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Gregoire
proposes $187 million increase for K-12
It’s been some time since a Washington
governor has been faced with managing a budget
surplus of any kind, let alone the $1.45 billion in
extra revenue projected for the current biennium. So
interest was particularly high Tuesday as Gov.
Christine Gregoire unveiled the supplemental budget
request she will submit to state lawmakers in
January. Emphasizing fiscal restraint, Gregoire
wants to put $900 million in reserve and spend the
rest on a mixture of new initiatives and required
increases. The bottom line for K-12 education: about
$187 million in additional funding, including $38
million to help high school students with the WASL.
For more on the governor’s proposal,
click here.
Washington Learns
delivers interim report
You may have seen recent articles about the
Washington Learns study group and its proposal to
create a cabinet-level state Department of Early
Learning (a proposal embraced in Gov. Gregoire’s
supplemental budget request). What you may not know
is that this proposal was one of several preliminary
recommendations made by the Washington Learns
Steering Committee in its interim report to the
Legislature. These recommendations include:
- Investing in academic support for students who
need help meeting reading, math and writing
requirements
- Increasing high school mentoring opportunities
- Providing all 10th- and 11th-graders with the
opportunity to take college readiness exams
- Requiring the State Board of Education to use
indicators of program effectiveness and outcomes
in holding schools accountable for performance
- Developing course frameworks, curriculum and
assessments to help high school students better
prepare for college-level math courses
- Developing pre-apprenticeship programs for
students who want to pursue a trade
The complete interim report is available in PDF
on the
Washington Learns Website.
State Board of
Education election results
Many thanks to all those school board members who took
time to vote in the recent State Board of Education
elections. Results are complete for four of the five
positions up for election; results for the fifth spot are
expected late this week when the Office of Superintendent of
Public Instruction tabulates ballots for a runoff election.
Meanwhile,
click here to see a list of newly elected SBE members.
January: A time to
honor school board members
Across the country, January has been set aside to honor
those who take on “the toughest volunteer job in America” —
serving on a local school board. Here in Washington, Gov.
Gregoire has proclaimed January School Board Recognition
Month, a declaration that highlights the many contributions
made by school directors to education governance and student
learning. Be sure to visit our
School Board Recognition Month page to see the text of
the governor’s proclamation and learn more about this
important celebration.
WSSDA online
courses resume next month
Online learning has tremendous advantages for busy
school board members. You can study on your own schedule in
a setting that works best for you. It’s also a great way to
network and learn from other school board members around the
state. WSSDA and Seattle Pacific University have again
teamed up to offer a number of excellent online courses,
covering topics such as Community Engagement, the Key Work
of School Boards, and Board-Superintendent Relations. These
courses begin in mid-January. For a complete schedule and
registration forms, visit the
WSSDA Web site.
Free workshop on
trust lands
Washington’s Common School Trust Lands have been in
existence since statehood, providing much-needed money for
school construction. Issues surrounding these trust lands
have become increasingly complex in recent years as the
state works to maintain its fiduciary responsibilities in
the face of increasing environmental, recreational and
economic demands. Learn more about this critical resource at
a free workshop offered by WSSDA and the state Department of
Natural Resources on Jan. 8. in Seattle.
Click here for more information.
Namit to receive
national award
Congratulations to WSSDA’s Chuck Namit, who has been
selected to receive the 2006 Thomas A. Shannon Award from
the National School Boards Association (NSBA). Named in
honor of NSBA’s former executive director, the award
recognizes state school board association staff for
leadership and achievement within their state associations
as well as in collaborating with other organizations and
NSBA. Namit directs WSSDA’s Board and Organizational
Development program, and was recently re-elected to a fourth
term on the North Thurston School Board. Please join us in
congratulating Chuck on receiving this prestigious award. It
is a well-deserved recognition of his excellent work on
behalf of WSSDA and his productive relationships with NSBA
and many other organizations during his long career.
Nominations sought
for effective administrator awards
The Washington Association of School Administrators (WASA)
is seeking nominations for the Robert J. Handy Awards, a
program that recognizes public school administrators for
outstanding efforts in promoting high-performing schools and
school districts. For more information, visit the
WASA
Web site.
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