Kate Simkowiak

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This is an ACTION ALERT! – From The Washington Coalition For Gifted Education

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The Washington Coalition for Gifted Education represents all Highly Capable children in Washington. We are calling for an increase in funding to 5%, as recommended by the Quality Education Council, so that all districts can identify and support every Highly Capable child’s strengths.

Some background information:

All the proposals for the final supplemental budget for FYs 2012 and 2013 (the current biennium) call for $ 17,904,000 for HCP.

The Office of Financial Management has calculated that maintenance level funding for HCP for FYs 2014 and 2015 is $19,083,000.  This amount is what it will take to provide the same services in 2014 and 2015 as the $17.9 million did in 2012 and 2013.

Below compares budget proposals that will be considered in conference. All funding amounts are based on 2.314%. Funding is Section 511 of the proposal.

Gregoire: $19,268,000
Inslee: $19,277,000
Senate: $19,153,000
House: $19,236,000

These amounts are all barely maintenance level funding. This level of funding leaves 40% of districts, many small and rural, with no services or programs whatsoever.

Legislators have told us that they assume that the districts will use some of the $1 billion increase all budgets propose for basic education to cover the increased costs of the Highly Capable Program based on the revised WAC. The legislature cannot direct them to do so, so they have to “assume” it will happen. That is wishful thinking.

Contact your representatives and senator NOW and tell them you want the HCP supplemental funding increased to the 5% level.

The House budget will be on the floor for a vote within a few days so contact your Representatives as soon as possible. After that vote, the different bills will go to a conference committee so contact your Senator next.

Here’s how:  If you do not already know who they are, find your legislators here.

Next, call the Toll-Free Legislative Hotline, 8AM to 8PM at 1-800-562-6000 and leave this message for your State Legislators: “I want you to increase Highly Capable Education funding to 5%, the level recommended by the Quality Education Council.”

Follow up with short emails with the same message to your State Representatives and Senator. Email addresses use this format: Firstname.Lastname@leg.wa.gov or find them here.

Camp Invention Summer Program – $25 Early Bird Discount

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Now through March 30, all who register online receive $25 off along with an additional $5 savings! Click the REGISTER button now to find a location near you!

A WEEKLONG SUMMER ENRICHMENT PROGRAM FOR CHILDREN ENTERING GRADES ONE THROUGH SIX

The Camp Invention program instills vital 21st century life skills such as problem-solving and teamwork through hands-on fun!!!!

 

Time is running out!

April 2, 7-9pm: Uniquely Gifted, a FREE presentation brought to you by the HiCap Advisory Board

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Uniquely Gifted

April 2, 7-9pm

Administration Building, Board Room
3330 Monte Villa Pkwy, Bothell, WA
(Just walk straight past the stairs as you enter the lobby – you can’t miss it.)
A FREE presentation brought to you by the Northshore HiCap Advisory Board

Presented by:
Sandra Malone-Long, PhD
(Lake Washington Quest program school psychologist)

Who should go?
Parents of highly capable or “gifted” children,
especially if that child has some sort of unique challenge
such as perfectionism, anxiety, intense emotions, a visual-spatial learning style, or a disability of any sort.
(Note that these are VERY common in gifted kids, so this talk would apply to pretty much everyone)

Description:
In this presentation you will learn characteristics of gifted learners with unique learning needs and styles.
Parents will learn the level of interventions possible in the school and home setting.
We will focus on the need for team collaboration and targeted interventions.
Noted is the importance of the “home and school environment.”
Most important is for students, educational staff, and parents to be able to identify the “markers of success.”

This is an ACTION ALERT! – From The Washington Coalition For Gifted Education

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Dear Gifted Education Advocate,

We must convince legislators to increase funding for Highly Capable Education, and need your immediate action. Thank you in advance for your advocacy.

Please do the following TODAY or TOMORROW. Please have students leave messages as well!

1.    If you do not already know, find your legislators here.
2.    Call the Toll-Free Legislative Hotline, 8AM to 8PM at 1-800-562-6000 and leave this message for your State Representatives:

“I want you to tell Representative Hunter that it is time for Washington State to ensure equity for all students. I want you to increase Highly Capable Education funding to 5%, the level recommended by the Quality Education Council.”

