State Budget Cuts Coming
You Can Help to Save our Schools!!!

PROBLEM

Our legislators are in session now and will be voting on how to cut spending to balance the state budget by March 11th. These cuts could eliminate all day Kindergarten funding, Class Size Reduction measures (I-728 Student Achievement distribution and K-4 Enhancement Ratios), Highly Capable Programs and Levy Equalization funds.

OUR GOAL

Send a message to Olympia: Say NO to the cuts in education funding outlined in the  Governor’s proposed budget. Balance the state budget without touching ONE MORE CENT of education money.

WHAT YOU CAN DO

Take 10 minutes to learn about the proposed cuts and call or write a letter to your legislators, key committee members, and the Superintendent of Public Instruction.  In addition, forward this information on to your family, your friends, your neighbors – every person you know that values education as a priority. Why write? You CAN make a difference! 

Legislative Hotline: 1-800-562-6000

WebMail users -   Email My Legislators Now!
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Outlook users -   Email My Legislators Now!
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MORE INFORMATION

        Get the Facts
        Letter Writing Tips
        Resource Links
        Sample Topics
        Sample Letters 
        Legislative Contacts

GET THE FACTS

GOVERNORS PROPOSED BUDGET CUTS - budget Cuts K-12 Education -- $408 Million Savings

• Suspends the Levy Equalization program for calendar year 2011 -- $142.9 million savings
• Eliminates an enhanced level of K-4 funding at 53.2 per 1,000 students beginning in the 2010-11 school year.  The required ration of classified instrucitonal staff (primarily teachers) to students is, by statute, 49 staff to 1,000 students in grades Kindergarted through three, and 46 staff to 1,000 students in grades four through twelve. -- $110.6 million savings
• Eliminates funding for the $99 per student I-728 Student Achievement distribution to school districts for the 2010 -11 school year -- $78.5 million savings
• Suspends all-day kindergarten funding for the 2010-11 school year -- $33.6 million savings
• The enacted 2009-11 budget eliminated one of two Learning Improvement Days (LID) for teachers' professional development. The Governor's proposed budget eliminates the remaining LID -- $15.0 million savings
• Eliminates the Highly Capable, or gifted, program for school year 2010-11 -- $7.4 million savings
• Eliminates a number of statewide programs and grants starting in fiscal year 2011. Examples of programs eliminated include Readiness to Learn, Career and Technical Education (CTE) grants, CTE middle-school programs, the Teacher Mentorship program, Reading Corps, and others -- $13.8 million savings
• Reduces the Alternative Routes Certification program and Focused Assistance to schools by 55 percent and 50 percent, respectively -- $3.6 million savings
• Adjusts 2010-11 school year spending authority in a number of statewide programs and grants to the amount actually anticipated to be spent. Examples of these programs include Focused Assistance, Readiness to Learn, and CTE grants -- $2.7 million savings
• The Governor's budget proposal includes transfer of the School for the Blind and the Deafness Center to the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction

I-728 - mandate and budget restriction ramifications:

• The I-728 initiative was approved in the 2000 election to pay for class size reduction and to provide additional resources for improvements in student achievement.  The measure was approved nearly 72 percent by the voters. 
• The Peninsula School District budget cuts for the 2010-2011 year equates to a roughly $1.1 million dollars
• The State has drastically cut provisions to districts over the last three years:
  • 2008-2009 school year districts received $458 per student
  • 2009-2010 received $131 per student
  • 2010 – 2011 $0 per the Governor’s December Budget Proposal

 ESHB 2261

• ESHB 2261 is a massive education reform bill passed during the 2009 legislative session. The bill redefines the state’s “Program of Basic Education” and the funding amounts and methods needed to fully support it. Full implementation of the bill must be completed by 2018. WA State PTA offers this summary.

• The QEC or Quality Education Council is a group created by the State Legislature in ESHB 2261 to present strategic recommendations for implementation of the new requirements.

