Emphasizing the leadership role of school boards in student achievement
In this era of education reform and increased accountability, it’s essential that everyone involved in public education understand and recognize the vital role of school boards in improving student achievement — especially school directors themselves. That’s why WSSDA has produced a position paper detailing the unique responsibilities of school boards and their pivotal role in sustaining continuous improvement in student learning. Learn more here.

Assembly to Legislature: Define and pay for basic education
Delegates to WSSDA’s Legislative Assembly wrapped up their work last month with an advisory vote on priority rankings for the various positions adopted or reaffirmed during the meeting. As in past years, defining basic education and addressing K-12 funding issues are at the top of the list. See the front-page article in this month’s WSSDA.org newsletter for details on this year’s Assembly, or view it online here. (The online version also includes the full list of legislative positions and proposals ranked in priority order by the Assembly, plus a photo gallery.)

Elections galore!
School directors have a lot of important voting responsibilities in the next couple of months, starting with elections for Educational Service District board positions in many locations around the state (ballots are due back to OSPI Oct. 16). Two positions for the State Board of Education will be up for election next month, followed by WSSDA’s own officer and committee member elections at the association’s Annual Conference in November (see our online guide to the candidates). And, of course, the State General Election is Nov. 6. All of these elections will impact public education in our state — be sure to vote!

Williams to run for NSBA post
Speaking of elections, North Thurston School Board member Bill Williams has announced he will run for the position of Secretary-Treasurer of the National School Boards Association. The WSSDA Board of Directors recently endorsed Williams’ candidacy, a step required to run for NSBA officer positions. Officers are elected by the NSBA Delegate Assembly in April. Williams, a former member of the NSBA Board of Directors for the Pacific Region, is also a past president of WSSDA.

Performance audit of ESDs published
Washington’s nine Educational Service Districts are providing quality services that meet the needs of school districts, but there’s room for improvement — particularly in linking operational goals to budgets and strategic plans. That’s the overall conclusion of a $1.4 million performance audit of ESDs recently published by the State Auditor’s Office. To access the SAO's executive summary and detailed audit report, click here.

Blanchard named to PESB board
Congratulations to Montesano School Director Lori Blanchard, who has been appointed as a member of the Professional Educator Standards Board by Gov. Chris Gregoire. Blanchard, who will serve as a parent representative on the PESB, is five-year member of the Montesano School Board and a participant in Leadership WSSDA. She succeeds WSSDA Vice President Martha Rice (Yakima) on the PESB.

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