Leadership News: Week Ending 1/21/17

Did you miss this week's issue of Leadership News? Download the public version here. 

Key Takeaways:

• #FocusDay17 summary
• Questions about McCleary
• PTA awards due March 1
• Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) Washington Teacher of the Year
• 2017 convention hotel reservations
• IRS 1099-MISC form and sales tax remittance, each due January 31
• Question of the Week (hint: popcorn sales)

Governor Releases Education Budget, Asks for $3.9B in New K-12 Funding

Kicking off the 2017 budget proposals to resolve the “McCleary problem,” Governor Jay Inslee released his education and revenue budgets today, with a request for $3.9 billion in total spending over the two-year budget cycle. In a Monday preview, staff indicated that nearly two-thirds of the funding would boost compensation for all educators and add professional development for teachers and para-educators. 

At the top of the list is shifting the burden for compensation from local levies to the state. Inslee borrowed a page from the Technical Compensation Work Group that completed its recommendations in June 2012. The budget proposals start with increased salaries for beginning teachers, increasing the starting salary from $35,700 to $44,976 in FY18, and $54,587 in FY19. The salary bump would include 30 hours of professional development in the first year, and 80 hours of professional development in year two.

 

Also in the mix are:

•       Teacher and principal mentoring and alternative routes for teacher preparation.

•       Funding to close the opportunity gap, including investments in K-3 class size reduction; adding 1.0 FTE per prototypical school to support the addition of school counselors and nurses, social workers, psychologists, and family engagement coordinators; a $50 million increase to the Learning Assistance Program; truancy reduction; funding to support educational outcomes for students in foster care; and mentoring for struggling students.

•       Career-connected learning; $12.3 million for CTE MSOC; and additional funding for the highly capable students program. 

 

The revenue side of the equation

To fund his education budget, Governor Inslee is proposing a tax on professional services, instituting a capital gains tax on high-income gains that is estimated to affect about 30,000 individuals, and a carbon tax. Inslee rejected an increase in property tax, or a property tax “swap” that has been suggested by others. In fact, according to staff, under the proposed levy and local effort assistance reform plan, taxpayers in more than 100 school districts where the levy rate is above 24 percent would see their property taxes reduced.

 

Take it to the levy

With the significant infusion of state funding for basic education, Governor Inslee has proposed holding local levies for 2018 at current law plans, which would mean allowing the levy lid to roll back to 24 percent, maintain grandfathered districts at their rollback level, and eliminate ghost money in the levy base. In 2019, the proposal would decrease all school district levies to 15 percent, would eliminate grandfathering and would not include ghost money in the base. The annual per pupil inflator would be dramatically increased, to 16.35 in FY18, and 21.4 PPI in FY19, ostensibly to avoid significant impact and the levy cliff. 

Compensation phase-in

The education budget proposal would phase in the increases in compensation, based on the following chart:

In addition, the Salary Allocation Model (SAM) would be collapsed. The result would be:

•       Beginning educator: $54,587 with Bachelor’s degree; $58,954 with advanced degree       

•       2^nd tier certification: $65,504 with Bachelor’s degree; $70,745 with advanced degree

•       2^nd tier certification and 10 years of experience: $78,605 with Bachelor’s degree; $84,883 with advanced degree

For professional development, the Governor’s budget proposes 30 hours for FY18, and 80 hours for FY19, which are included within the salary amounts in the chart and SAM above. Professional development would be 50/50 self-directed and district-directed. On the self-directed, the training would need to focus on social and emotional learning, cultural competency, and closing the opportunity gap. The district-directed training would not be legislated, but the proposed two-year spending plan would eliminate about $5 million currently appropriated for teacher and principal evaluation training, so any TPEP-related training would come from the district-directed professional development. 