• The Council Chair is Randy Dorn, the State Superintendent of Public Instruction. In the QEC’s first report to the governor and legislature they included 13 recommendations based on research findings.  The number one recommendation is that K-12 funding not experience any further cuts.  The council feels that if additional cuts are imposed, the quality of education programs offered for Washington students will be negatively impacted.  Further, the council does not consider a reduction in education quality an acceptable outcome of the 2010 session, especially given our state’s unique constitutional mandate to provide ample funding for an equitable education for each and every student and the state. (from the QEC reports accompanying letter to Gov. Gregoire, Lt. Gov. Owen and Speaker Chopp  - from SPI Dorn)

K-4 ENHANCED RATIO CUT

• Prior to the 1986-87 school year, our state operated with a basic education funding formula that provided for a teacher-pupil ratio of 50 teachers per 1000 students.  This included certificated instructional staff and certificated administrative staff.
• From 1987 – the late 1990’s the legislature increased the ratio and modified the specifics a number of times.
• In 1999 the Legislature amended the ratio schedule and improved upon it to include grades Kindergarten through 4th grade – and thus began the term K-4 Enhanced Ratio.
• For the 1999 -2000 school year, the ratio for FTEs (or full time equivalent employees) went up to 53.2 teachers per 1000 pupils. Through the next decade the ratio went as high as 55.4/1000.  Currently, the state provides funds to hire 53.2 certificated staff members per 1,000 K-4 grade students in each district.  The Governor’s December Budget Proposal calls for the ratio to drop to 49 staff per 1,000 K-3 graders and 46 per 1,000 4th graders. 
• The Peninsula School District would lose $1.1 million or the equivalent of 14 FTE (full time equivalent) staff for 2010-11. 

HIGHLY CAPABLE PROGRAMS FUNDING

 

• In the Governor's second budget proposal to the legislature, $9.468 million for highly capable programs is proposed, which is slightly higher than the 2009-2010 budget of $9.430 million. However, the House and the Senate will be producing their own budget proposals and could cut a portion or all of this funding.
• If the enabling legislation is passed this session, highly capable programs will become a part of the new definition of basic education and thus will no longer be quite so vulnerable to budget cuts. However, this will not take effect until September 2011. That leaves the "transition year" (2010-2011). It makes no educational or budgetary sense to defund highly capable programs for 2010-2011 when they will become mandatory in 2011-2012. But not all legislators see it that way. 
• Full funding of highly capable programs in the supplemental budget is vital to the existence of these programs and to the educational progress of our gifted students. Ask your legislators to support "Funding for Highly Capable Programs for 2010-2011 as appropriated in the budget passed last May" or words to that effect. Or, you may wish to wait until the House and Senate budgets are released and see what they contain.

LETTER WRITING TIPS

BE CAREFUL - It's very important that you review and edit your message before you hit 'Send'.

BE NICE - To ensure that your message is well received, it's important that correspondence be written in an even-tempered tone.

BE PASSIONATE - Telling a personal story or describing firsthand experiences on the topic will gain the attention of your audience. 

BE SPECIFIC - The best feedback is specific feedback. If there is a specific proposed plan or action you don't like, state the plan and support your argument with facts.  Details and facts weigh heavily.

OFFER ALTERNATIVES - Be part of the solution. Offering alternatives to specific issues you don't agree with is a great way to drive the process.



RESOURCE LINKS

KINDERGARTEN - Benefits of All Day kindergarten: OSPI  - Quality Education Council’s initial report:

WASHINGTON EDUCATION ASSOCIATION - Take the Lead - Restoring Washington’s Commitment to Great Public Schools  

BUDGET - Shortfalls – See funding by School District

NEWS – Washington State vs. State of Washington – “Paramount Duty…Ample Provision”

