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BOOKS: 1.) Living With Intensity: Understanding the Sensitivity, Excitability, and the Emotional Development of Gifted Children, Adolescents, and Adults by Susan Daniels and Michael M. Piechowski 2.) Some of My […]
Meeting items included:
For more information, please see the full meeting minutes post
Sample Contact Letter
February 8, 2011 by David Berg
Parents and Friends of Highly Capable Children – We now need your help to save your child’s highly capable education for the next two school years, 2011-13.
Two proposals from the Governor would eliminate all Highly Capable Program (HCP) funding for this period. Meanwhile, the Governor has proposed increasing funds for other education programs during 2011-13. We’re asking the Legislature for equal treatment: Education programs must be funded equitably and proportionally. These are basic education dollars for highly capable students and programs. The mistaken perception that gifted kids are all upper-class, white, hardship-free, and disability-free has created an image hurdle for us in the Legislature. If your family’s story can balance any piece of that image, please include it!
We urge you to contact your legislators by Friday, February 11 – Gifted Education Day in Olympia. Two sample letters are below.
Remember to address emails, sign your name, and add your child’s story.
Please contact:
1. Your own legislators. Find them here: http://apps.leg.wa.gov/DistrictFinder/Default.aspx
2. Senator Ed Murray, Chair of the Senate Ways & Means Committee: murray.edward@leg.wa.gov
3. Senator Rosemary McAuliffe, chair of the Senate Early Learning & K-12 Committee. mcauliffe.rosemary@leg.wa.gov
4. Jill Satran, the Governor’s deputy chief of staff. We need to push back on the Governor!jill.satran@gov.wa.gov
Thank you! Your efforts to save HCP funding for the current school year have been working – now let’s do the same for the 2011-12 and 2012-13 school years!
(please see post for more details)
Hello Challenge Families!
Attached in this notice is the 2011 GED Itinerary which includes:
Our finalized meeting schedule with our legislators
Driving and parking directions
Maps of the Capitol campus
Details about any tours or committee hearings happening while we’re there
and
If you are joining us, please download the packet, review it and bring it with you to Friday’s event. Also, don’t forget to wear your purple shirts. We will be taking a group photo on the Legislative steps at 11:30 a.m.
We look forward to seeing you all there!
CPA Board
Note: If your child is riding the bus with the fourth grade, you can disregard this message as the field trip students have a slightly different agenda. Thank you.
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.
OUR FOCUS FOR GIFTED EDUCATION DAY AND BEYOND
The Supplemental Budget has passed both the Senate and the House but in different versions which will need to be reconciled. Since both versions provide nearly the same amount for HCP as in the original budget for the current school year, it appears that the first hurdle of this legislative session has been successfully – well – hurdled.
The Biennial Budget and SB 5475 lie ahead of us. The fate of SB 5475, introduced on behalf of the Governor, will be basic to the budget.
The Legislature has some important decisions as outlined below.
• Proceed with the scheduled implementation of Education Reform (ESHB 2261 and SHB 2776) and they will write one budget.
• Follow the Governor’s proposal to delay implementation of parts of Education Reform and this requires a different budget.
– Delay implementation to 2013 and the biennial budget needs to contain approximately $18 million in categorical funding for HCP at at least maintenance level. This funding is not a sure thing.
– The Governor’s proposals assume delayed implementation (SB 5475) and $0 in funding in her budget.
The Coalition Position
SB 5475
We request that the words “Beginning with the 2013-14 school year” be removed from Sec. 2 (2)(g), Section 3(10)(c), Sec. 5, and Section 6(1) of SB 5475 as these would delay inclusion of HCP in basic education until 2013.
Other sections of this bill move forward with the 2011 inclusion of the Learning Assistance Program, and the Transitional Bilingual Program into basic education
and implement the prototypical school funding formula, MSOC allocations and the new transportation formula. The QEC has linked HCP with LAP and TBL as programs that close the opportunity gap; this bill removes that linkage.
Educational reform was designed as a whole. Delaying some parts of it will upset the design and make planning difficult. It will be disruptive to districts and students. Local districts have limited funds to continue programs in a delayed implementation. It will be more expensive to reintroduce them than it would be to implement them now.
We understand that implementation cost is high and that funding in full is not likely. Better an underfunded reform than no reform. For HCP, better an underfunded mandate than no mandate. Funding can be adjusted upward as the fiscal situation improves.
Your contacts with Legislators, until further notice, should request that implementation of the new definition of basic education not be delayed beyond the scheduled date of September 2011.
Since the bill is currently in the Senate, contact with your Senators should take place first but both Senators and Representatives will need to be contacted.
The Budget for 2012-2013
If inclusion of HCP is implemented in full in 2011 we hope that some amount of Section 708 funds will be appropriated along with MSOC but have not taken a position on how much this should be. We need to see what is in the budget proposed by the Legislature. (Information on these categories of funds is in the attachment.)
If implementation is delayed (SB 5475), it is our position that we will advocate to obtain as much funding for the current categorical program (which will still exist) as we can. Again, we will signal we are willing to accept a cut but it must be proportional. The budget proposed by the Governor provides no funds for HCP (as a categorical program based on her request to delay implementation of HCP inclusion). This is not proportional.
More Information.
If you are relatively new to gifted advocacy or you just like to dig into the details, please see the (long) attached pdf file which has all the appropriate references and citations.
For those in the Seattle School District, we have attached Dr. Robert Vaughan’s statement to the Senate Ways & Means Committee on January 31 regarding SB 5475.
