E-Wire 1.23.14

Good morning!

The E-wire is sandwiched between Marcie Maxwell, Heidi Bennett, and Sherry Krainick for House Hearings.  The room is packed and we can see Betsey Cohen from Issaquah and Micaela Razo from Eastern Yakima County.  The topics for today include:       
      

• HB 2531 – Making innovative changes to the alternative route programs for teacher certification
• HB 2181 – Authorizing and supporting career and college ready graduation requirements offered and adopted by the State Board of Education (This is the 24 credit graduation requirement update).
• HB 1656 – Establishing high school graduation requirements which permit flexibility for students to choose courses based on interests and plans
• HB 2242 – Implementing Quality Education Committee (QEC) recommendations
• HB 2540 – Establishing career and technical course equivalencies in science and mathematics

As we are going into our last half of hearings for bills in their house of origin (policy cut-off on February 7^th), most of these meetings in the House are going to be quite full as we are seeing here.  If you want to hear PTA and education leaders in action, you can check out this hearing in replay on the web at http://www.leg.wa.gov/house/committees/ED/Pages/default.aspx.  Please note if you are wanting to testify in House Education, it would be beneficial to send in written testimony and limit your oral presentation to one minute or less due to the excessive volume of legislation that the Chair will be trying to hear.

The popular topic on the docket today is HB 2181 which is the State Board of Education changes to the 24 Credit goals for High School Graduation.  The changes move two credits out of Career Concentration and moves it to the elective option.  In addition, the bill codifies the 2013-15 budget which funds the increase in instructional hours in basic education.  Please go to the link for a chart that shows the change in the proposed 24 credit schedule: http://www.wastatepta.org/files/GRAD_REQUIREMENTS_HANDOUT.pdf.

Testimony from WEA and Superintendents were in opposition to the chance due to the lack of funding available to help kids make the transition to the new rules as well as a shortage of STEM teachers in Eastern Washington.  Washington State Student Principals came on board and supported the bill, but wished the implementation date to be pushed off until 2022.

And with that, onto the E-Wire!

Headlining the wire, Democrats and Republicans square off on teacher reforms and funding

http://crosscut.com/2014/01/23/olympia-2013/118415/senate-leadership-hike-teachers-cost-living-raise/

Chasing down the story on teacher hours

http://seattletimes.com/html/opinion/2022731394_kevinchaseopedteacherhours23xml.html

http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20140123/NEWS01/140129636/Lawmakers-hope-to-dissect-a-teacher%92s-day

The E-Wire feels much better now reading this

http://blogs.seattletimes.com/educationlab/2014/01/23/majoring-in-liberal-arts-does-pay-eventually/

Hans Zeiger’s bill on social services pay for performance – FYI:  We already have that in Pierce County with OPTUM Mental Health

http://blogs.seattletimes.com/opinionnw/2014/01/23/pay-for-performance-coming-to-washington-social-services/

Running Start as a means to afford higher education

http://www.wenatcheeworld.com/news/2014/jan/22/running-start-an-affordable-option-for-high-school-students-ready-to-move-ahead-to-college/

Spokane as #1 – first region to authorize a charter school

http://www.yakimaherald.com/news/latestnews/1862724-8/spokane-oks-first-charter-school-in-washington

House Democrats double down on the dare – offers $12 minimum wage as Republicans attempt to circumvent SeaTac’s $15 initiative – read here http://blogs.seattletimes.com/politicsnorthwest/2014/01/23/house-democrats-propose-12-minimum-wage/

And here http://links.govdelivery.com/track?type=click&enid=ZWFzPTEmbWFpbGluZ2lkPTIwMTQwMTIzLjI3OTQxNjMxJm1lc3NhZ2VpZD1NREItUFJELUJVTC0yMDE0MDEyMy4yNzk0MTYzMSZkYXRhYmFzZWlkPTEwMDEmc2VyaWFsPTE2ODI3MTgyJmVtYWlsaWQ9dGZhcnJlbGxAd2FzdGF0ZXB0YS5vcmcmdXNlcmlkPXRmYXJyZWxsQHdhc3RhdGVwdGEub3JnJmZsPSZleHRyYT1NdWx0aXZhcmlhdGVJZD0mJiY=&&&143&&&http://www.theolympian.com/2014/01/22/2943235/bill-would-stop-cities-from-raising.html

Secretary of State finishes count on I-594, reviewing the competing gun measure heading for ballot in November

http://kplu.org/post/dueling-gun-control-measures-1-initiative-certified-2nd-under-review

Making it easier for College Students in Washington to get their ballots in

http://www.theolympian.com/2014/01/22/2943968/voting-could-get-easier-for-college.html

Leaky pontoons and Big Bad Bertha makes it more difficult to get a Transportation Plan out of the Legislature

http://www.seattleweekly.com/home/950671-129/will-blunders-on-mega-projects-doom-an

http://kplu.org/post/3-foot-chunk-stuck-bertha-seattle-tunnel-machine

Olympian urges focusing McCleary funding opportunities on smaller class sizes.  Oddly enough, Senator Rosemary McAuliffe has offered that

http://www.theolympian.com/2014/01/23/2944648/spend-mccleary-money-on-small.html

And speaking of early learning, the BBC reports scientists are getting into the classrooms to give teachers additional tools to understand how students learn - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-25627739

Reviewing the growth of “Rocketship” Charter Schools

http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2014/01/21/19el-rotation.h33.html?cmp=SOC-SHR-TW

More than just free and reduced lunch – more schools are offering breakfast as well

http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/rulesforengagement/2014/01/school_breakfast_participation_growing.html

And, finally a reminder that between Cuomo and De Blasio, New York is the big dog in the room when it comes to potential changes in Common Core - http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/curriculum/2014/01/new_york_panel_to_examine_poss.html