 

SPI-elect weighs in

In response to the Governor’s spending request, Superintendent of Public Instruction-elect Chris Reykdal, who joined Inslee for the announcement, said, “This is an outstanding budget for public education. It’s great for our kids, and is a solid plan forward. I’m excited to partner with Governor Inslee and the Legislature to fully, amply and equitably fund education.”

Links to budget information:

Budget highlights

Education highlights

Governor’s budget press conference

Marie Sullivan

WSPTA Legislative Consultant

LegConsultant@wastatepta.org

Supreme Court Hears Arguments to Lift State Sanctions, Threaten More Sanctions

The Washington State Supreme Court heard arguments today from attorneys representing the State and the McCleary plaintiffs to assess whether the State is on track to amply fund basic education for the more than one million students attending public schools, and whether a fine imposed in August 2015 should be lifted.

Following the briefs already submitted to the Court, attorney Alan Copsey for the State argued that billions of dollars had already been spent to comply, the Legislature had met every deadline, and the final piece of funding for compensation would come sometime during the 2017 regular or special session. Under questioning, Copsey said the current $100,000-a-day sanction had made a difference in executive and legislative action, and that Senate Bill 6195, which created a joint legislative task force, will result in a path forward for the 2017 legislature to follow. He also said specifically that the State was not asking the Court to rescind its jurisdiction over the case, but to lift the sanction because the Legislature will take action next year.

Copsey also said that what was different this time than with previous groups and reports was that the Legislature was getting the specific information it needed – the “missing information” on compensation – to put together the solution. He stated that the Legislature recognized it needed to solve the problem with its reliance on local levies and suggested that one option was to lower the levy limit locally and increase the state portion – the so-called “levy swap.” In response to a question from Justice Stephens, the author of the 2012 decision and a former Orchard Prairie school director, Copsey said lifting the levy lid would be only a temporary solution if the Legislature didn’t reach a decision by the end of the regular session, and that the burden for basic education funding was clearly on the State. Finally, Copsey said the “ample funding” date milestone should be the start of the 2018-19 school year, not January 2018 or fiscal year 2018.

Arguing for plaintiffs, Thomas Ahearne used a merry-go-round analogy several times to illustrate the circular nature of the State’s response and the lack of a plan, phased in over the years, to show how it was going to reach full funding. Ahearne lambasted the levy swap proposal as bringing no new revenue into a system that the Court has already said is underfunded, and said the State was ignoring the fact that activities such as transportation and MSOC – while meaningful progress had been made – are still not at the levels of funding of “actual cost.” Ahearne also said that the State should pick up the tab on school construction that is specifically tied to basic education programs such as full-day kindergarten and smaller K-3 class sizes. (In rebuttal, Copsey said school construction has never been part of basic education but the Legislature had appropriated billions for school construction over the years).

Unlike Copsey, Ahearne said he didn’t think the sanctions had made a difference, pointing to the fact that the Legislature hadn’t even set the penalty money aside in a separate account. He urged the justices to give the legislature a clear choice that if lawmakers failed to take significant action in 2017 that something else would happen. Frequently, Ahearne used language from the Court’s own decision and orders to remind them of what the State should be doing, and firmly rejected the idea that SB 6195 met the Court’s standard of a plan.

In his closing, Ahearne said the clock had run out on the McCleary children but it wasn’t too late for the Court to threaten serious action in the form of invalidating public schools statutes or tax breaks. It was time to get off the merry-go-round and actually go somewhere.

McCleary Update: Supreme Court's July 14 Order

You may be aware that today the Supreme Court issued an Order in the McCleary case setting a hearing for September 7, 2016.  Click here for a copy of the four-page Order. 

The Court also set a briefing schedule. The State’s brief is due August 22. Plaintiffs’ answer is due August 29, and the State may file a reply by September 2. Requests to file amicus briefs are due by August 3.

