Education Reform–HB2261
The Senate passed the education reform bill, SB 2261, last night and the House will attempt to agree to the final language before the end of the session.
The WEA is extremely upset about this bill and they feel it is wrong to move forward with any structural reform without more resources for teachers. My view, however, is that it is unreaslistic to ask voters or legislators to support more resources for our K-12 system without a parallel effort to fix some of the instititutional and structural weaknesses in public education. We need more resources AND reform, not one or the other.
The most important piece of the bill is that we formally define basic education for the first time in 30 years. That definition is necessary and vital for any step forward.
I hope the Washington Education Association will stay at the table in a meaningful way as partners with parents, legislators, activists and others so that we can make progress together. I am extremely sensitive and appreciative of the historical frustration the WEA has about the lack of increased funding; it’s a legitimate frustration on all fronts. Yet we cannot convince voters we need more resources without some genuine efforts to improve the quality of our schools.
We’re in this together.
I, too, hope the WEA will “stay at the table”. However, it seems that the WEA and its member groups are choosing to attack instead of work with parents, legislators, etc. In the Northshore School District, NSEA president Tim Brittell has informed members of the PTA leadership that he is actively encouraging teachers NOT to join their local unit PTAs as a way to punish the PTAs for the WaState PTA’s support of SB2261. I wish I could simply call his behaviour childish, but a reduction in PTA membership means a reduction in available funds that can be granted to schools and classroom teachers.
The Teacher Union stance against PTA will hurt the teachers and the students, not only at the local level, but also across the state. If the Teachers Union continues its negative attacks against the PTA, then there is little hope of coming together in a meaningful as we continue to fight for the necessary education funding and education reform.
It’s true on many levels. We have to find a way as a community of activists to convince the teacher’s union that we are partners in the larger objectives. It strikes me that they feel pressure to make our schools better is often translated in their ears as somehow blaming teachers, when that couldn’t be further from the truth.
We need a major new approach to this issue or our state’s reform efforts will continue to struggle. I wish the Governor would hold a major summit and invite parents, legislators and teachers to sit down and get to the bottom of this lack of mutual trust.
Have you conveyed your “wish” to the Governor?
Yep, see my new post today…had a real deal chat with the Gov about this. Time to move it forward.