WASHINGTON STATE

Washington State House Democrats

HOUSE DEMOCRATS

Rep. Mike Sells – Legislative Update, Feb. 15, 2013

What’s Important This Session

I was on TVW’s “Inside Olympia” last week. We discussed the injured workers insurance that Republicans want to cut, which have no effect on the Operating Budget.  I stressed that we should concentrate on funding education and supporting families in time of need. Focusing on the 27,000 homeless students in our state, families struggling to make ends meet, and our employers getting the skilled workers they need should not be a partisan issue. Instead of working on what’s important right now, what we’re getting from Republicans is a hammering of working people who are at their most vulnerable. Watch the video: 

InsideOlympia2


Our paramount duty

As you know, the Supreme Court said we are not meeting our paramount duty to adequately fund education, so that’s the number one issue we have to solve this session.

Every child deserves a good education, which is in everybody’s best interest because education is the engine that drives our economy.  Secure families and a strong middle class depend on the next generation getting the education they need to compete against the rest of the world.

Have you heard Republicans say their plan is to “Fund Education First”? Catchy slogans don’t always translate into good ideas. What Republicans want is to pass a separate education budget first, and then let every other vital state service, including higher ed, economic development, and foster care, fight for what’s left. A better name for this plan would be an “All Cuts Budget.”  

We’ve cut $12 billion in services and laid off 4,500 teachers and school employees over the last few years, while passing unfunded reforms.  Cutting even more services for the sick, hungry and homeless isn’t the answer. It’s not compassionate and it’s not smart.


Giving kids the best start in life

littlegirlreadingOur state is a recognized early learning leader.  Research shows that 85 percent of brain development occurs by age three, and 92 percent by age five.  This means the earlier we focus our early learning efforts, the better. 

I am one of the sponsors of a measure that would help parents and caregivers give children the best possible start, and ensure they are ready to learn by the time they enter Kindergarten. The “Early Start” bill would:

  • Build a high-quality birth-to-five continuum of services over time by encompassing everything from home visiting services to preschool, culminating with the WaKIDS Kindergarten assessment.
  • Target resources on strategies that yield high results and give us the best bang for our buck.
  • Blend our already-existing programs – including parent education, the Early Child Education Program and the Working Connections Child Care program – to provide all our children with high-quality, all-day early learning opportunities.
  • Include an expansion of home visiting services for parents facing serious challenges, to help them get their children off to the best start.  Studies show home visiting programs cut incidences of child abuse and neglect in half.

Higher education bills advance in House

Instructor with Students in Computer LabHouse Democrats have five clear goals for the 2013 legislative session. One of our priorities is to ensure our students have the opportunities and skills they need for the real world. Our kids deserve the same chances to succeed that previous generations received.

This week, the House Higher Education committee passed several bills that will make college more affordable and accessible:

  • HB 1043 would end differential tuition authority for universities, but more importantly, would save the Guaranteed Education Tuition program. GET is a valuable tool to help middle class families save for college.
  • HB 1453 would provide more opportunities for working students to apply for State Need Grant assistance.
  • HB 1011 would make college more accessible and affordable for our military service members and veterans.

Our country was founded on hard work and opportunity. These are just a few of the many bills we’re working on to build a strong middle class.  


Voters approved charter schools last fall. Now what?

The passage of Initiative 1240 last November gave the go-ahead for the creation of public charter schools in our state.  Would you like to be involved in the next step?

The State Board of Education (SBE) has started work on timelines and rules for opening these alternative schools, and they want to hear from the public as they move forward.  There will be a public hearing on draft rules pertaining to our state’s first public charter schools at the SBE’s February 26 meeting.

Can’t make it to Olympia on the 26th?  No problem.  You don’t have to attend the meeting to share your comments, concerns, or feedback, just email them to the SBE at sbe@k12.wa.us .

Here is more information on the public charter schools and the ongoing process.

As always, I want to know what you think so feel free to call or email me anytime.

Sincerely,

SellsSig