Dear Families, Friends, and Alumni of the Robinson Center—
You are invited to the Robinson Center Open House!
Valentine’s Day is all about love and chocolate, and the University of Washington’s Robinson Center would love to spend time with you over some delicious chocolate desserts!
In addition to enjoying the chocolate, you’ll have an opportunity to meet Ed Taylor, vice provost and dean of Undergraduate Academic Affairs and Nancy B. Hertzog, the Robinson Center’s new director. You’ll also be able to reconnect with old friends and visit with current Robinson Center students and families.
When
Sunday, February 13, 2011, 2:00-4:00 p.m.
Where
Halbert and Nancy Robinson Center for Young Scholars
University of Washington
Guthrie Annex 2
Follow this link for a map.
Complimentary parking is available in the Central Plaza Garage. Enter at 15th Avenue NE and NE 41st Street.
We look forward to this opportunity to bring together alumni, students, and families of the Robinson Center, share new initiatives, and perhaps start a Robinson Center alumni association.
Did we mention the chocolate? There will be chocolate.
RSVP via email to Sharon Walker at sharonw@uw.edu.
On Monday, January 31st, the Washington State Senate K-12 Education Committee will hold a public hearing at 1:30 p.m. on Senate Bill 5475, a recently submitted bill that includes a delay of inclusion of Highly Capable in the 2009 Education Reform Bill definition of basic education until 2013-2014. If SB5475 passes as currently written, highly capable programming would remain optional for districts to provide and vulnerable to funding cuts that basic education funds are not.
If it is possible for you to attend this meeting and make public comment on this bill, please follow these links for details on how and where to testify.
Committee Agenda and Meeting Location
Basic Information on Visiting the Legislature and List of Related Links
YOU ARE INVITED
Please plan now to attend Gifted Education Day in Olympia
We are all in this together! And we need you!
DATE: Friday, February 11th, 2011
TIME: 7:30 AM ~ leave Terrace Park School by carpool and/or caravan
Estimate 3:00 PM ~ leave Olympia ~ (optional, pizza dinner)
WHERE: State Capitol Building in Olympia, WA.
WHO: Parent(s), Child(ren), Teachers and Administrators of Edmonds School District Highly Capable Programs
PLEASE NOTE: If you attended the Thursday, January 6th meeting in the Commons and completed the sign-up sheets there, or have already turned in a form to the school, we have your information and you do NOT need to return this form, unless you wish to order more t-shirts. Thank you!
Please click on the Attendee form link below, print, complete, and return the form and any payment due for t-shirts to your child’s teacher or the CPA box in the Terrace Park Office by Monday, January 31st.
You may also email the requested information to challengeparents@gmail.com.
This message has been sent to you by The Washington Coalition For Gifted Education. Comments or questions can be sent towagifted@earthlink.net or grevewandi@gmail.com If you wish to have your name deleted from our mailing list, send a notice towagifted@earthlink.net.
Pause, take a deep breath!
The supplemental budget bill left committee with funding restored for Highly Capable.
By voice vote, on an amendment proposed by Rep. Hunter, nearly full funding as established in the Second Supplemental from December was restored – for details, see fact sheet below. Centrum and FPS/DI took approximately 6% cuts in their already small funding, but the funds to districts are fully restored at the rate of $401.08 per student. As of this writing, the full text of 1086 is not yet available on the web sites so our information is from the amendment as posted and from watching the webcast of the session.
Now, the bill, as amended in committee, goes to the House floor on Friday, January 21, late morning (after the caucus meetings, where floor managers make sure they have the votes they need before proceeding to a vote). You can watch on TVW if you have time.
Next step.
Limber up those fingers and get busy contacting your district Representatives today. The risk to Highly Capable funds would come from a floor amendment to either reduce the amount and/or to impose a cutoff date to funding during this school year. (A cutoff date amendment failed in committee on a party line vote.) Ask Representatives to reject either option and to support section 508 for Highly Capable as reported by the committee.
If you had already contacted your Legislators because they are members of the Ways & Means committee, say Thank You for the funding and please vote to uphold it on the floor.
Emails can be sent through the Legislature web site. Go to http://apps.leg.wa.gov/rosters/MembersByDistrict.aspx
and find your district. A click on your Representatives will take you to the individual home pages from which you can send your email.
Your overwhelming response has heartened all Washington advocates of the gifted. We thank you on behalf of the highly capable students of Washington.
Chairman Hunter remarked that he had received a great deal of email about the gifted funds.
Pat yourself on the back for a job well done.
From here the supplemental will go to the Senate where we may have to again make many contacts to ensure funding. We will keep you informed.
For the most current information, follow us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/wagifted
or on our blog at http://wcge.wordpress.com
Don’t forget Gifted Education Day in Olympia on February 11. We need you there.
Fact sheet for those of you who like to dig into the details.
Approved December supplemental budget called for $9,188,000 for 2010-2011.
Governor’s and Hunter’s proposed budgets called for $2,053,000. Included slightly reduced funding for Centrum and FPS/DI ($159,000 and $84,000) and nothing for districts. (About $1.78 million was to cover payments to districts for 2009-2010 made after the start of the state’s fiscal year but during the school year. Please don’t ask why; it’s too complicated.)
Difference $ 7,135,000.
Amendment to the proposed supplementary passed the committee and calls for $7,118,000 in HCP funding.
Add to the $2.035 million and this totals $9,171 million. Add on the cut amounts (total $17,000) from Centrum and FPS/DI and we arrive back at the $9,188,000.