3.    Call the Toll-Free Legislative Hotline, 8AM to 8PM at 1-800-562-6000 and leave this message for your State Senator:

“I want you to tell Senators Tom and Hill that it is time for Washington State to ensure equity for all students. I want you to increase Highly Capable Education funding to 5%, the level recommended by the Quality Education Council.”

4.    Follow up with short emails to your State Representatives and Senator. Email addresses use this format:  Firstname.Lastname@leg.wa.gov or find them at https://dlr.leg.wa.gov/MemberEmail/Default.aspx

5.    Send additional emails to Ross.Hunter@leg.wa.gov, Rodney.Tom@leg.wa.gov, and Andy.Hill@leg.wa.gov

You may wish to provide them with more information in your email. Feel free to add your personal experience, or use the information below.

With 5% funding the state’s Highly Capable Programs plan will:

  • Ensure equity for all students by supporting early identification, a continuum of services K-12, along with appropriate professional development.
  • Provide equitable screening that eliminates bias
  • Establish a deliberate, systematic effort to look at traditionally underserved populations.
  • Widen opportunity for young children (K-3) who show potential in comparison to their classmates, and to develop that potential to see where it may lead.
  • Provide programming appropriate to the student’s strength.

We are counting on you to take action immediately. There are tens of thousands of Highly Capable children in Washington state who need your help!

Message from The Washington Coalition For Gifted Education – March 24th

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Gifted Education Day 2013 Resolutions

Gifted Education Day 2013 was a huge success with our best turnout ever. Our thanks to everyone who took the time to come to Olympia to show their support for Highly Capable Programs!

The two houses of the legislature adopted nearly identical resolutions honoring Gifted Education Day. The sponsors of the resolution are listed below. If one of them represents you, please send a thank you email for their sponsorship and ask that this support be manifested in a yes vote for a new, more equitable formula and increased funding in the upcoming budget. Email address are on https://dlr.leg.wa.gov/MemberEmail/Default.aspx

HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 2013-4640
By Representatives Maxwell, Haler, Sullivan, Tarleton, Bergquist, Orwall, Magendanz, Stonier, Ryu, Habib, Fitzgibbon, Farrell, Holy, Sells, Zeiger, Wylie, Johnson, and Kagi

SENATE RESOLUTION 8622
By Senators Rivers, Litzow, Hewitt, Braun, Bailey, Honeyford, Baumgartner, Carrell, Smith, Kohl- Welles, Ericksen, Holmquist Newbry, Hobbs, Fain, Hargrove, Parlette, Fraser, Murray, Darneille, Cleveland, Hill, Schlicher, Hatfield, McAuliffe, Mullet, Padden, Brown, King, Schoesler, Dammeier, Tom, Pearson, Becker, Nelson, Conway, Benton, Hasegawa, Chase, Billig, Ranker, Frockt, Keiser, Eide, Harper, Kline, Roach, and Rolfes

Following adoption of the Senate resolution, students gathered on the floor of the Senate chamber for a group photo.

 

Message from The Washington Coalition For Gifted Education – March 13th

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BUDGET PROPOSALS

Of interest to all Highly Capable advocates is what the budget proposals will provide for HCP funding. As part of basic education, costs of a classroom, utilities, teachers, administration, transportation, etc are covered under basic education funding. The considerable costs of identification, professional development, special curriculum and textbooks are covered by the supplemental HCP funding provided by the funding formula.

Everything on the budget is happening AFTER Gifted Education Day. The Revenue Forecast Council releases its quarterly revenue forecast on March 20th. This lets the Governor and Legislators know how much revenue the state expects to have this fiscal year.

It is the Senate’s turn to put out a budget first this year and the Senate Majority Coalition Caucus plans to present their budget proposal the week of the 25th and the House Democratic Caucus shortly thereafter. At some point Governor Inslee is expected to propose either a budget or an outline of spending priorities – which is not clear from news reports.

The current biennial budget provides $8,759,000 for FY 2012 and $8,842,000 for FY 2013 for HCP, a total of $17,601,000. The last budget prior to inclusion in basic education provided  $17,993,000 for the biennium.

Governor Gregoire’s last budget proposal called for $9,472,000 for FY 2012 and $9,594,000, a total of $19,268,000; approximately a 9% increase. Since the HCPTWG and QEC Recommendations (see next paragraph) call for a new funding formula which we estimate as yielding about $45,000,000 per fiscal year, it is clear that no “real and measurable progress toward achieving full compliance” has been made toward full and ample funding as part of basic education.

