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Attorney
General: School boards lack authority to take
positions ballot propositions
School boards have no authority to go on record
supporting or opposing ballot propositions,
according to an official legal opinion just issued
by the state Attorney General’s office. The opinion
concludes that the governing bodies of “special
purpose” districts (including school districts) lack
authority to adopt motions or resolutions supporting
or opposing ballot propositions. The conclusion does
not apply to resolutions requesting placement of a
bond or levy on the ballot, the opinion says.
Click here to view full text of the opinion (PDF
file).
Meanwhile, legislation has been introduced that
would specifically authorize special districts to
take positions on ballot measures. The text of the
proposal (HB 2713) is available on the
state Legislature's Web site.
'65
percent solution' arrives in Washington
Regular readers of our daily e-clippings know that we’ve
been following developments in other states
regarding the “65 percent solution” — a proposal to
require school districts to devote at least 65
percent of their operating budgets to “classroom
instruction.” The
Washington, D.C.-based group behind this plan is
working to get it passed in all 50 states, so it was
no surprise to see it arrive in Washington and
Oregon this past week. The proposal has been filed
as initiatives in both states, which means sponsors
will need to gather petition signatures to place
their measures on the ballot. (Visit the
Washington Secretary of State’s Web site for
updates on the initiative number, ballot title and
explanatory language.) The National School Boards
Association offers thoughtful tips related to this
issue in its article
“Beyond the 65 Percent Solution.” Also, be sure
to see the
Standard and Poor’s analysis regarding classroom
spending targets and student achievement.
PDC F-1 Forms due
A reminder from the state Public Disclosure
Commission…most school board members are required to file a
Personal Financial Affairs Statement (PDC Form F-1) by April
17 of this year. School directors in districts with less
than 1,000 registered voters are exempt. All others,
including those elected or appointed in 2005, must file the
form. You may file electronically, by mail, or personal
delivery. Electronic filers have a one-time only requirement
of submitting a signature authorization. Once the PDC
receives a filer’s signature authorization, the F-1 is filed
when the e-filer transmits the report. Blank forms and
detailed instructions can be found under Filer Assistance at
www.pdc.wa.gov. Mailed
reports are filed as of the postmark date. If you have
questions, contact a PDC auditor at: 360/753-1111 (toll-free
877/601-2828) or
pdc@pdc.wa.gov
LEAP presents 6th
annual conference, briefing on draft ed reform proposal
Gov. Christine Gregoire is the keynote speaker for this
year’s Latino/a Educational Achievement Project Annual
Education Conference, scheduled for Feb. 9-11 at the Olympia
Red Lion Hotel. The meeting, which precedes the WASA-WSSDA
Legislative Conference, will feature workshops and
discussions on a variety of topics. LEAP will also hold a
briefing on its draft education reform proposal on Feb. 12
at the same venue. For more information,
click here.
Speaking of the WASA-WSSDA Legislative Conference, have you
registered yet? The registration fee goes up after Feb. 6,
so
sign up today!
Rural Ed Center
seeks support for teacher attrition study
The Rural Education
Center is seeking donations from districts to complete a
research study on attrition of teachers in small and
isolated districts in Washington. The study will be
completed by the Center
for Strengthening the Teaching Profession at the
University of Washington. When completed, the information
will help to inform legislators about the differences in
teacher retention and mobility in districts with fewer than
1,000 students. The report will be submitted to groups such
as the Washington Learns education finance study. Donors
have committed $16,000 of the $40,000 needed for the study
to date. The Rural Education Center is requesting that
donations be made as soon as possible to insure timely
delivery of the report. To make or donation or for
more information on the study, contact Jim Kowalkowski,
Pomeroy School District at 509/843-3393.
'Aiming High' on
its way to schools this month
The Superintendent of Public Instruction’s newest
edition of Aiming High is in the final stages of printing,
and should be in the hands of all school principals by early
February. The publication is designed to help parents
understand state learning standards and their connection to
the Washington Assessment of Student Learning. Copies will
be mailed to each school for distribution to parents of all
students taking the WASL this spring. Following completion
of those school mailings, small quantities of the
publication will be mailed to district offices. The
publication already is posted online in PDF format at
www.k12.wa.us. For the
first time this year, Aiming High is being translated into
Spanish. The Spanish version will be available online only.
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