What's New: Funding WA Schools - What To Know, Updates

Understand the consequences of underfunded K-12 students

What’s New—The latest news and resources

BREAKING NEWS

Nov 25 — New Initial Draft Final Report of the Joint Task Force for Basic Education Finance. Read more about the hearing.

LEV & PFL release a summary of their joint market research of Washington residents on their perception of the state of K-12 education in the state, and the “hot buttons” for engaging residents in understanding the consequences of policy and funding.

Nov 23 — Two reports by WSSIP from the BEF hearing Summary of Preliminary Decisions—November 23, 2008 Revision, Summary of Proposal Items to be Decided—November 23, 2008. Read more about the hearing.

Nov 17— New BEF Proposal Comparison - This new PDF contains an updated summary of proposals submitted to the Basic Education Finance Joint Task Force. Five proposals are described (listed below in their entirety under Oct. 15th The 5 Proposals and Their Key Documents). A new column is included noting the committee’s tentative preference of a proposal’s approach to a policy or component.

Additionally, a draft listing of BEF decisions, or topics of agreement to-date within the committee, is available.

The proposal comparison summary is formatted as a table; each row represents a separate policy or finance component, and each column summarizes the details of each proposal.

Nov 4 — BEF Proposal Comparison - Original - This packet is the original of the now updated comparison of Nov 17.

Oct 17 — Online video of Reps. Hunter and Jarret and Sen. Tom presenting an overview of their proposal to the BEF Task Force, Basic Ed Funding: A Model School Approach — great viewing, 1 1/2 hours.

Oct 15 — Members of the Basic Education Finance Task Force now have four of the five comprehensive proposals they will consider to develop their final recommendations. These are the proposals summarized in the Comparison above. The bipartisan Task Force will release its recommendations on December 1.

Various education associations and some task force members themselves played a role in developing these proposals to meet the legislative charge of the task force: define basic education and develop the appropriate funding formulas and structures for it.

Collectively, these five proposals will identify: the programs to be included in basic education; the formulas for fully funding the cost of basic education; a teacher compensation system that is competitive and rationale; and an accountability system that is transparent and effective.

The basic ed programs in the proposals are backed by research and include such strategies as helping struggling students and increasing the professional competencies of teachers.

The Task Force will also consider several proposals they received that were focused on a single issue such as ensuring students’ health or providing nutritious meals.

The 5 Proposals and Their Key Documents

1) Chairman Dan Grimm

Chairman Grimm’s proposal:

A) Improving Student Performance: The Fundamentals

2) Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction by Superintendent Terry Bergeson.

a) Funding System to Support Student Success: Quality Educator Development, Compensation, and Support, Terry Bergeson, Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction; Erin LaVerdiere, Sumner School District; Jeanne Harmon, Center for the Strengthening of the Teaching Profession; Holly Koon, Mount Baker High School;and Pete Bylsma, education consultant

b) A Funding System to Support Student Success: Presentation to the Basic Education Funding Task Force—Student Support and System Foundations, Terry Bergeson, Howard DeLeeuw, John Aultman, and Dennis Small, Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction; Vickie Damon, Renton School District; John Mannix and Neil Sullivan, Spokane Public Schools; and Mike Cullum, Northshore School District

c) Executive Summary

d) Development Model

e) Compensation Model

f) Staffing Model: Class Size

g) Staffing Model: Libraries

h) Staffing Model: Health

i) Staffing Model: Learning Support

j) Struggling Students

k) English Language Learners

l) Career and Technical

m) Staffing Model: Guidance

n) Classified Staff: Ratios

o) Classified Staff: School Security

p) Classified Staff: Salary Allocations

q) Classified Staffing Salary Allocation Method—Appendix A

r) NERC: Foundation

s) NERC: Instructional Technology

t) NERC: Curriculum

3) Basic Ed Funding: A Model School Approach by BEF member legislators R. Hunter / G. Anderson / F. Jarret / P. Sullivan / R. Tom /

S. Priest—www.whatitakesforkids.com.

a) Washington State Basic Education Funding Proposal: Preparing Children to Succeed in the 21st Century

b) Presentation Slideshow

4) Full Funding Coalition by Paul Rosier and Bill Freund, Washington Association of School Administrators; Randy Parr, Washington Education Association; and David Conley, Center for Educational Policy Research, University of Oregon (Coalition members are Association of Washington Principals, Public School Employees, Washington Association of School Administrators, Washington Education Association, Washington State School Directors Association).

a) Presentation Slideshow

b) Attaining a World-Class K–12 System: Aligning Washington’s Funding Structure with 21st Century Educational Expectations

c) Appendix

5) League of Education Voters

a) Five Proposals to Transform Washington Education Finance and Drive Gains in Student Achievement

SUMMARY: A summary by BEF’s independent research support staff of proposals: Proposal Report on Funding Models to the Basic Education Finance JTF — Sep.15, 2008. The comparisons start as narrative at the beginning of the report , followed by charts and detail - WSIPP’s report shows proposals from Dr. Bergeson/OSPI, LEV/League of Education Voters, Full Funding Coalition/WEA, AWSP, WSSDA, WASA, and PSE/Public School Employees of Washington,, and Representative Skip Priests (Note: Skip Priest is signing on to the proposal by Hunter/Tom/Anderson/others).

Funding Washington Schools

NEW Informative Presentations as of October

¨ OSPI Report to BEF Task Force by Jennifer Priddy: K-12 Finance: Depth, Breadth, and Causes of a Looming Finance Crisis (PowerPoint Slideshow)

¨ “It’s Basic” slideshow — insights into our WA State funding problem—a brief and terrifically effective message from WSPTA’s Ed Comm. on Basic Ed Finance!

¨ WSPTA Focus Day slideshow — an overview of the changes to a Rally On The Steps for this annual advocacy event in Olympia Feb. 26, 2009, and how it will be easier to participate in person or online.

Other Recent News

Oct 1st—New website-blog debuts proposal from members of BEFJTF — Senator Rodney Tom and Representatives Ross Hunter, Skip Priest, Glen Anderson, Pat Sullivan and Fred Jarret publish a proposal to reform the way our K-12 school system is funded, "Washington State Basic Education Funding Proposal: Preparing Children to Succeed in the 21st Century".

Sep. 22 — 1ST preview of TASK FORCE work: Read the news article. BEF Presentation to the Lake Washington School Board: by Rep. Hunter , Rep. Anderson and Sen. Tom gave a presentation on I of 3 proposals in progress by members of the WA State Basic Education Finance Joint Task Force.