McCleary calls for compliance by 2018, so the Legislature has a long way to go to reach this goal for Highly Capable Programs. We strongly suggest that it begin with this budget, enacting a new formula based on 5% of students, in a class size of 15, 6.5 hours for grades K-6 and 3.1 hours for grades 7-12.

Legislators are talking about an additional $900 billion to $1.6 billion for basic education. Surely they can find an extra $45 million for HCP!

GIFTED EDUCATION DAY  – AND AFTER

We have been attempting to get HB 1560 amended to provide for a new formula, with little visible progress to date.

Last week we sent you a draft of a proposed resolution in the Legislature. This week we are pleased to send you a copy of the actual resolution, co-sponsored by 47 of 49 Senators. It is a very strong statement of support for gifted education but we should take it cautiously – many may have co-sponsored as a professional courtesy without reading it carefully and becoming aware of its implications. Different versions of this Resolution are circulating in the House and as a Proclamation from the Governor.

If the sponsors really believe what the resolution states, then they should immediately vote to implement the recommendations of the Highly Capable Program Technical Working Group as endorsed by the Quality Education Council. They should vote a more adequate and equitable funding formula to enable these programs to reach more students and help close the opportunity gap. They should substantially increase Highly Capable Program funding in the upcoming biennial budget and reach full and ample funding by 2018.

So come down to Olympia on March 19th and talk to your Legislators about the need for and value of Highly Capable Programs to both the student and the state; the requirements of the McCleary Decision for full and ample funding; and the recommendations of the HCPTWG and the QEC.

Before you do so, take a close look at the power point from NEWS, the plaintiffs in McCleary, presented March 10, http://waschoolexcellence.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/McCleary-presentation-3-10-13.pdf. The Coalition is a member of NEWS.

Be ready to push harder on the budget if the various budget proposals don’t “do right” for Highly Capable Programs when they come out. We will let you know if such action is necessary.

To end the State’s violation of Washington children’s constitutional rights by 2018, each State budget must:
(1) “demonstrate steady progress” implementing education funding reforms under ESHB 2261, and
(2) “show real and measurable progress toward achieving full compliance with article IX, section 1 by 2018.”
July 18, 2012 Supreme Court Order at ¶4

SENG Webinar Event, March 26th – Living with Intensity Series – Part 3

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Title: “Still Gifted After All These Years — Lifespan Intensity and Gifted Adults”
Date: Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Time: 7:30 p.m.-9 p.m. (Eastern)
Presenter: Patricia Gatto Walden, PhD
APA CE: 1

Gifted children become gifted adults experiencing their inner world and surrounding environment in deep and complex ways. Throughout their lives, gifted adults have recognized that intensities, asynchrony, perfectionism, and feelings of dissimilarity from others have affected their relationships, personal life, and career choices.

Incorporating a holistic perspective (focus given to intellectual, emotional, physical, spiritual/ethical and social domains), this SENGinar will identify the multifaceted intrinsic strengths, concerns, and needs of gifted adults. Primary lifelong issues of feeling different and alone, coping with isolation, self-criticism, and relentless perfectionism will be addressed.

After participating in this webinar, you will be able to:

  • Understand how an individual experiences giftedness “from the inside out.”
  • Identify common difficulties and misunderstandings of adult giftedness.
  • Appreciate the lifelong focus on meaning and purpose.
  • Understand the importance of attending to the total self to attain health and well-being.

This SENGinar is the third in a 3-part series based on the book Living with Intensity. To receive APA credit you must read the book, attend the entire webinar, and complete the post-event evaluation. You may purchase the book through Great Potential Press or Amazon.

SENG Webinar Event, March 16th – Bootcamp for Determined Advocates

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Find out What It Takes to Be an Effective Advocate for the Gifted

Date: Saturday, March 16, 2013
Time: 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. (Eastern)
Presenter: Wenda Sheard, JD, PhD

Are you determined to advocate for the best education possible for your children? Do you want to learn more about the legal, political, and educational aspects of advocacy? If you do, this SENGinar is for you.

Many times when a child’s educational needs are satisfied, social and emotional problems are alleviated. So come fill your advocacy toolbox with new and creative advocacy ideas from a lawyer, political scientist, teacher, and long-time education advocate.

 

Gifted Education Day Information from the CPA

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Thank you so much for your planned participation in Gifted Education Day this Tuesday, March 19th.

