The Washington Education Association, the union that represents the state’s K-12 teachers, was an enthusiastic backer of Gov. Chris Gregoire during the last election, as well as the Democratic majority in the state Legislature. Hey… how’s that working out for you?
Not that the Republican alternative would have treated teachers any better, but like every other labor group this session, the WEA has pretty much gotten the short end of the stick on nearly every substantive legislative issue. Writing in response to the education reform bill that just passed the House, WEA spokesman Rich Wood writes:
Teachers, the professional educators who work with students, are focused on the impact the Legislature’s huge budget cuts will have on our state’s students and the education they receive. HB 2261 may allow adults outside the classroom to think they’re doing something good for kids, but they’re ignoring the immediate and real problem. There’s no money.
$1.5 billion in K-12 education cuts are going to have a devastating impact on our students and classrooms. Trying to change teacher certification and evaluation or implementing a new school accountability system totally misses the mark. It suggests that TEACHERS are the problem, rather than the huge budget cuts. That’s an insult.
We’re losing thousands of teaching positions and students will be in overcrowded classrooms this fall. Meanwhile, the Legislature is poised to spend $3 million on work groups to study teacher certification? And teachers are supposed to accept promises that someday down the road the state might actually fulfill its constitutional obligation to fully fund education? We’ve heard enough promises.
That’s why teachers and other education staffers oppose these bills. Today, the Legislature introduced bills that wipe out the voter-approved initiatives for smaller class sizes and school employee compensation. If we care what the voters think, then the Legislature should be finding ways to protect those investments instead of spending money on work groups.
Wood closes by urging the Senate to reject the bill. Yeah… good luck with that.
Personally, I’m rather agnostic about the education reform bill. It does some good things and some bad things and more than a few pointless things, but as long as it remains unfunded, it isn’t worth the paper it’s printed on. The WEA is absolutely right that the immediate issue facing K-12 education is the dramatic cut in funding under the proposed budget… but banging their heads against this reform bill isn’t gonna do anything to open up the taps.
Instead, the WEA could be a helluva lot more effective getting behind efforts to put a substantive high-earners income tax on the ballot, all or part of which could be dedicated to funding K-12 education. The internal polling on such a measure looks surprisingly good—at least as good as the third of a cent sales tax increase Rep. Pettigrew introduced yesterday—yet would generate more money, and wouldn’t require a sunset provision. From what I hear, SEIU is willing to play ball, and the votes are likely there in the Senate. If WEA and the public employee unions would just get behind the effort, they might actually be able to push the House along with them.
Seriously. Without a substantial revenue increase, K-12 is getting less than squat this session. But with WEA’s promise to aggressively back a ballot measure, a high-earners income tax is not out of the question.
Press releases are nice and all that, but it’s time to let legislators know that you’re willing to put your money where your mouth is, and commit to backing a high-earners income tax to fund K-12 education.
This bill is great. The key to defending adequate funding of our public schools (Witness the cuts to I-732,I728 and LEA funds) is to redefine basic education. If the definition in this bill was implemented 2 years ago, the current budget cuts would not be possible.
The WEA opposes this for one reason, it reduces their bargaining areas. It guarantees higher wages. It also requires that we expect more for the money. Graduation requirements on par with other states (we are currently very low, and the WEA, my Union, essentially argues that our kids are not as smart as kids from other states by opposing this step).
There is a funding mechanism in the bill, the same one the WEA supported in another bill. In order to get the rest of the needed funds, we cannot go to the voters of this state and say “the system is fine, send more money” which is the WEA line.
The Legislation ties our money to graduation requirements, early learning, all-day Kindergarten and class sizes. With the coalition of supporters and these needed changes to the system, we actually have something to provide the citizens to support.
The current system is broken. It was odd to see the WEA defend the current system so ardently when our brethren are being laid off, COLAs going unfunded again, and more teachers having to buy the basics for their kids.
This was really about turf. The WEA did not want to give any up, no matter how good the ideas were. They never got involved in any way with negotiations, and assumed the misinformation about the bills they spread to the membership would stir the pot enough to kill the bill. It was bad politics, bad policy and the good ideas won out. Democracy in action!
PARAMOUNT DUTY!!!!!
The answer to the funding problem for education is spelled out in the Constitution. You fund education, period, then fight about how to make do with the rest of the revenue.
