| It's time to fund education... NOW! Help us send a message to the legislature at an Education Town Hall with legislators from the 41st Legislative District. The more people who attend, the stronger message we send. We are counting on you to attend.
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From OurVoice WEA...
WEA members in different parts of the state often meet after school to discuss what’s happening in Olympia, how it affects them and how they can get involved and make a difference. Recently, WEA members in the Sammamish UniServ Council met for “pizza and politics” and share their thoughts about the Legislature.
Two bad bills sponsored by Sen. Steve Litzow had hearings on Tuesday, Feb. 10 before the Senate education committee, which Litzow chairs. Senate Bills 5748 and 5749 mandate the use of state test scores in teacher evaluations, even though there is no research showing that doing so helps improve student learning. Here’s TVW coverage of Sen. Steve Litzow’s bills that mandate using student test scores in teacher evaluations. Several teachers testified in opposition and urged the Senate to focus on fully funding K-12 public schools. Our own 5th Legislative District Sen. Mark Mullet co-sponsored SB 5748. Send Sen. Mark Mullet an email letting him know why state standardized tests have no place in teacher evaluations. Be sure to mention SB 5748. From OurVoice WEA...
Under SB 5744, teacher layoffs (RIFs) would be based on principal evaluations instead of experience. Also, the bill would allow a principal to reject a teacher for any reason, and the teacher could be fired six months later. WEA Lobbyist Lucinda Young testified against the bill, which she said “opens the door to ageism, sexism and racism.” “There is no research demonstrating either proposal in the legislation helps students,” Young told the Senate education committee. “Instead, let’s work to fund laws already enacted such as TPEP, and fund McCleary and I-1351.” Over the weekend, nearly 600 WEA members emailed Sen. Litzow to express their opposition to SB 5744. From OurVoice WEA...
Sen. Mark Mullet and Sen. Steve Litzow, the chairman of the state Senate education committee, are sponsoring legislation that mandates the use of state test scores in teacher evaluations. Sen. Litzow is also pushing another anti-teacher bill that would base teacher layoffs on principal evaluations – and allow principals to essentially fire teachers for any reason at all, with no guarantee of placement at another school. Just think about what these bills would mean to you and your co-workers. Send Sen. Litzow and your state senator a message NOW and tell them how this legislation would affect you. Sen. Litzow’s bills are a disrespectful and punitive attack on teachers and the education profession, and none of his proposals does anything to help kids. In fact, Sen. Litzow’s campaign against teachers is a deliberate distraction from what the voters and the Supreme Court have ordered Sen. Litzow and the Legislature to do: Fully fund our public schools. By promoting an anti-teacher and anti-educator agenda, Sen. Litzow is ignoring the Legislature’s paramount duty to fully fund the education our kids deserve – including professional compensation and smaller K-12 class sizes. Email your senator now, and let him or her know you won’t — and we are not going to — stand for it. Tell them to please oppose SB 5748, 5749 and5744. Please personalize your message — tell your own story! When adjusted for regional cost differences, Washington’s average teacher salary is 42nd out of 50 states.
Sometime in the next month one of your colleagues may be asking you a question: "Will you help improve our schools by joining WEA-PAC?" We hope that you answer, "YES!"
Here's why... Every education decision is a political decision. The people we elect are part of the decision making regarding education proposals. WEA-PAC supports pro-public education candidates. Our health care, collective bargaining and full funding for public schools are all up for debate in the 2015 legislative session. Investing in great WEA-PAC candidates just makes sense! Want to know more? Here's Wendy Smith, a public school teacher in Vancouver, telling why she's a WEA-PAC member: “I belong to WEA-PAC because as a public school teacher, nearly every aspect of my job is touched by politics. Too often, teachers want to just shut the classroom door and focus on our students. But hiding behind our classroom doors is the same as burying our heads in the sand. My colleagues complain about the decisions and actions of the state legislature, but very few do anything in response.Few teachers see themselves as “political” but they do care and they and their students are affected. WEA-PAC is a cheap and easy way to give our “non-political” members a voice, and a way for them to have influence on the decisions that so greatly impact our classrooms.” Download and and print the WEA-PAC Payroll Authorization form to join WEA-PAC. Return it to your building rep. If you have questions, please e-mail Nate Ziemkowski, at nziemkowski@gmail.com | About SVEA
The Snoqualmie Valley Education Association represents the 350+ certificated staff of the Snoqualmie Valley School District.
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