In preparation for the day, we wanted to cover some important items.

  1. Since the Coalition activities start at 9:00am in Olympia, we will not be meeting at Terrace Park in the morning as a group to arrange carpools. If you have arranged to meet independently, that is fine. Please allow for time to park at the Capitol.
  2. When you arrive in the Columbia Room, please check in with the Coalition to receive a name tag. CPA board members will be in the Columbia Room to answer any questions you may have. We will have copies of the schedule and maps in case you need them. Throughout the day Tina Raghu will be in the Columbia Room for any questions or directions needed.
  3. One of the first meetings of the morning is with Senator Joe Fain in the Columbia Room. This is being coordinated by the Coalition and we have a short amount of time to present him with a binder of student letters. We have arranged for a few students to talk and a few more to stand in support. If your child is not a part of this presentation, please know they will have a chance to speak with our legislators at the afternoon meetings we have arranged.
  4. Attached is an updated agenda for the day. Please note that we will assign a leader to each meeting with our legislators. The leader will introduce our group and the purpose of our meeting. At these meetings, we will ask if any student would like to say a few words. Please see the attached prompts to cover with your child to prepare them if they would like to speak. The message this year is to say thank you for including highly capable within the definition of basic education and also for maintaining the funding for highly capable in the current budget.
  5. On the agenda, we have specified districts of each representative we are meeting. We ask that you try to attend the meetings with the representatives from your district or when there are no conflicting meetings, we all try to attend.

IMPORTANT DOCUMENTS FOR DOWNLOAD

Family GED 2013 Info and Schedule
GED Family Invite Form
GED Checklist
GED FAQs
Legislative Districts
Maps
Kids Speaking Prompt

Thank you again for your participation!

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Tina Raghu or Leslie Rinehimer.

Message from The Washington Coalition For Gifted Education – March 10th

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RECENT ACTIVITIES UPDATED
You haven’t heard from us recently as everything we have been doing in advocating for Highly Capable Programs has been pretty much “behind the scenes.” We are conferring and negotiating with key legislators regarding HB 1560, which purports to enact the recommendations of the Quality Education Council for the HC program. And the QEC recommendations pretty much are those of the Highly Capable Program Technical Working Group. Unfortunately, only a small part of the two sets of recommendations is contained in this bill and we are working as hard as we can to get the full recommendations for identification, services and funding as an amendment to the pending bill. If we are successful in getting a sponsor for our proposed amendment, we may be contacting you asking that you get in touch with your representatives and ask them to vote for the amendment. It all depends on how these touchy negotiations go….

Attached as a pdf file is the fact sheet we are using in our conversations with legislators. It attempts to distill pages and pages of material into a single page fact sheet. Because key Legislators seem to be fixated on issues of equity and the opportunity gap and not on the needs of our gifted students, we have focused our efforts on things which interest them.

GIFTED EDUCATION DAY, MARCH 19
Preparations for Gifted Education Day continue, now that I am back from vacation. We are looking forward to large student contingents from Edmonds and Puyallup as well as smaller groups from other districts. We have a full line-up of speakers. Please be in the Columbia Room no later than 9:10 so we can start our program and finish on time for you to meet with your legislators, with whom you have already made appointments – we trust you have made appointments. If not, do so immediately, please.

We have a Proclamation of Gifted Education Day from the Governor and expect passage of Resolutions in both houses for both Gifted Education Day, March 19, and Gifted Education Week, March 17-23. The exact wording of these three documents may vary slightly, but attached is the text of the Senate Resolution as a pdf file. The Resolutions are being sponsored by new “friends” of gifted education – we have had a core group of faithful Legislator friends for several years now and the group is expanding with these new members: Rep. Marcie Maxwell in the House and Senator Ann Rivers in the Senate. We welcome their support!

We need as large a turn out on March 19th as we can muster to support our efforts with Legislators to get HB 1560 amended as we suggest. Please come to Olympia and support us. If you can’t come to Olympia, contact your Legislators during the week of the 18th and express your support for Highly Capable Programs and tell your Legislators about how important they are for both students and the state. Information on contacting your Legislators is in the Gifted Education Day Handbook for 2013.

In Olympia, we will provide name tags, note paper and envelopes, note cards, and cards with contact information on them for you. Regulations on handing out materials in the Columbia Room keep us from providing printed materials there so print out whatever you need and bring it with you.