HB2261 – Legislature works towards implementation

LEGISLATIVE REPRESENTATIVES - Find your Legislative Representatives

LEGISLATIVE INFORMATION - Legislative Home Page

GOVERNOR GREGOIRE -Governor’s Plan

GETTING INVOLVED - Focus Day Videos

WASTEFUL SPENDING - recent wasteful state spending choices

BUDGET HIGHLIGHTS -  Legislative Evaluation and Accountability Program Committee

NEWS RULING - full 103 page report

TACOMA NEWSTRIBUNE - Basic education underfunded, judge rules

PROTECT WASHINGTON SCHOOLS - Statewide impact

SAMPLE TOPICS

BENEFITS OF ALL DAY KINDERGARTEN - Teachers reported significantly greater progress for full-day children in literacy, math, general learning skills, and social skills.

CLASS SIZES - Washington State has one of the highest student to teacher ratios in the country, ranking 45th - 46th for the past
TEACHER COMPENSATION - Teacher Compensation and overall Education Spending is among the lowest in the country
INVEST IN OUR CHILDREN - Students are the future leaders and members of our community. Studies have found that young adults with low education and skill levels are more likely to live in poverty and receive government assistance.



SAMPLE LETTERS

Dear Senator Kilmer,

I am a mom living in your district with children attending Purdy Elementary School.

I have been following with interest the plan for the State Legislature to try and balance the state budget this year. I realize that that will be a daunting task for you all and I appreciate your commitment to make this a better state in which to live and raise children.

As you contemplate your votes on the education bills that pass through session this year, I implore you to vote NO on any and every bill that would cut even one more cent from education.

Last year our children and schools were dealt a devastating blow with the education cuts the state passed to balance the budget.  We have limped through this year with overcrowded classrooms, said good-bye to beloved and qualified teachers, went without school sports and operated with skeleton crews in many administrative areas.

It has been difficult but we have banded together to make the year as good for our children as possible.

The thought of the Legislature removing even more funds from these children’s education is unacceptable. 

The Constitution for the State of Washington clearly states in Article 9, Section 1 that the paramount duty of the state was to provide ample provision for the education of the children of Washington State.

I urge you to cast your votes in keeping with the Constitution’s mission statement.

As you did with the State Parks issue last year I know you can all work together to find a way - some way - to stop the bleeding in the cuts to schools.  Whether it be something similar to imposing an opt out fee on vehicle registration, like you did for parks – or finding a place to cut the money from less vital areas of the budget.  Areas that do not fall under the “paramount duty” part of the constitution you were elected to uphold.

I trust you to help my family.  I trust you can get to work with your colleagues to figure this out.  We are depending on you.  Washington Schools and the students they educate are worth it.

Thank you for your attention,

Name and contact info

Dear Senator Kilmer-

I understand that our state needs to balance our budget, and that revenues are down due to slowdowns in our economy--but the last place we should be cutting is education. The students in our school systems are the future of our state and the cuts to I-728 and the K-4 Enhanced Ratio Cuts outlined in the Governor’s Proposed Budget are simply unacceptable.

I have two sons attending Purdy Elementary school in Gig Harbor.  My concerns for them and all students in our district are:

1.   We will see an increase in class sizes. Purdy Elementary has 3 fifth grade classes with 32-34 students.  The teachers cannot offer specialized instruction to any of them and students at all levels of capability are suffering.

2.   Our facilities will get more overcrowded. 7 out of 26 classes at Purdy are taught in portables—25% of our classes don’t fit in our building! The computer “lab” is in the hallway and we can only hold 2 grades at a time in our lunch room.

3.   We will experience further cuts to our highly capable program.  Last year we lost the pull-out challenge classes for 3-5^th grade in our district. Now very few students will qualify for the self-contained classrooms for 4-5^th graders--and it is at a different elementary school. Highly capable programs may seem like an easy place to cut, but these students are considered “Special Needs” in many states because they present a unique set of challenges to teachers.  Highly capable kids are creative thinkers and have great initiative—by not offering special programs and instruction for them we not only waste their potential, but create discipline issues.