If you haven’t seen or don’t want to read the full Order, below is an excerpt from the Order regarding the issues the Court expects the parties to address:

Now, therefore, it is hereby ORDERED:

1. The parties are directed to appear before the court on September 7, 2016, where the State will be expected to provide specific and detailed answers to the following questions:
1. whether the State views the 2018 deadline as referring to the beginning of the 2017-2018 school year, to the end of the 2017-2018 fiscal year, to the end of 2018, or to some other date;
2. whether E2SSB 6195, when read together with ESHB 2261 and SHB 2776, satisfies this court's January 9, 2014, order for a plan and, if not, what opportunities, if any, remain for the legislature to provide the plan required by that January 9, 2014, order;
3. the estimated current cost of full state funding of the program of basic education identified by ESHB 2261 (RCW 28A.150.220) and the implementation program established by SHB 2776, including, but not limited to, the costs of materials, supplies, and operating costs; transportation; and reduced class sizes for kindergarten through third grade and all-day kindergarten, with the costs of reduced class sizes and all-day kindergarten to include the estimated capital costs necessary to fully implement those components and the necessary level of staffing;
4. the estimated cost of full state funding of competitive market-rate basic education staff salaries, including the costs of recruiting and retaining competent staff and professional development of instructional staff;
5. the components of basic education, if any, the State has fully funded in light of the costs specified above;
6. the components of basic education, including basic education staff salaries, the State has not yet fully funded in light of the costs specified above, the cost of achieving full state funding of the components that have not been fully funded by the deadline, and how the State intends to meet its constitutional obligation to implement its plan of basic education through dependable and regular revenue sources by that deadline;
7. whether this court should dismiss the contempt order or continue sanctions; and
8. any additional information that will demonstrate to the court how the State will fully comply with article IX, section 1 

Not to be Outdone - Senate Republicans and Senate Democrats Offer Their Compensation/Levy Proposals, too...

Just when you thought the legislative session was going to close on the equitable funding discussion for McCleary, the House and Senate came out with Teacher Compensation proposals late last week.  The competing proposals would shift the funding for teacher compensation away from local taxpayers and over to the state.  The resulting shift would have the state to fully fund basic education and leave levies, as originally intended, to pay for additional enhancements. 

State Treasurer McIntire Makes Bold Play - Offers Comprehensive Tax Reform to Fully Fund McCleary and Higher Education.

Concerned about the effects of McCleary on our long term budget outlook and reacting to concerns from the bond market, the State Treasurer’s office offered a revenue reform package earlier this week.  State Treasurer Jim McIntire upped the stakes in the dueling budget wars by offering a bold, comprehensive state revenue reform program that would increase the state’s competitiveness, reduce the tax burden on low and middle income residents, and fully fund basic and higher education.  

A Tale of the House and Senate Budgets

With both the Senate and House budgets now seeing the light of day, there is time to compare and contrast them both. The non-partisan budget website run by the Legislative Evaluative and Accountability Program and the Office of Financial Management website compares the House and Senate budget's here.  That graphic goes deep into the weeds and develops a side by side fiscal comparison between the two proposals.  The key differences in the budgets are as follows:  

1) How revenue is generated for each proposal

2) Funding Higher Education

3) The approach to teacher and state employee cost of living increases

4) Level and extent given to funding capital dollars for school construction.

PTA on House Budget - Still Needs Improvement

The Washington State PTA was on hand in Olympia all day Monday to testify on the Capital and Operating Budgets as proposed in the State House of Representatives.  Unlike the Capital Budget, the PTA testified with concerns on the operating budget offered by Representative Ross Hunter.  McCleary team lead Eden Mack shared her concerns with the committee, "We understand that this is one of the largest investments in K-12 Education in a very long time - but it is still not enough to meet the McCleary mandate."  

Mack was flanked by PTA Legislative Director Sherry Krainick and PTA members Steve Nesich and Kelly Bowers.  The challenge before the legislature was how to maintain critical funding for kids outside the classroom while still advocating for significant budget increases for K-12.  The House budget sought to strike this balance, but did not go far enough to address one of the key components of McCleary - the continued reliance on local taxpayers to fund portions of basic education that is supposed to be the dominion of the legislature.  

