Kate Simkowiak

Advocacy

Budget information, legislative activities, WAETAG conferences, etc.

Message from the Coalition for Gifted Education

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SPECIAL SESSION OF THE LEGISLATURE

The Governor has convened a special session of the Legislature beginning November 28th to address the most recent, dismal revenue forecast. With the necessity for a supplemental budget we feel that it will be vital to muster a show of strength and commitment. The details of the various proposals to be considered by the Legislature will determine what actions we need to take. See Ross Hunter’s blog at http://www.rosshunter.info/2011/09/wa-state-budget-update-special-session/


WAETAG CONFERENCE

The annual WAETAG Conference is scheduled for October 28 (special session for administrators) and October 29 at the Convention Center in Wenatchee. More information can be found on the WAETAG web site http://www.waetag.net/

GIFTED EDUCATION DAY

Gifted Education Day is scheduled for Monday, January 23, 2012. We hope all of you will join us in the Columbia Room in the state capitol building.

COALITION/NWGCA/WAETAG LEADERSHIP MEETINGS

Tuesday, October 25, 11 am to 3 pm

Wednesday, December 7, 4 pm to 8 pm

At the Burien Community Center, 14700  6th Ave. SE, Burien.

 

Governor Gregoire Signed SB 5919 Which Implements A New Definition Of Basic Education

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Significant day for Highly Capable Programs in the state of Washington. Governor Gregoire signed SB 5919 that implements the new definition of basic education, effective September 1, 2011. This bill places Highly Capable Programs within the definition of basic education, which gives it the constitutional protections that accompany basic ed. It mandates that all districts must provide appropriate programs and services to identified highly capable students.

Message from the Coalition for Gifted Education – Town Hall Meetings this Saturday

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Town Hall Meeting Reminder

Most legislators will be holding town hall meetings on Saturday, March 12.

What issues should you comment on in these Town Hall meetings?

1. Express support for education funding in general. Revenue forecasts continue to be grim and wrenching cuts are likely for all basic education programs in the next biennial budget. The easy cuts (as bad as they have been) have already been made and only the tough ones remain.

2. Express support for continued state funding of Highly Capable Programs. Please do not compare them with any other programs as the purpose and funding sources of these other programs are very different from HCP. HCP is solely state and local funded which places it in a class of its own. It needs to stand on its own merits.

Some legislators say that since local districts spend up to $5 of their own money on gifted programs for each $1 received from the state, lack of state funding will not jeopardize their continued existence. This is not true, expect in a few exceptional districts. Why spend limited local dollars on a program the state is unwilling to fund.

Express a willingness to participate in the pain of budget cuts so long as they are proportional to the cuts other programs are taking.

3. Strongly support the legislature moving forward with full implementation of the education reforms of ESHB 2261 and SHB2776 as scheduled. Pending bill SB 5475 will delay implementation of all aspects of education reform to an uncertain future date. We need to keep faith with the intent and purpose of the reform legislation and move forward now.

If you have the opportunity to make only one brief statement, this is the most important one.

Why These Meetings are Important

The following quotes liberally from the WSSDA Legislative Update for March 10.

As funny as it sounds, for the third day in a row WSSDA has heard from legislators that say they are getting more email and telephone calls on cougars, chicken eggs, and shark fins than cuts to K-12 education.

One legislator said they used the folder system in their in-box, and that the chickens were leading. “My ‘eggs’ bucket has 34 messages. Education is pretty empty,” said the legislator.

And while legislators don’t decide how they will vote based on the number of emails they receive, they do keep track of what they are hearing from constituents and what is causing the most concern.

Rep. Pat Sullivan, D-Covington, had a similar message to education advocates at a meeting Tuesday this week.

Talking about the House Ways & Means Committee budget hearing in January, Sullivan said human services advocates turned out page after page of witnesses for testimony while education – early learning, K-12 and higher education – had a total of six people.

As reported here previously, the state revenue forecast will be issued March 17.

The House writes a budget first this year, which means a draft budget proposal from Chair Ross Hunter, D-Medina, will probably be released Monday, March 21. If traditional patterns hold, a public hearing may be scheduled for March 22 or 23 at 3:30 p.m., with executive session and amendments the day after the public hearing.

