WSSDA leaders meet with Gov. Gregoire
WSSDA President Martha Rice (Yakima), President-elect Karen Madsen (Everett) and Executive Director Martharose Laffey met with Gov. Chris Gregoire Monday, bringing the school boards’ perspective to key education issues such as funding, finance reform and accountability. WSSDA leaders thanked the governor for her leadership in urging the Legislature to pass a basic education finance reform bill this session (see the governor’s letter), including her support for a model school prototype to allocate funds, strengthening the role of data, and incorporating the meaningful high school diploma. Rice, Madsen and Laffey also talked with Gregoire about the need for a state accountability system that is integrated with NCLB requirements, and shared the association’s concerns about proposed cuts to I-728 and levy equalization and the uncertainty over how federal stimulus funds will "backfill" reductions to K-12 education. "It was a productive meeting," Laffey said. "The governor recognizes the unique and vital role of school directors in the education system and she shared her desire to work with WSSDA as the state moves forward in education reform."

New law clarifies math-related graduation requirement
Immediately after meeting with WSSDA leadership, Gov. Gregoire held a ceremony to sign legislation erasing what one legislator called "a technical glitch" in high school graduation requirements related to math. The new law helps students who failed the math WASL in 10th grade and incorrectly assumed they did not need to re-take the test in their junior and senior years. Complete details are available on the OSPI Web site.

Applause for Bridgeport
Congratulations to the Bridgeport School District, which is one of three grand prize winners in the American School Board Journal’s 15th annual Magna Awards program. Bridgeport was recognized in the under 5,000 enrollment category for "College in the High School," which offers college-level classes to the district’s high school students. Learn more here…

Appeals court turns down challenge to special education funding
Readers of WSSDA’s daily E-Clippings will have seen brief news articles about the state Court of Appeals’ rejection of a lawsuit which sought to increase state funding for special education. If you’d like to know more about the court’s rationale, you can view the full opinion on the State Courts Web site. Also, reaction from the challenging school districts is available here.

State Board of Education update
High school math curricula, CORE 24 graduation requirements and system performance accountability were among the issues discussed during the State Board of Education’s regular meeting this past month. One of the board’s actions was a call for additional review of studies on high school math instructional materials before the OSPI moves forward in selecting three curricular programs to recommend to school districts. Meeting highlights and background materials are posted on the SBE Web site.

NSBA weighs in on proposed federal regulation of school meals
Does the federal government need to regulate all food and beverages provided in schools during and after the school day? No, says the National School Boards Association, which testified yesterday on proposed legislation that would establish federal standards on all foods and beverages available to students, not just those food and beverage programs that are federally subsidized. NSBA urged Congress to refrain from further restricting the authority and flexibility of local school boards. Click here for more information.

Reminders…
WSSDA is accepting proposals for workshops and sessions at our next Annual Conference, which takes place Nov. 18-22 in Seattle. Details and online submittal forms are available at www.wssda.org/conference ... The next WSSDA Regional Meetings will be held April 14 in Ellensburg and April 15 in Orondo … April 15th is the deadline for most school directors to file the F-1 Statement of Financial Affairs with the state Public Disclosure Commission.

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