One of the key pieces of the local funding issue is teacher compensation.  Director Krainick testified in committee on this issue, bringing up the lack of focus on the legislature's own committee, the Compensation Technical Working Group, which offered recommendation on teacher compensation and professional learning.  "Our local levies will continue to pay for basics, including teacher compensation, when they should be used to provide high school students with access to a 7th period day so they can meet our new graduation requirements."  This issue is part of the PTA platform which was passed last October at legislative assembly.


The House voted the budget out of committee late last night and it is likely to be passed out of the House later in the week.  The underlying tax proposals to fund the increases in education and freezing tuition rates was held in the Finance Committee Tuesday morning.

PTA to Capital Budget Committee - Need to Do Better

The Washington State PTA led by Legislative Director Sherry Krainick and Capital Budget leads Susan Baird-Joshi and Eden Mack came out strongly for increasing the commitment to funding K-12 capital needs.  “If we are serious about addressing the needs brought up in McCleary, we need to show a demonstrated commitment in the State Capital Budget.  There is currently a lack of quality facilities to support the reduction of class size and expansion to all day kindergarten that is part of the McCleary solution," said Director Krainick.

  

Sending in her comments on the concerns in Lake Washington, Capital Budget lead Susan Baird-Joshi shared her concerns with just being able to keep up with needs in her district.  "Since 2012, our district has been the fastest-growing school district in King County. Current enrollment stands at more than 26,000 and it’s projected to grow close to 30,000 by 2021-22. Existing classroom space will not accommodate those growing numbers."

The challenges for capital funding were also shared by Kelly Bowers from Seattle.  She testified to the need for ADA compliant facilities at her daughter’s middle school.  She was joined on the panel by Eden Mack who shared her frustration with the lack of commitment to funding K-12 capital programs. Also joining the legislative team in person and through delivered testimony was Steve Nesich and Bertha Bonds.

The House voted the Capital Budget out of Committee Tuesday morning and it is expected to pass out of the House by the end of the week.

Senate Bill 6080 - Good Start - But Not Enough to Meet Student Needs

This week, PTA activist and McCleary team lead Eden Mack from the Seattle Council PTA joined us in Olympia for the hearing on Senate Bill 6080 which starts the conversation on how to fund additional classrooms in the wake of all day Kindergarten and class size reductions required by McCleary.  In her testimony, she thanked the committee for starting the process, but, as a parent and leader in the Seattle School District, highlighted that the proposal did not go far enough to satisfy the growing need for classroom space in Washington.

Her testimony and the follow up question and answer session between her, Senator Keiser, and Senator Honeyford is well worth the five minutes.  This is our PTA in action and it's great when members are able to take the time to let our legislators understand the real world implications derived from their bills. Testimony on SB 6080 starts at the 1:10 mark and Eden's testimony starts at the 1:39:40 mark. Check it out!

The Sound of Drums - House Budget Due to be Released by the End of the Month

The first big movement on McCleary in the legislature was the release of Governor Inslee's budget last December.  His version fully funded MSOC, and jump started the K-3 class size reductions and all day Kindergarten for the 2016 school year.  Now it is the House's turn to pitch their version of the budget, which is expected to be unveiled the week of March 30th, but could come as early as next week.

The PTA is hoping that the plan may address fully funding teacher compensation and that levies should pay for extras, not funding portions of basic education.  This will, however, be an expensive ask and we may need to come out fighting for the changes that our kids need. Expect more information on how you can help at a later date. 

Key McCleary / Capital Funding Bill to be Heard in Senate.

