Education associations call for new K-12 finance structure
Four months ago, Gov. Chris Gregoire signed legislation creating a Basic Education Finance Task Force to develop options for a new K-12 funding structure in Washington. The task force held its first meeting Monday, and Washington’s five largest education organizations were there to present joint testimony on what they see as the panel's fundamental responsibility — to complete the original mission of Washington Learns. Learn more here…

Intervention enters accountability discussions
WSSDA leadership has been working hard over the summer to be sure the association is engaged in the State Board of Education's discussions about an accountability system for K-12 education — discussions which now include proposals for state interventions in districts and schools that are struggling with student achievement. Be sure to see the front-page article in this month’s issue of the WSSDA.org newsletter, or view it online here. Also, note that SBE will continue its work on accountability at its next meeting Sept. 18-19 in Wenatchee.

Report: Math standards need to be strengthened
Regular readers of our e-clippings will have seen the articles a few days ago on a report submitted to the State Board which found that the state needs to strengthen its K-12 mathematics standards. The independent review, commissioned by the SBE, found that "compared to the standards of key states and high achieving countries, Washington is not expecting enough of its students. There is insufficient emphasis on core mathematical content. Some math should be taught earlier in a student’s schooling, and some crucial math is missing completely." For more on this topic, including the full text of the report, visit the SBE Web site.

Legislative Assembly Handbook available online
WSSDA’s Legislative Assembly will be considering more than 60 proposals for association legislative positions (including hot-button topics like graduation requirements, education funding and mandatory training for school directors) when it meets next week in Yakima. For a full preview of the upcoming meeting, including details of each proposal, check out the Legislative Assembly Handbook (PDF file). Also, be sure your district is represented during the Assembly’s deliberations. Registration information is available here.

Fall Regional Meetings
WSSDA’s Fall Regional Meetings are under way, with sessions already held this week in Endicott, Chattaroy and Touchet. Coming up next: Kelso (Thurs., Sept. 27), Graham (Wed., Oct. 3), Everett (Thurs., Oct. 4), Yakima (Tues., Oct. 9), Aberdeen and Moses Lake (Wed., Oct. 10), Omak (Thurs., Oct. 11), Chimacum (Sat., Oct. 13), and Burien (Thurs., Oct. 18). Topics for this round of meetings include upcoming legislative issues, K-12 accountability and teacher certification, as well as roundtable discussions on items of local interest. Visit the WSSDA Web site to register for the meetings and view detailed information, including locations, driving directions and meal costs.

Gore joins the WSSDA team
Welcome to Phi Gore, who has joined the WSSDA staff as Director of Leadership Development Services. Phil served as a member of the Riverview School Board for more than five years, and recently earned his master’s degree in educational leadership and policy studies from the University of Washington. He’ll be attending many of WSSDA’s upcoming Regional Meetings to visit with school directors and administrators. In the meantime, learn more about Phil here…

Deadlines approaching for…
Signups for WSSDA’s fall online courses are due Sept. 17… entries for WSSDA’s Boards of the Year and Diversity Awards are due Sept. 28 … the deadline for Leadership WSSDA applications is Oct. 1 …nominations for the American School Board Journal’s Magna Awards are due Oct. 1 … submittals for the "Signs of Success" project for the WSSDA Annual Conference are due Oct. 15.

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