our buildings are working in “PLCs” this year. If you would like to learn more about how a PLC should work and if we are ”doing it right”, please go to: http://www.PLCWashington.org
WEAPAC NEWS:
We have almost reached our goal of 60%. Thank you very much to Heidi and our building reps that have been actively turning in those golden tickets. We really appreciate your efforts. Only 27 more!!! I hope to have an updated WEAPAC Member list for our Thursday Rep Council meeting at WECU.
4th Corner Uniserv Standings:
Arlington 71.57%
Orcas 65.00%
South Whidbey 61.16%
Anacortes 60.47%
Ferndale 57.78%
Stanwood-Camano 55.16%
Sedro Woolley 54.95%
Blaine 53.44%
BEST 53.06%
Lakewood 52.35%
Conway 46.15%
Bellingham 45.38%
San Juan Island 44.26%
Lopez Island 42.31%
Mt. Baker 40.56%
La Connor 34.00%
Oak Harbor 33.23%
Mount Vernon 32.98%
Upper Skagit Valley 31.71%
Nooksack Valley 30.19%
Burlington Edison 29.46%
Olympia Update: Please, please, keep cyberlobbying http://www.ourvoicewashingtonea.org
We won’t know the extent of the budget cuts until the Senate budget proposal is released, possibly during the week of March 23. The House proposal will follow the Senate plan. WEA is urging legislators and Gov. Gregoire to focus on finding a solution to the immediate school funding crisis. We need a balanced budget solution that doesn’t rely on cuts alone, but also includes new revenue.
On those other bills…
ESB 6048 and EHB 2261 are alive. Gov. Gregoire said this week she opposes any bill that rewrites basic education but doesn’t include guaranteed funding. That’s been WEA’s position all along.
WEA Lobbyist Bill Freund testified against the bills. Here’s what he told legislators on the House Education Appropriations Committee.
It’s also on the WEA Web site at
http://www.washingtonea.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1147
There are four concepts that WEA has consistently supported:
1. A redefinition of the program of basic education.
2. A prototype schools funding method with a specified phase-in period,
3. Creation of a permanent council or commission to work out the details of the phase-in among other things, and
4. Revenue sources to fund it.
ESB 6048 contains a redefinition of the program of basic education, but lacks details of the prototype schools funding method, has no specified phase-in period, does not establish a permanent council and contains no revenue sources to fund the bill.
It also delves into other subjects that we do not support such as certification, evaluation, compensation and accountability.
It seems unrealistic that ESB 6048 holds out the promise of increased resources while the reality is that this morning’s revenue forecast portends devastating K-12 budget cuts. Potential cuts include suspension of I-732 COLAs, learning improvement days and significant cuts in I-728 class-size reduction funds leading to staff layoffs and increased class sizes for our students.
Clearly there is no money to implement this bill in the 2009-11biennium and the outlook for the 2011-13 biennium is not encouraging.
WEA believes the legislature needs to focus on finding short-term and long-term solutions to the funding crisis facing our public schools.
For these reasons WEA opposes ESB 6048 and we urge you to not support this bill.
***
Tracie Morris
FEA President
*Working for the benefit of educators in the Ferndale School District to maintain quality for our students.