One of the less often talked about concerns with fully funding basic education in Washington State is the lack of adequate facilities in many districts to accommodate the reduced class sizes that the McCleary Decision and the recently passed I-1351 require.  The Washington State Senate is offering bipartisan legislation to help address the growing need for facilities and the bill, SB 6080, will be heard in the Ways and Means Committee on March 19th at 3:30PM.  McCleary Issue lead Eden Mack is working to get a good representation of WSPTA members to attend the hearing.  If you can join us, e-mail us at legconsultant@wastatepta.org.

House and Senate in All Day Sessions until Wednesday Cut-off

As we enter the middle of the official legislative session, the House and Senate are meeting until late in the evening all this week and through cut-off on Wednesday.  Our PTA record for passing key legislation has been great so far - with our two Top 5 priority platform issues that had bills attached passing both houses this week. Both Breakfast after the Bell and Social & Emotional Learning had strong coalitions supporting them and our combined efforts helped put them over the top for the first round of legislative hearings.  


After cut-off, most legislators will be heading home for the weekend to host town halls.  When they return, hearings will resume on bills heard in the house opposite their origin.  In addition, the House is expected to release their budget near the end of the month and the Capital Funding / McCleary discussions will burst out into the open. Watch here for details on how our PTA will be shaping the debate on basic education funding!

Stand up, Speak up, and Show up to Legislative Town Halls this Weekend.

At the beginning of the Session, the PTA called on its members to "Stand Up, Speak Up, and Show Up" on McCleary.  This coming weekend, you will have the ability to do so in the comfort of your own community. Starting on Thursday evening, legislators from across the state will be hosting town hall meetings to discuss state issues.  We need to be heard on McCleary and deliver a simple message to our legislators.  

Levies are for extras, not for funding basic education. Teacher compensation is the job of the state, not the local district. We support your need to stay in Olympia until you fix this.

To find out where a town hall is for you legislators, click here.

Remember when you go to town halls, you are helping spread the message of the PTA.When you speak, remember, you are not alone, and we are united in our efforts.  Be firm, but be respectful. We understand the legislators have a tough job ahead of them.  We are there to be strong for them and to help them succeed.

Stand Up, Speak Up, and Show Up this weekend!

Major News: Transportation Bill now tied to McCleary outcome according to House Leadership.

Citing "Kids before Concrete" a News Tribune article released this week featured House Majority Leader Patrick Sullivan announcing that any vote on a Transportation Package will not take place until the McCleary issue has been addressed.  According to this News Tribune article, Sullivan cited the need to fund the basic McCleary issues as well as address the more complicated task of how local levies are currently funding basic education functions such as teacher salaries.

McCleary Looms Large

The McCleary Decision is the big ticket item of the legislative session.  With Governor Inslee’s budget proposal starting the conversation, the legislature is now working on their versions on how the state plans to fully fund basic education.  All eyes are now on Representative Ross Hunter who will introduce the House version of the operating budget at the end of the month.  The State Senate will follow shortly thereafter. 

Our McCleary and Capital Funding Issue teams are working together under the guidance of Eden Mack pictured above before a budget committee hearing. If you wish to be part of the McCleary discussion, join the issue team by clicking this link!

Governor Press Release - Inslee proposes boldest new efforts in improving full continuum of education in 2 decades

Gov. Jay Inslee declared tonight that education must be the top priority for the 2015 Legislature, saying it’s past time for the state to meet its moral and constitutional obligations to Washington students. The governor said his plan would strengthen the school system from preschool to higher education so Washington students can attain diplomas, degrees and job training.

The governor previewed his plan in an online town hall meeting with parents, educators and students in Bellevue, Moses Lake, Spokane and Tacoma. Inslee said he intends to aggressively pursue improvements at all levels of education, from a significant expansion in early learning and all-day kindergarten to a freeze on public college tuition and additional financial aid to help keep college affordable.

Stand Up, Speak Up and Show Up

2015 Legislative Focus Day 

PTA advocates from across the state gathered in Olympia for WSPTA’s annual Legislative Focus Day on Monday, January 19, 2015.

