board to board News from the Board of NWESD
A Note From Our Superintendent On January 13, the Washington State Legislature convenes for the 2020 legislative session. Legislative sessions in even numbered years are traditionally 60-day “short sessions” where legislators address unresolved policy issues and make adjustments to the two-year State budget adopted the previous year. While expectations for significant legislative action this session are low, educational leaders across the NWESD 189 region are nonetheless hopeful for progress on a number of important issues. By any historical measure, the several billion dollars of additional state funding infused into K-12 education in recent years in response to the McCleary basic education lawsuit are unprecedented in scale and speed. Despite professed “McCleary fatigue” by many legislators, continued attention is needed to tackle some of the consequences of the McCleary fix as well as basic education funding issues McCleary did not adequately address. While the circumstances, priorities, and preferred remedies of individual districts undoubtedly vary, educational leaders across the NWESD 189 region possess broad agreement on the following legislative priorities, an agreement also shared by many other statewide associations and organizations: • Enhance School Safety and Security • Fully Fund Special Education • Fully Fund SEBB Implementation
• Address Funding Inequities • Update the Construction Cost Allowance and Student Space Allocation • Support Voter Choice on Simple Majority for Bond Passage
While the Legislature should rightly be acknowledged and thanked for the significant investment in K-12 education in recent years, there remains continued needs, unresolved issues, and consequences – intended and unintended – from the McCleary fix that deserve further legislative attention and action. I dare say that many educators experience fatigue on a daily basis as they give their all to improve the lives of our State’s 1.1 million students. Focus on the continued challenges facing public education – still our State’s constitutional paramount duty - should not fall victim to legislative fatigue. The kids in our schools today are experiencing their one chance for a world class public education. Fatigue or not, they deserve our collective best efforts to provide that opportunity.
Larry Francois
NWESD Superintendent
December-January 2019-2020