This schedule could change if the revenue forecast blows a significantly bigger hole in the projected $4.6 billion gap for the 2011-13 operating budget. Originally lawmakers were hearing an additional shortfall of $500 million; estimates are creeping up to the $2 billion mark. In that case, it is possible the draft budget release and hearings would be rolled back a week.

Regardless, this is the time to be contacting legislators about how the Governor’s proposed budget cuts will affect school district funding and how that impact will play out with staff, programs, and students.

Keep in mind, the Governor’s spending plan was the starting point. Most lawmakers have said funding for I-728 and I-732 is gone. And everything that isn’t in the basic education box is discretionary and subject to cuts. That includes local effort assistance, all-day kindergarten, highly capable students, bonuses for national board certified teachers, dropout prevention, and so on.

NEXT STEPS: Local Legislators Hold Town Hall Meetings–Saturday, March 12th, 2011

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Washington State legislators from the 1st, 21st, and 32nd districts will be holding town hall meetings in their districts on Saturday, March 12th.  The Washington Coalition for Gifted Education’s lobbyist has strongly urged us to keep in close and continued contact with our representatives.  Please try to attend a meeting for your district.   If you attended Gifted Education Day in Olympia last month, this is a great opportunity to follow-up with your legislators. If you were not able to attend Gifted Education Day, please add your face and voice to the chorus to help our legislators understand the importance of continuing to fund gifted education programming in Washington, especially in this tough budget climate!  This could be a great chance to spend family time with other Challenge Program families and maybe stop off at the CPA Coffee Chat before or after and share your stories with others sharing your concerns.  Below are the meetings scheduled:

Message from the Washington Coalition for Gifted Education

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This message has been sent to you by The Washington Coalition For Gifted Education. Comments or questions can be sent to wagifted@earthlink.net or grevewandi@gmail.com If you wish to have your name deleted from our mailing list, send a notice to wagifted@earthlink.net.

Wagifted is back on line after a period away. Fortunately, it was a quiescent period in the legislature without many key votes being called for – and thus we continued to “lie low” on contacting legislators.

That slow period seems to be behind us with the rush this week of floor action on pending bills prior to the March 7 deadline to “pass or die.” You will likely be hearing from us soon regarding contacting legislators on specific issues.

Meanwhile, there is another opportunity for you to directly connect with your legislators. Most of them will be back in district on March 12 for Town Hall meetings. While we haven’t yet seen the complete schedule, the Coalition has received a number of notices from individual legislators about these sessions and we have passed them on to advocates in their districts so they can plan to attend.

We encourage you to keep an eye out for notices in local media of Town Halls or other public meetings with legislators next week and make plans to attend. When and if we obtain a complete schedule, we will forward it on to you. If you need to plan ahead, you can contact your legislator’s office and ask if a Town Hall is scheduled.

What issues should you comment on in these Town Hall meetings?

1. Express support for education funding in general. Revenue forecasts continue to be grim and wrenching cuts are likely for all basic education programs in the next biennial budget. The easy cuts (as bad as they have been) have already been made and only the tough ones remain.

2. Express support for continued state funding of Highly Capable Programs. Please do not compare them with any other programs as the purpose and funding sources of these other programs are very different from HCP. HCP is solely state and local funded which places it in a class of its own. It needs to stand on its own merits.

Some legislators say that since local districts spend up to $5 of their own money on gifted programs for each $1 received from the state, lack of state funding will not jeopardize their continued existence. This is not true, expect in a few exceptional districts. Why spend limited local dollars on a program the state is unwilling to fund?

Express a willingness to participate in the pain of budget cuts so long as they are proportional to the cuts other programs are taking.

3. Strongly support the legislature moving forward with full implementation of the education reforms of ESHB 2261 and SHB 2776 as scheduled. Pending bill SSB 5475 will delay implementation of all aspects of education reform to an uncertain future date. We need to keep faith with the intent and purpose of the reform legislation and move forward now.

If you have the opportunity to make only one brief statement, this is the most important one.

Thank you for your continued activism and support of Highly Capable Programs.

Message From Representative Derek Stanford – 1st Legislative District

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February 21, 2011


Dear Neighbors,


This session of the legislature has now moved through committee cutoff dates, which means that hundreds of bills which did not make it out of committee are stalled for the rest of the session.  We will now be spending more time in floor debate working through the bills which are still moving.

