House Bill 2261 is a vital first step in education reform
REPS. PAT SULLIVAN AND SKIP PRIEST
We didn’t win a gold medal at the Olympics or run an Iron Man triathlon, but we feel as though we just finished the toughest race of our legislative careers with the passage of House Bill 2261, the first comprehensive education reform legislation since 1993.
The bipartisan measure begins the process of redefining “basic education” and restructuring the state’s school funding formula.
Every parent, teacher, school volunteer, early learning advocate and passionate education supporter statewide deserves a round of applause. We thank them for their efforts to hold the Legislature accountable by keeping its promise to restructure our education system to better fit the realities of today’s classrooms. We understand the leap of faith they have taken with us, and appreciate their trust and ongoing assistance as we move forward with the bill’s landmark reforms, which will:
• Phase in funding allowing high school students to achieve 24 credits and six classes per day.
• Establish early learning for at-risk children and transportation as part of the new definition of “basic education.”
• Create a transparent funding system for both allocations and expenditures so that not only policy makers and educators understand how the state supports basic education, but also taxpayers.
• Create work groups to make recommendations on how best to spend local levy money, how teachers are hired and compensated, and how to phase in early learning.
• Require the Board of Education to create a comprehensive system for improvements targeted at challenged schools and districts that have not demonstrated sufficient improvement through the voluntary system.
• Assign the Professional Educator Standards Board to create performance standards for teachers.
Passing these reforms is just the beginning. We have tough decisions to make that will require all of us committed to education to stick together and work out any differences, and build the best system to serve our children. The bill is not perfect. Everyone found items they could not get behind, but judging from the support it received, some of the sticking points did not outweigh the great strides the measure takes. We’re pleased we could keep everyone at the table working on solid solutions to the problems identified.
What are our next steps? Let’s take the education funding debate out of the courts and make the important decisions in the Legislature. This is a great opportunity to outline what we believe should be included in “basic education” and then create a funding formula that ensures a uniform and clear method to pay for schools.
Next, let’s outline how we ensure every child makes it across the finish line. We are thrilled early learning for our most vulnerable children is included in the plan. We cannot stress enough the value of taking care of those who may be lost in the system if we do not tackle their language or other barriers to learning early on. Getting children ready for kindergarten and prepared to learn is an investment in our future.
Last, while the bill does set up study groups on key elements, these groups will allow us to start on the path to changes, while leaving the door open to hear how ideas evolve and become better. The legislation allows for group feedback on items such as dealing with chronically failing schools and how to best utilize our education funds.
There’s more work ahead and we’re committed to rolling up our sleeves over the interim, and the years ahead, to put in place a system that lifts all children up along the way. As we move forward, please know we value your thoughts and opinions.
This bill places Washington schools on the right path. It might take a few years to implement the changes, but we all want to take the time to get these reforms right and create something monumental to give our children.
State Reps. Pat Sullivan, D-Covington, and 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. They co-sponsored House Bill 2261, the education reform measure.