We were already underfunding education, massively, before any cuts. This is a disgrace.
Sarge,
What is missing is how that preamble is enabled in actual legislation. It is the legislation, not the words of the preamble, that make the difference. Our current definition of “ample” is 40 years old. It is not tied to anything specific (Class size, teacher pay, grad requirements, etc.) Our current definition does not pay for the basics as you know. It should.
This new legislation provides a robust and specific definition of “ample”. It reduces legislative flexibility and forces the hand of our elected officials to FULLY FUND it.
Our current funding, and the mechanisms for funding, are a disgrace. 732-gone, 728-gone, levy equalization-cut to the bone…Look at your argument you are essentially saying “the current situation is a disgrace, but changing it is worse.”
My Union, the WEA, could have driven this process. Instead of leading a broad coalition, we kick them in the teeth and go it alone. We blew our political capital with a misinformation campaign (referring to bills that have been dead for two months, opposing provisions that do not exist related to teacher certification in the new bills). The legislators saw through it and were, ultimately, brave. When they have nothing but grief and anger from our Union all session, they had no reason NOT to vote for this.
The Governor and the Senate invited the WEA to the table for weekly meetings. They refused to engage in any, any, meaningful discussions. “Kill the Bill” was the matra, just like “Drill baby Drill” during the election in the fall. Bad politics and bad policy are usually a losing combination.
Then we sent out emails to our members squawking about how we “weren’t invited to the table”. We thought our power was absolute. We were wrong. Now we get bills crafted without our input because we refused to provide any. Tough for us. Good for the kids of this state.
“Sometimes I wonder whether the world is being run by smart people who are putting us on, or by imbeciles who really mean it.”
Mark Twain
Commenter Bill seems to know what he’s talking about, but I smell a rat. With each successive comment, his rhetoric becomes more anti-union.
When will he unveil himself as the right wing crank that I suspect that he is?
Boo Boo Bear,
I was raised in a Union house. I saw my Father’s union busted under Reagan. I saw the impact on his finances and his family. Every right I enjoy in my workplace, and every right in any workplace, is because of Union action.
Unions have made middle class life possible throughout the Western world.
But being pro union is not the same as calling a spade a spade. My union BOTCHED this session. We will not get anywhere if we spend our time in an echo chamber, never questioning what is going on.
I might be a crank, but I ain’t no right wing wacko!
@4 Boo – tell me why being pro-union is a good thing?
Bill + shit = Shill
re 6: Because when a union gets pay raises for their members, similar industries have to raise their wages to remain competitive. This has been demonstrated time and again.
If wages are flat and goods are produced in overseas (outsourced jobs) sweatshops (and sold dearly, e.g. Nike sneakers)the supposed consumer of the overpriced foreign crap can no longer afford the Chinese crap (nor can the crap-producing Chinese worker.
Unions solve these problems working in the same mysterious, invisible handed way to keep the free-market economy in balance. If you are against unions, you are only shooting yourself in the foot.
At least, that’s what Newt Gingrich said…..
Dear Bill,
The document that you’re looking for is called a Hudson Packet. Fill it out and get the fuck out of the WEA, because the glee with which you’re throwing your fellow teachers under a train is terrifying.
Shame on you.
Goldy started this thread with:
“The Washington Education Association, the union…”
Yes, the WEA is a UNION and is concerned with pay and benefits for its UNION members. It has nothing to do with education, just pay and bennies for UNION MEMBERS!
I wish they would change their name to the Washington Teachers’ Union and be honest about the whole thing.
can anyone verify these numbers?
amount spent on k-12 education: $15 billion (over 2 years)
enrolled k-12: 1,050,000
so the state of washington spends $15,000/year times 13 years = $195,000
really? i’m shocked if this is the case…
Dear absolute moron: politically naive @9:
You said:
first, who do you think actually teaches the kids? Without teachers there is no edcuation, period.
second, I agree with Bill – the Union doesn’t always make the right choices – but it is much better than no union.
third, the studies have shown that class size is THE most important factor in quality elementary education. It does not take a rocket scientist to realize that the younger kids need more personal attention from the teachers. Washington state funding for class size is an embarassment. We can’t expect great results from our students when we invest a pittance. Other countries and other states spend much more on their students – we give tax breaks to Boeing. that shows where our priorities are.