This is also a time of intense work on the budget.  As a member of the House Education Appropriations and Oversight Committee, I am prioritizing our commitment to basic education and making sure that we follow through on the education reforms which were started over the past few years.

What I’m working on

· HB 1864, my bill to protect debtors from unfair practices and make them less likely to end up in jail, was approved by the Business & Financial Services Committee by a 13-0 vote.  I am proud of this unanimous vote, because it reflects extensive bipartisan negotiations to craft a bill which is practical and focused. Click here to watch the committee testimony. I will keep you updated as this important bill moves through the process.

· HB 1422 is a bill I sponsored which would authorize a program to convert byproducts from the lumber industry into aviation biofuel.  This bill pushes forward on technology for renewable energy.  Using sources of fuel which are grown here will reduce our need for imported oil, and efficient conversion of biomass to fuel dramatically cuts pollution from the current practice of burning wood waste in open piles. Yesterday, the bill passed out of the House, and it now goes to the Senate.

· I have been working on many other issues: click here for a full list of bills that I have sponsored, and here for my latest video update, which includes Unemployment Insurance reform and a bill to help out homeowners who are struggling with foreclosure.

The “Brian Walsh Act” advances out of committee

When is a duty-related death not a duty-related death?  For the family of Officer Brian Walsh, the answer turned out to be when you die of a heart attack while securing a crime scene.  Walsh, a Federal Way police officer, died last year in the midst of responding to a call.  Although the federal government found that Walsh – who was a 34-year-old healthy non-smoker – died a duty-related death, the state of Washington did not see it that way.

In order to help Officer Walsh’s widow and three children, as well as spare other families from being denied survivor benefits in these situations, I cosponsored the “Brian Walsh Act”.  It clearly establishes a nexus between the onset of a heart attack or stroke, and the duty that an officer or firefighter was performing for his or her job at the time.  At the recent public hearing for the bill, the testimony of Officer Walsh’s widow moved many committee members to tears.  The Brian Walsh Act passed the Labor and Workforce Development Committee and is now awaiting action in the House Ways and Means committee.

1st District Town Hall Meetings

Next month, the citizens of the first district will have the opportunity to have their voices heard through one of our country’s greatest civic traditions: town hall meetings. I will join my seatmates, Senator Rosemary McAuliffe and Representative Luis Moscoso, for three town hall meetings on Saturday, March 12. The times and locations are as follows:

10:00 am – 11:30 am       Northshore Senior Center (Bothell)

12:30 pm – 2:00 pm         Cathcart Elementary School (Snohomish)

3:00 pm – 4:30 pm           Mountlake Terrace Library

These meetings will be a great opportunity for you to share your opinion and hold your elected officials accountable. I encourage you to come and make your voice heard.

In the meantime, please do not hesitate to email me at Derek.Stanford@leg.wa.gov or call my office at (360) 786-7928.

Sincerely,

Derek Stanford


Message from Representative Cindy Ryu – 32nd District

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Dear friends:


We’re already halfway through this year’s legislative session!  Some bills I prime-sponsored or supported have received bi-partisan support and passed in the House.  I am even more convinced that in order for people of our District to thrive and for local small businesses to succeed, we need strong public structures.  Now is a crucial time to hear your perspective on how we may do just that in Olympia – and what you think needs fine tuning.


That’s why I am excited to have you join me, Senator Maralyn Chase, and Representative Ruth Kagi for a joint 32nd District Town Hall on Saturday, March 12th to give you a brief update ranging from economic development, jobs and tax reform, the State’s budget, transportation and other policy issues.


We’d also like to hear from you which issues you’re most concerned about and also have your voices heard on HOW we may best meet the needs of our community.


The structure of this Town Hall meeting will be:

A. Policy and budget updates from Senator Chase and Representatives Kagi and Ryu

B. Listening session


What: 32nd Legislative District Town Hall

When: Saturday, March 12th, 2011 – 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM

Where: Third Place Commons: 17171 Bothell Way Northeast, Lake Forest Park

Who: Contact my Legislative Assistant at (360) 786-7880 if you need any additional information, or please call me on my cell phone at (206) 605-1588.


I look forward to seeing you there! If you are not able to attend, please feel free to call in or email me with your thoughts and concerns.

