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.

1. Early indications are that an unofficial deadline of February 4 has been set for the supplemental budget. The biennial budget is likely not going to be considered until the next revenue forecast, about March 17, and certainly not until the supplemental is done.

  • Hearings and work sessions are going on right now. Therefore, messages to Legislators should concentrate on the supplemental budget for now. If we learn differently, we will notify you.
  • Our message is: no retroactive decrease of funds for HCP and to provide some level of funding for what remains of the school year.

2. Some errata items to the Gifted Handbook. As soon as you send out something that big, someone goes and changes things on you.

Changes to the information on page 10.

  • Senator Joe Fain, 47th District, has become a member of the Senate Early Learning K-12 Education Committee.
  • Senator Steve Hobbs, 44th District, has also been added to the committee.
  • Rep, Tim Probst, 17th District,  is vice chair of the House Education Appropriations Committee.
  • Rep. Shelly Short, 7th District, is on the House Education Appropriations Committee.
  • Rep. Eric Pettigrew, 37th District, is on the House Ways & Means Committee.

The Senate has added 5 members to the Ways & Means Committee:

  • Lisa Brown, 3rd District
  • Janea Holmquist, 13th District
  • Jim Kastama, 25th District
  • Derek Kilmer, 26th District, vice-chair
  • Karen Keiser, 33rd District.

3. All the email addresses of legislators have been changed. If you have legislators in your email address book, you need to check the web sites and make the necessary changes. If you use the web site to send your emails, no action is necessary.

https://dlr.leg.wa.gov/MemberEmail/Default.aspx?Chamber=H

https://dlr.leg.wa.gov/MemberEmail/Default.aspx?Chamber=S

4. The large cafeteria in the Pritchard Building is closed for renovations. The only place to buy lunch on campus is the snack shop near the Columbia Room and much of its seating space has been taken over by offices. We strongly suggest you brown bag lunch and plan to eat in the Columbia Room on Gifted Education Day.

5. In his initial presentation to the House Ways & Means Committee on January 11th,  Superintendent Dorn described Highly Capable Programs as a “critical” piece of education and proposed funding them. Dollar amounts were not given. Read all about it at: http://www.k12.wa.us/Communications/LegislativeUpdates.aspx

For other support for Highly Capable Programs, see page 9 of the Handbook.

6. What have we done the first week of session?

  • We submitted written testimony to the House Ways & Means Committee and the House Education Appropriations Committee.
  • We are preparing both written and oral testimony for the Senate Ways & Means Committee on January 17th.
  • We are following closely the introduction on January 18 of a proposed substitute to the Governor’s supplemental budget bill in the House. You can follow this action at http://www.leg.wa.gov/house/committees/WAYS/Pages/Agendas.aspx
  • Click on 1/18/2011. 1086 is the Governor’s budget proposal – Sec. 511. A copy of the proposed substitute is not available as of this writing.

Join us in Olympia on Gifted Education Day, February 11, 2011.