Gregoire appointments round out State Board of Education
The reconfigured State Board of Education has been in a holding pattern for the past month, waiting for Gov. Chris Gregoire to exercise her new authority to appoint seven members to the 16-member board. The waiting is now over, as Gregoire’s office announced her selections on Jan. 30. See the article on our Web site for information on the appointees and a list of members elected by school directors last fall. Also, watch your e-mail inbox for Friday’s issue of WSSDA Impact, which will include Dan Steele’s update on legislation to alter SBE’s responsibilities.

Regional Meetings coming soon
Regional Meetings are scheduled in 17 locations around the state in the next several weeks, more than ever before to make them as accessible as possible for WSSDA members. These meetings are designed to give school board members an opportunity to share thoughts on hot issues, exchange successes and challenges, and to get to know others from around the region. Complete meeting details and online registration are available on the WSSDA Web site.

School board feedback needed on proposed WIAA rule changes
Roger Myers (Stanwood Camano School Board), your chair of the WSSDA Interscholastic Activities Committee, has been busy keeping members up to date on proposed amendments to the WIAA Handbook. The IAC will meet in just over a week to develop recommendations on the amendments. If your board hasn’t had a chance to review the proposals, see the list on our Web site and give the committee your input.

Districts asked to identify summer WASL retake locations
The Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction is asking school district assessment coordinators to identify one or more locations in their districts which will serve as summer testing locations for the high school Washington Assessment of Student Learning. The deadline for identifying summer testing locations is March 31. The first set of WASL retakes in reading, writing and mathematics will be offered August 7-10. Click here for complete details about the testing schedule, how funding for retesting will be distributed to districts and other logistical issues. If you have further questions about the retakes, please contact OSPI’s Bob Butts.

Deadline approaching on WASA-WSSDA Legislative Conference registration
Just a few days left to save money on your registration for the Annual WASA-WSSDA Legislative Conference. Participants must register by Feb. 6 to receive the discounted pre-registration fee. After Feb. 6, registration must be completed on site at the Olympia Red Lion Hotel. The conference takes place Feb. 12-13 at the hotel and “on the hill” at the State Capitol. This year’s conference is packed with good information and opportunities to talk directly with legislators about critical issues facing your district. Visit the WASA Web site and sign up today!

WASA Small Schools Conference set for mid-March
School board members are invited to attend the WASA Small Schools Conference, which will be held March 13-14 at the Yakima Convention Center in Yakima. Pre-registration by March 6 is $150 for WSSDA members. Register on the WASA Web site or call 360/943-5717. Hotel reservations may be made by calling 509/248-5900.

2006 Opportunities Conference cancelled
The Northwest Conference on Celebrating Educational Opportunities for Hispanic Students will not be held this year. The conference, which is hosted by four western region states on a rotating basis, was scheduled to be held in Nevada this April. Unfortunately, organizers in Nevada have not been successful in planning this year’s conference. WSSDA will likely be the host for next year’s meeting.

NSBA: ABC News should apologize for 20/20 segment
A final note; You may have seen ABC’s recent “20/20” program in which the network’s John Stossel took at hard shot at public schools in his segment "Stupid in America: How We Cheat Our Kids." Now, the National School Boards Association has sent a blistering response calling on ABC to apologize for the report. The letter, signed by NSBA President Joan Schmidt and Executive Director Anne Bryant, makes a number of points about errors in Stossel’s report and the good things happening in public schools. See a copy of the letter on the NSBA Web site. As a reminder, NSBA has created a Web resource page that lists key message points about the good news in public education that you can use.

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