Best wishes to us all,


Representative Cindy Ryu

32nd Legislative District, Position #1


House Democratic Caucus Assistant Whip serving on:

Transportation, Community Development & Housing, Business & Financial Services, and Rules Committees

(206) 605-1588 Cell

http://www.housedemocrats.wa.gov/category/cindy-ryu/

Please contact my Legislative Assistant for appointments and other assistance:

(360) 786-7880

PO Box 40600  Modular Office F-106

Olympia, WA 98504-0600

Post Gifted Education Day Message from the Coalition for Gifted Education

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This message has been sent to you by The Washington Coalition For Gifted Education. Comments or questions can be sent to wagifted@earthlink.net or  grevewandi@gmail.com If you wish to have your name deleted from our mailing list, send a notice to wagifted@earthlink.net.

Gifted Education Day Report
Friday, February 11th, was a magnificent day for gifted. We filled the Columbia Room to capacity and beyond with enthusiastic parents and children. More than 45 legislators were contacted. The lime green scarves announced that supporters of Highly Capable Programs were out in force. Thank you, Puyallup ABC.
The crowd was addressed by Rep. Pat Sullivan and Rep. Bruce Dammeier, two of our staunchest supporters in the House, and by Gayle Pauley, Director of HCP at OSPI. Kelly Munn of the League of Education Voters spoke on effective advocacy. Also dropping in were Rep. Norm Johnson whose district is west of Yakima, Rep. Terry Nealey, whose district includes Pasco and Walla Walla, and Rep. Reuven Carlyle of Seattle, who stopped by for information and to talk with advocates.
Thank you to everyone who came to Olympia on Friday. We had delegations from Wenatchee to Stevenson down on the Columbia River, and all points in-between. Ages ranged from 2 1/2 months to grandparents.
Many of those in Olympia took home the STEM Report by the National Science Board. It is a powerful statement about the value and need for gifted programs. Be sure to read it and pass it on to local school officials.
If you took pictures of your meeting with a legislator, consider sending him/her a copy as part of an electronic thank you. And please send copies to this address so we can use them too. Thanks.
Legislative issues update:
The Supplemental Budget (which continues funding for HCP through the end of this fiscal year) is due out of conference any day now.
Substitute HB 1443, Sections 208 and 209, as voted out of committee, gives us something to build on in the future. We will keep you informed of its progress as it moves through the House and Senate.
SB 5475 is scheduled for executive session in the Senate K-12 Committee on Monday afternoon. This is the bill which would delay the inclusion of HCP into basic education until Sept. 2013. There are many amendments to be voted on but their impact on HCP is unknown.
From the K-12 Committee the bill will go to the Senate Ways & Means where it is scheduled for a public hearing on Wednesday. We will testify; the message depends on what emerges on Monday from the K-12 Committee. This bill needs to make its way through the Senate and then repeat the process in the House.
Finally, there is the biennial budget. Experienced observers of the Legislature don’t expect it to appear until the very end of March or even early April.
Contacting Your Legislators
We are counting on your continued participation in our efforts to influence legislation and regulations for HCP.  Please focus your advocacy on behalf of education funding in general and HCP funding in particular. Our messages need to be positive and avoid comparison to other programs as each program is unique and funding sources are different. We need to make our case on our own merits, not in comparison to or competition with any other programs. Short, succinct messages are the most effective. We will post samples for your use.
Legislators continue to tell us that those who don’t make a concerted effort to contact them are not going to be heard or heeded.
According to Rep. Ross Hunter, chair of the House Ways & Means Committee, “We’re hearing from almost everyone but education about the budget cuts. It will be hard to protect even basic education dollars if we don’t start hearing about how these cuts will affect our kids’ education and how this will work at the local level.” Said another legislator, “You need to be heard, or even the staunchest education allies won’t be able to stop the cuts.”
We want to be heard!
Your correspondent will be off line for some R&R. During this time all the numbered messages you have been receiving by email will be posted to our social media sites on the internet. We urge you to sign up as a friend on our Facebook page so you will get immediate notice of new postings. If you prefer not to do this, please try to check the site at least daily for the latest information. Suggested short succinct messages will be posted there next week. Calls for action to contact Legislators will also be posted. Regular numbered email messages will resume in early March when I return.
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