Washington State Parent Teacher Association Sets Legislative Agenda

The Washington State Parent Teacher Association held its’ 36^th Annual Legislative Assembly this weekend, in Vancouver, Washington.  There, delegates met to set a new platform of legislative priorities for the 2015 -2016 legislative session in support of the organizational vision of “Making every child’s potential a reality.”    The legislative platform supports the delivery of our mission:

• PTA is a powerful voice for all children.
• PTA is a relevant resource for families, schools and communities.
• PTA is a strong advocate for the well-being and education of every child.

In all, 13 issues made the short-term platform.  As a whole child advocacy association, our priority issues represent health, well-being and educational needs of the children of Washington State.

WSPTA’s priorities for the 2015 and 2016 legislative sessions:

1. Funding McCleary
2. Create Positive School Climates Through Social Emotional Learning
3. Increasing Capital Funding
4. Increased Access to Higher Education
5. Breakfast After the Bell

Also supported (listed alphabetically):

Access, Equity & Opportunity for Students with Disabilities and Special Needs
Closing Opportunity Gaps
Equal Access for ELL Students
Family and Community Engagement
Inclusive Special Education
Increase Playground Safety
Investing in Teacher Professional Learning (CTWG Implementation)
Regulating Child Restraint and Isolation in Schools

If you have any questions or request a media availability with our Legislative Director, Sherry Krainick, or our President, Heather Gillette, please contact us at legconsultant@wastatepta.org or by phone at (253) 292-3318. 

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About Washington State PTA: Founded in 1905, the association is a powerful voice for the well-being and education of all children and a resource for parents. It provides leadership training and support to more than 900 local PTAs across the state. With over 132,000 members, the WSPTA is the largest advocacy and volunteer organization in the state. Learn more at www.wastatepta.org.

SBE Adopts Resolution on the McCleary School Funding Decision and School Funding Proposals Entertained During the 2015 Legislative Session

On September 10, 2014, the Washington State Board of Education, in view of its statutory responsibility to provide strategic oversight of the public education system, voted to adopt a resolution suggesting guiding principles to the Legislature in the performance of its duties to ensure that ample provision is made for all students residing within its borders, in a general and uniform system of public schools.

1. Any consideration of delaying the timeline for compliance with McCleary orders should be weighed against the consequences those delays will have on entering cohorts of kindergarten students and their opportunity to ultimately realize the goals of the program of basic education.

2. The Board affirms that there can be no credible plan to make ample provision for public schools that does not include new revenue to the state budget.

3. Proposals to increase funding for public schools by decreasing funding in other state programs should be viewed not merely through the lens of Court compliance, but also in view of the ultimate impact on students and their families.  Scaling back social service programs, or early and higher education programs, may help narrowly satisfy Court compliance requirements but may also compromise progress towards the goals of the program of basic education.

4. A comprehensive school funding solution should include a substantial increase in the state funding share accompanied by some additional clarity on the intended limits of local levy authority or spending.  However, proposals that seek to merely exchange taxing authority between the state and local governments in a revenue neutral way, such that overall funding to public schools remains roughly constant while only the source of revenues changes, are highly unlikely to materially improve outcomes for students and families.  What is needed is not different dollars; what is needed is more dollars.

5. The Board further affirms that a comprehensive statewide accountability program continues to be an essential element to any significant McCleary investment in public schools.  In addition to school-level accountability, such a system should include explicit goals for student outcomes at a system-wide level, as well as self-imposed, reciprocal elements of accountability for the Legislature in the event that it cannot fulfill its duties under law, even as schools and students are expected to fulfill theirs.

6. The Board affirms that Washington’s system of public schools has the potential to be the best in the world, and could serve as a case study of best practice public education for other states and nations.  The Board urges the Legislature to embrace this challenge, and to process all school funding decisions with the success of each student in mind. 

Source: Washington State Board of Education