WASHINGTON STATE

Washington State House Democrats

HOUSE DEMOCRATS

Rep. Wylie’s Legislative Update for Feb 21, 2014

4th Graders Visiting The Capitol

 Nieto, LiliaStudents from St. Joseph’s School in Vancouver visited with me in the State Reception Room in the Legislative Building.  They came well prepared with many interesting and thoughtful questions – so glad to have them visit. Thanks for coming to Olympia!

I really enjoy these opportunities because spending time with kids always reinforces our top priority as lawmakers: Washington’s children.  Indeed, a large focus of this legislative session – and most every session – is education. The Washington State Constitution is clear that providing a basic education is the paramount duty of the state. As you’ve probably heard many times, the McCleary decision has made that even clearer than ever.


Just what is ‘McCleary’ anyway?

It’s a term used in just about every budget conversation at the state Legislature. But what do people mean when they refer to McCleary and the McCleary decision?

“McCleary” refers to a Supreme Court decision that found the state is not adequately funding basic education. In their ruling, the Court ordered the Legislature to fully fund K-12 education by 2018.  But in that same ruling, the Court also agreed that the plan we put in place in 2009 – House Bill 2261 – was the right plan to get us back on track.

So when you hear people say we need to meet our “McCleary goals” or “McCleary obligations,” what they’re really saying is that we need to fully fund basic education.

 Nieto, LiliaTo do this, we need to invest an additional $4.5 billion into our K-12 funding system.  We made progress on that goal last year by adding just under $1 billion to basic education funding. The initial 2013 House Democrats budget proposal would have allocated $1.4 billion – enough to be considered “on pace” with meeting our goal.

That plan required closing a handful of outdated, expensive, and unnecessary corporate tax exemptions to increase funding for basic education and get closer to our goals. However, the Senate refused to close any of those exemptions, which resulted in fewer dollars going into our basic education system.

Fully funding basic education is our top priority – and our Constitutional duty – so we will continue conversations about our options. But one thing is for certain: we cannot reach our McCleary goals through general spending cuts. If we’re going to fulfill our obligations as a state to ensure all children receive an opportunity for a basic education, we need to also ensure everyone is paying their fair share. Click on the box below for a presentation by non-partisan legislative staff with much more McCleary information.

 Nieto, Lilia

Improving education from start to finish

McCleary isn’t our only educational focus, though. Success in school relies on more than success in the classroom, and we are making sure Washington kids have healthy environments to live, learn, and grow up in. This week we passed several measures with that goal in mind.

Washington has nearly 7,500 child care facilities that serve about 174,000 children. Research shows that high quality childcare does wonders but poor quality actually damages a child. HB 2377 will help assure high-quality childcare that provides us with the desired outcomes: greater academic achievement, increased graduation rates, lower incarceration rates, less poverty, and less reliance on government assistance.

 Nieto, LiliaHungry kids can’t learn – it’s that simple. Evidence has shown that a lack of nutrition can be detrimental to academic development. HB 2536 will create a “Breakfast After the Bell” program to help our students begin their days with adequate nutrition. Nearly half of our state’s one-million public school students are already eligible for free and reduced meals at school, but this program has left out the most important meal of the day. As we work to meet our responsibilities of improving education, it’s important to provide healthy and quality learning environments for our children.Our students’ education needs are as diverse as the students themselves. The best opportunities to succeed are those tailored to each unique segment of Washington children. HB 2166 will direct the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction to collect data associated with students from military families.  Military families move around a lot, providing challenges to school-age children who frequently move from one school to another—often across states. We want to better serve the students, however long they are in our state.

Many high-achieving, low-income students don’t receive information about available resources that could help them get into college. Modeled after a program that produced a dramatic increase in successful applications to top schools, HB 2694 will ensure Washington colleges reach out directly to these successful students.


Public Schools Alliance Award

Jillian and Kevin Donaldson from Vancouver visited my office in Olympia and presented me with an award from the Digital Public Schools Alliance of Washington.

 I support full, stable and non-discrminatory state funding for students enrolled in digital public schools to ensure they are receiving the same quality education as their classmates in more traditional classrooms.

It’s an honor to receive this award from students in my district and I was so proud to have Jillian and Kevin stop by to present it to me.


Ask Sharon & TVW

 Nieto, LiliaThis session I’m trying a new feature where I respond to emails from you on camera. These short “Ask Sharon” video segments are another way to keep you in the loop. If you haven’t watched them, click on the box for the latest one and let me know what you think.

 

  Nieto, LiliaAnd last week I was on TVW’s Inside Olympia with Austin Jenkins discussing Marijuana legislation. It’s a big issue and I appreciated the opportunity to shed some light on what’s going on. To watch the interview, click on the box.

As always, thank you for taking the time to read this update. If you have any feedback or questions, don’t hesitate to contact me.

Sincerely,

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