Will the real WASL critics please stand up?
PETER CALLAGHAN; THE NEWS TRIBUNE
Over the weekend in Spokane, state Democrats took a stand on an issue they must think will be potent this year.
In the party platform section on education, they supported “abandoning the WASL test as a mandatory high school graduation requirement.”
Then the delegates rejected a bid for the party to stay out of nonpartisan races. That decision left in place the party executive board’s endorsement of Randy Dorn for state superintendent of public instruction. A Dorn endorsement is a rejection of longtime schools chief – and longtime Democrat – Terry Bergeson.
The influence of the Washington Education Association, the state’s dominant teachers union, was evident in both actions.
So the headline might be: “Democrats say no to WASL.” Which must mean the party will campaign against the test and its use in stiffening standards and giving meaning to high school diplomas. And it must mean that school reform is a product of Republican leadership. Right?
Wrong on both accounts. Why? Because the conventioneers overwhelmingly support their incumbent governor, Chris Gregoire. And you’d need dental floss to find a gap between Gregoire and Bergeson on most issues related to school reform. (Likely GOP nominee Dino Rossi also supports the basics of school reform.)
School reform resulted from a commission convened by Democratic Gov. Booth Gardner in part to end a wildcat teachers strike. The commission’s report was contained in House Bill 1209, which passed the 1993 state Legislature with bipartisan majorities – 81-17 in the House and 28-18 in the Senate. Both bodies were controlled by Democrats – and yes, it did take the state 15 years to implement the law.
One of the prime sponsors was Dorn, a former high school principal who then represented the 2nd Legislative District. Dorn now says that had HB 1209 been implemented better, especially the requirement that multiple paths be provided for kids, he’d have fewer objections to it.
The bill was signed by then-Gov. Mike Lowry, a Democrat, and was supported by his Democratic successors – Gary Locke and Gregoire.
Certainly some Democratic lawmakers now oppose many aspects of HB 1209 – especially the requirement that students meet standards in the WASL to graduate. They’ve watered down the WASL requirement to the point that it’s hardly a requirement at all. But the basics of school reform remain.
Why? Because their governors have told them they would veto major changes. And because voters generally support it. And because business, which gives significant support to both parties, supports it.
So how do elected Democrats appear to oppose a reform they created? How does the party tilt at windmills of its own creation? Here’s how: By making noises, passing platform planks, opposing superintendents and introducing bills that are anti-WASL while not really doing much about it. That, up until now, has mollified the education association.
Somehow opponents manage to support Gregoire while opposing Bergeson by suggesting that the school chief is acting on her own and not carrying out the direction of the Democratic Legislatures.
For example, there’s a myth that the 1993 law did not make the WASL a graduation requirement and that the “high-stakes” test aspect was added later by mysterious forces.
That isn’t true. The original law said successful completion of the assessment would be a graduation requirement. So the kids are held accountable but the adults are not because sanctions against failing schools and districts were never adopted.
The dance will continue until November, with WASL opponents in the education establishment praising Gregoire while vilifying Bergeson. And candidates can sound as though they oppose a reform they fundamentally support.
Peter Callaghan: 253-597-8657
peter.callaghan@thenewstribune.com
blogs.thenewstribune.com/politics
