New budget funds Barlow’s plan ensuring bonus
pay for elite teachers
May 12, 2008
11:09 a.m.
A Spokane teacher’s call last fall has helped launch new state policy
guaranteeing bonus pay for many more of Washington’s best and brightest
teachers.
Lori Shauvin, a special-education teacher at Rogers High School,
contacted state Rep. Don Barlow’s office about a problem last
November. She pointed out that a state law he authored the previous year
“is a terrific idea, but it has a hole that needs filling” to make sure
elite teachers don’t get overlooked.
The Spokane Democrat worked to get money in the supplemental budget to fund
the bonuses for teachers with certification from the National Board for
Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS).
Read more: New budget
funds Barlow’s plan ensuring bonus pay for elite teachers
Win an award for conservation and sustainable practices
May 12, 2008
10:58 a.m.
Are you doing your part to protect the environment? If you work for a
business, government agency, school or organization that has great sustainable
practices, you can apply for the 2008 Governor's Award for Sustainable
Practices. The award goes to groups dedicated to reducing or stoppping the use
of hazardous materials, waste and emissions, or to switching to practices that
conserve resources and energy.
The deadline for applying is June 6. Apply online or read more at the
Department of Ecology's website:
http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/hwtr/GovAward/index.html
Permalink: Win an award
for conservation and sustainable practices
Whoulda thunk? Good teaching comes from experience, not grad
school
May 7, 2008
4:33 p.m.
According to research by a legislative task force on education funding, it
turns out that teachers with more experience are more effective than teachers
with a graduate degree.
The Spokesman-Review had a
report today
highlighting the work of the Legislature's
Basic Education Finance
Task Force which is working to overhaul the way the state funds K-12
education.
Task force members are hoping to make evidence-based decisions about where
money should go. For example, does student achievement improve more when
students are in smaller classrooms or when students are in front of a teacher
with specialized training? Should we provide incentives for teachers to get more
teaching experience or to get graduate degrees?
The task force is scheduled to release its proposal prior to the 2009
legislative session.
Permalink: Good teaching comes
from experience, not grad school
Where’s the smart money?
Online financial literacy challenge could snag a scholarship or other prizes
for teens that know how to manage personal finances
April 29, 2008
9:43 a.m.
If you know a high school student with money smarts, encourage them to try
out the first National Financial Literacy challenge at
http://flc.treas.gov/ . It’s
an online challenge with 35 questions about basic personal finance.
Teens age 13 to 18 can play anytime between Monday, April 28 to Friday, May
16. Students scoring in the top 25th percentile of national scores are eligible
for recognition from the President’s Advisory Council on Financial Literacy. One
student from each region (10 total regions across the U.S.) will also receive:
- $2,500 In Scholarship Money
- 2-day, all expenses paid trip to Washington D.C.
- $1,000 Donated To Their School/Organization
The state
Department of Financial Institutions is encouraging high
schools and after-school non-profit organizations to sign up students.
Continue reading:
DFI Supports Presidential Financial Literacy Challenge, Encourages Teachers
to Register, Students to Participate
Middle-school students can aim for college with
scholarship
April 24, 2008
12:08 p.m.
Many low-income students can achieve their college dreams through a
College Bound Scholarship, but the deadline for this year’s
eighth-graders to apply is rapidly approaching on June 1, 2008.
College Bound is a four-year scholarship that covers the cost of
college tuition, fees and books for low-income students who sign a
pledge in seventh or eighth grade promising to graduate from high school
and to demonstrate good citizenship.
Continue reading:
College Bound Scholarship deadline
approaching for low-income eighth-graders
Gas price tax manipulation?
April 22, 2008
9:35 a.m.
An
editorial in yesterday’s Seattle Times
incorrectly asserts that Washington’s gas tax is fourth highest in the nation
and is a cause for our state’s high gas prices. This same statistic has been
touted by certain state officials, but is a highly misleading distortion of the
truth.
Why? Because the rating does not reflect the fact that many states have other
taxes on gasoline imposed at the state and local levels.
The facts:
- The gas tax rate paid by Washington drivers is 7th highest in the
nation. Our tax is 36 cents, all imposed by the state. Every penny is spent
here at home to reduce congestion, improve safety, and preserve our existing
infrastructure.
- The average price of gasoline in Washington today is $3.64 compared to
$3.14 one year ago. The state keeps only 2 cents of that 50 cent increase.
- In five states, the gas tax is above 40 cents. In fact, Washington's 36
cent rate is lower than states with congestion problems similar to ours
(e.g., California - 43.4 cents, New York - 45.5 cents).
- Washington voters endorsed our gas tax in 2005, when they rejected
Initiative 912 which sought to repeal the 9.5 cent gas tax package.
For a detailed state-by-state comparison, check out this
report prepared by WSDOT last December.
House Speaker: 2008 session met the challenge
March 13,
2008
8 :45
p.m.
Just sixty short days ago, Speaker of the House Frank Chopp
gaveled open the 2008 legislative session by expressing to the members
his belief that they would rise to his challenge. That challenge as he
put it to them – to lead the state on issues ranging from housing and
education, to transportation and environmental health, all while living
within the state’s fiscal means.
Continue reading: House Speaker: 2008 session met the
challenge
Versión español: Presidente de Cámara de
Diputados: la sesión 2008 superó el reto
Read more on The Advance archives »