I have a Master’s degree in a hard science and would love to be back to work in my field, but these concerns have led me to stay home and provide support for my kids as they deal with these issues at school. As a volunteer, I serve as a Co-VP for our PTA, help with math in a third grade classroom and coach a Destination Imagination team geared at challenging highly capable students. I am willing to help support our schools, but there is only so much volunteers can do. We need trained professionals to assess learning issues, provide targeted instruction and help students meet their potential.

At Purdy Elementary, we are fortunate to have an amazing number of parent volunteers and our PTA funds a wide range of projects including building our playground, offering stipends to teachers, supporting extracurricular clubs and paying for new books in our library—but parent volunteers and the PTA cannot replace state support for basic education.

Quality teachers are leaving Washington for higher pay and better support. Our facilities are overcrowded and understaffed. We cannot afford to lose any more funding for our school systems. Make our children a priority during this session—vote to preserve funding for education!

Thank you,

Contact Information

 LEGISLATIVE CONTACTS

26th District Represenatives  (Find your Represenatives)
Senator Derek Kilmer	kilmer.derek@leg.wa.gov
Larry Seaquist - Represenative	seaquist.larry@leg.wa.gov
Jan Angel  - Represenative	angel.jan@leg.wa.gov
Speaker of the House
Frank Chopp	chopp.frank@leg.wa.gov
State Superintendent of Public Instruction
Randy Dorn	Randy.Dorn@k12.wa.us
Education Committee
Quall, Dave - Chair	Quall.Dave@leg.wa.gov
Maxwell, Marcie - Vice Chair	Maxwell.Marcie@leg.wa.gov
Priest, Skip	Priest.Skip@leg.wa.gov
Hope, Mike	Hope.Mike@leg.wa.gov
Dammeier, Bruce	Dammeier.Bruce@leg.wa.gov
Fagan, Susan	Fagan.Susan@leg.wa.gov
Hunt, Sam	Hunt.Sam@leg.wa.gov
Johnson, Norm	Johnson.Norm@leg.wa.gov
Liias, Marko	Liias.Marko@leg.wa.gov
Orwall, Tina	Orwall.Tina@leg.wa.gov
Santos, Sharon Tomiko	santos.sharontomiko@leg.wa.gov
Sullivan, Pat	Sullivan.Pat@leg.wa.gov
Chair Education Appropriations Committee
Haigh, Kathy - Chair	Haigh.Kathy@leg.wa.gov
Probst, Tim - Vice Chair	Probst.Tim@leg.wa.gov
Anderson, Glenn	Anderson.Glenn@leg.wa.gov
Carlyle, Reuven	Carlyle.Reuven@leg.wa.gov
Haler, Larry	Haler.Larry@leg.wa.gov
Hunter, Ross	Hunter.Ross@leg.wa.gov
Kagi, Ruth	Kagi.Ruth@leg.wa.gov
Maxwell, Marcie	Maxwell.Marcie@leg.wa.gov
Nealey, Terry	Nealey.Terry@leg.wa.gov
Quall, Dave	Quall.Dave@leg.wa.gov
Rolfes, Christine	Rolfes.Christine@leg.wa.gov
Wallace, Deb	Wallace.Deb@leg.wa.gov
Senate Ways & Means Committee
Prentice, Margarita	Prentice.Margarita@leg.wa.gov
Fraser, Karen	Fraser.Karen@leg.wa.gov
Tom, Rodney	Tom.Rodney@leg.wa.gov
Zarelli, Joseph	Zarelli.Joseph@leg.wa.gov
House Ways & Means Committee
Linville, Kelli	Linville.kelli@leg.wa.gov
Ericks, Mark	Ericks.mark@leg.wa.gov
Sullivan, Pat	Sullivan.pat@leg.wa.gov
House Finance Committee
Hunter, Ross	Hunter.ross@leg.wa.gov
Hasegawa, Bob	Hasegawa.bob@leg.wa.gov
Orcutt, Ed	Orcutt.ed@leg.wa.gov