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© 2012 Washington Education Association
Share these links
Help counter misinformation about public schools, tests and teachers — share these links with all who care about our students.
Read the speech by President Obama on the economy at Osawatomie High School, in Osawatomie, Kansas
Wealthy businessman Nick Hanauer says tax the rich to support schools and the middle class
The Gates Foundation is funding groups that want to change the way teachers are laid off.
Unions help strengthen teacher evaluations
Gates' alma mater touts small class sizes
Tight Budgets Mean Squeeze in Classrooms
Bill Gates is wrong! And he wants larger class sizes!
NPR interview with Diane Ravitch: “High-stakes testing warps everything.”
What we can learn from Finland: Less testing, more respect for teachers.
Nov. 8 General Election results
About the big bank tax loophole and HB 2078
About the "Stop Crowding Our Kids" resolution
Join WEA-PAC — the political action committee for WEA members
Lawmakers push failed charter school legislation
Instead of honoring their oath to uphold the Constitution and fully funding public schools, two legislators are pushing failed legislation that does nothing to help our students get the quality education they deserve.
Listen to a message from Renton teacher Freedom Johnson.
TAKE ACTION: Tell them failed charter school proposals are a distraction from what really matters.
Watch this video update, featuring WEA member Angela Grissom, Speech/Language Pathologist, Franklin-Pierce EA.
Key education bills in Olympia
House Bill 2428, Senate Bill 6202: Charter schools
House Bill 2427, Senate Bill 6203: Basing layoffs on evaluations
House Bill 2165, HB 2334: Changing teacher evaluations
House Bill 2309, Senate Bill 6278: Changing provisional teachers’ rights
Senate Bill 6020, SB: 6050: Waiving 180-day requirement
House Bill 2231: Reducing costs by reducing student assessments
Senate Bill 6314: Delink end-of-course science tests from graduation requirements
House Bill 2543, Senate Bill 6320: Repeal new State Board of Education graduation requirements that contain unfunded mandates
House Bill 2493, Senate Bill 6319: Add WEA-appointed practitioners to the State Board of Education
Follow specific bills via TVW’s Scout webpage.
Read legislative updates from the Washington State School Directors’ Association.
Supreme Court: State failing to fully fund our public schools!
The state Supreme Court has ruled that the Legislature is shirking its constitutional responsibility to amply fund K-12 public schools — something WEA members have known for years. Read more.
Read a rebuttal to critics of the court decision.
Read the list of additional cuts K-12 public schools are facing.
WEA-PAC endorses Jay Inslee for governor!
The WEA-PAC Board has endorsed Jay Inslee for governor, based on his Dec. 3 interview and his WEA-PAC questionnaire answers. “To minimize cuts and begin restoring needed funding, we need to close tax loopholes that no longer make sense,” Inslee says.
Read the Associated Press story about the Inslee endorsement!
Read Jay Inslee’s answers to the WEA-PAC questionnaire.
Read WEA’s response to Rob McKenna’s decision to cancel his WEA-PAC interview.
WEA President testifies against budget cuts
Hours after hundreds of WEA members rallied in Olympia to oppose further cuts to K-12 and higher education, WEA President Mary Lindquist testified against budget cuts before the House Ways and Means Committee.
"The Washington Education Association’s 82,000 members, hundreds of whom are here today for a Day of Action, stand firmly opposed to another all-cuts state budget. After $2.5 billion in cuts to K-12 education over the last three years, and a 37 percent cut in higher education funding, our schools and our students simply can’t sustain additional budget cuts," Lindquist said.
Read Lindquist's complete testimony, and then email your legislators and urge them to consider all options for raising revenue, including repealing tax loopholes.
We’ve said it before: The Washington Education Association stands firmly opposed to another all-cuts state budget. Read the governor's proposal.
Per-pupil state funding drops
Per-pupil state funding has dropped significantly in recent years. Read the state Senate’s K-12 budget presentation and its overall state budget update.
179 school districts are eligible to run school levies in 2012
Download the list, which includes levy statistics for each district.
Dozens of pro-education candidates win on Nov. 8!
Click here to see how WEA-PAC recommendations for School Board, statewide ballot measures and other local offices fared.
Just for Education Support Professionals
The budget proposals hurt ALL WEA members – higher education faculty, K-12 teachers and education support professionals. If you’re an ESP member, click here to learn more and take action!
SB 6442: Costs more, increases bureaucracy, reduces benefits!
Senate Bill 6442 takes away your current health benefits and forces all K-12 employees into a new state bureaucracy that costs more, provides fewer benefits and limits our health care choices.
This legislation is costly, complicated and confusing all at the same time. Dozens of WEA members attended a recent legislative hearing to oppose the bill. But you can help defeat this bill without going to Olympia – email your legislators and tell them not to take over our health care!
Under SB 6442, all K-12 school employees, whether they live in Anacortes or Zillah, will be forced into the same health benefit plan . . . continue reading.
WEA PRESIDENT MARY LINDQUIST AND WEA LOBBY TEAM IN OLYMPIA, JAN. 26