House education bill will pave way for Washington’s future

Over the last two years, a bipartisan group of legislators gathered monthly, and sometimes weekly, to redefine “basic education” and revamp how the state funds education. As a result of the Basic Education Finance Task Force, a bipartisan group of legislators joined us and other stakeholders who served on the task force in proposing House Bill 1410.

Sixteen years after education reform, we believe it is time to update our education system to reflect the realities of today’s classrooms and ensure the best and brightest are teaching our children.

While there are some detractors, the measure received support from education advocates, including Puget Sound region school superintendents, the League of Education Voters, Stand for Children, the Parent Teacher Association and early learning groups.

For those of us who served on the task force and have been active in the education debate over the years, this legislation is long overdue. Our K-12 education system is at a crossroads. To those who say now is not the time – in the current economy – to overhaul the education system, we would point out that even in the recent good years when the state had a surplus of $2 billion, nothing was done to fix education funding and shore up our schools. We simply cannot use the economy – in good times or bad – as an excuse for inaction.

If we don’t commit to restructuring the system now, when will the Legislature revisit the issue? After 19 studies on education funding and curricula over the last decade, students simply cannot wait any longer for the education the Legislature continues to promise them.

The 111-page bill tackles issues stakeholders told us must be addressed if we are ever to move our education system forward to better ensure equity and student achievement. The bill would:

 • Increase teacher compensation significantly.

 • Reward teachers for demonstrating competence in the classroom.

 • Add early learning to the definition of basic education.

 • Remove inequities among school districts by eliminating grandfathered salary differences and levy lids.

 • Increase high school graduation requirements from 19 to 24 credits and pay for six classes a day instead of five at every high school.

 • Create a mentoring program for new teachers.

 • Provide more money to schools with more kids living in poverty or immigrants just learning English.

 • Simplify school allocation formulas to make them easier for school districts and parents to understand.

Having worked with teachers, administrators and parents all of us believe that we must commit to early learning for students we worry about the most - those receiving free or reduced-priced lunch or learning English as their second language. House Bill 1410 is an extremely important step toward achieving this goal.

Supporters of our bill made it clear they understand the pressing nature of the budget crisis, but they also believe short-term decisions must be made if we are to ever reach our long-term goals in education. It’s time to make critical updates to the system to reflect the global job market and the skills our children will need to compete in the world economy.

In addition, we cannot address accountability and transparency in our K-12 system until we have a road map for school districts statewide. Our bill creates a guide to a six-year phase-in of needed reforms. The plan takes into account that each district is different, however a uniform plan for funding, accountability and achievement goals is a must if our ultimate goal is to get every child across the academic finish line.

The Legislature must act now by passing the task force’s final report recommendations included in House Bill 1410. This will allow us to move forward with a clear plan over the next several years to substantially improve our education system for our children, their future and the future of Washington’s economy.

State Rep. Pat Sullivan, D-Covington, and state Rep. Skip Priest, R-Federal Way, served on the Basic Education Finance Task Force, which met over the last two years and was required to redefine “basic education” and restructure K-12 education funding.