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HB2261 and the NEWS lawsuit

Now that the regular legislative session has ended and House Bill 2261 is awaiting Gov. Chris Gregoire's signature, NEWS members are being asked about this legislation relating to the State's basic education program.

We believe the bill is one step forward, a promise made by this year's legislators regarding what they hope future legislators will do in the upcoming decade leading up to 2018. The NEWS lawsuit, however, is not about what the State promises or hopes to do in the future. Our State's school children have already lived through 30 years of well-intentioned promises and hopes. Instead, the NEWS lawsuit is about what our State Constitution requires the State to do now.

Article IX, section 1 of our State Constitution mandates that "It is the paramount duty of the state to make ample provision for the education of all children residing within its borders...."

"Paramount duty" means paramount duty. The State must fully fund public education first before anything else. The promises in House Bill 2261 do not change the simple fact that the State is not doing that. The lawsuit seeks a Court Order requiring the State to comply with the "paramount" mandate in Article IX, section 1.

"Ample provision" means ample provision. State funding must be fully sufficient on its own and more than just enough to eke by year to year. The promises in House Bill 2261 do not change the fact that the State's provision for public education is far from ample. The lawsuit seeks a court order requiring the State to comply with the "ample" mandate in Article IX, section 1 by determining the actual dollar costs of the education required by our Constitution, and then fully funding that actual cost with stable and dependable resources.

"All children" means all children, not just kids from relatively advantaged families, neighborhoods or segments of our society. The promises in House Bill 2261 do not change the fact that the State is not amply providing for the education of all children in our State. The lawsuit seeks a court order requiring the State to comply with the "all" mandate in Article IX, section 1.

"Education" means the knowledge and skills that kids need to compete in our modern world and to meaningfully participate in our democracy. In other words, the high education standards our State set when it enacted House Bill 1209 and the corresponding Essential Academic Learning Requirements. The promises in House Bill 2261 do not change the fact that the State's basic education programs are not amply providing that education to all our State's children. The lawsuit seeks a court order requiring the State to amply provide the "education" mandated by Article IX, section 1.

Unfortunately, history has shown that court orders are the only truly effective way to force the State to follow through and act instead of just talk. The lawsuit seeks to ensure that the type of educational hopes expressed by the supporters of House Bill 2261 in fact become reality to the public school children in our State as soon as possible.

Welcome to our newest NEWS members

The Vietnamese Friendship Association and the Seattle Breakfast Group have voted to join NEWS. Welcome! Read the full list.

"Washington Schools at the Financial Brink: How the K-12 Funding Crisis Is Threatening the Future for All of Us"

View and listen to our narrated PowerPoint presentation.

Congratulations, Yang Hu of Richland, winner of the NEWS student essay contest

NEWS sponsored a statewide essay contest in the fall of 2008 to give Washington’s public high school students the opportunity to share their views about the quality of their education and its success in preparing them to live and work in a global economy. In 500 words or less, students were asked to respond to the following two-part question:

Washington’s Constitution states that it is “the paramount duty of the state to make ample provision for the education of all children... “ In order to prepare you to live, work and compete in the global economy of today and tomorrow, what do you believe this education should include, and why? How well are our state’s public schools succeeding – or not succeeding – in delivering the kind of education you need to be successful in life?

NEWS has selected one statewide winner, Yang Hu, a senior at Hanford High School in Richland, who received $250. A matching $250 was awarded to Yang's school. Congratulations! Here is the winning essay:

A good education should teach a student to call upon a vast array of knowledge to help him make wise decisions. In a highly competitive world that values intelligence over strength, a successful education is crucial in order to function in the society. Our state currently provides a minimum set of course requirements and funding that would have adequately prepared a student for work or further education ten years ago. However, in the modern age, competition for jobs on becomes increasingly tough as other states invest escalating funds in education. It is time for Washington State to shed its former system of education, and support an amply funded system of education that will eliminate pressing concerns resulting from the lack of funding.

Among these issues is the lack of flexibility for students to choose challenging classes. Students at different academic levels are often required to take general core classes that are only taught at a certain levels of difficulty. For students who aspire to challenge themselves, these limitations severely restrict their ability to excel. By allowing more choices for outstanding students, we can more successfully prepare our students for college. Although urban cities have the resources to provide a broad selection of advanced courses, many rural communities barely have the funding to provide one or two of these courses.

At the same time, it is extremely important that auditors periodically validate teachers’ performance through unannounced evaluations and analysis of student assessments. Rather than creating a new system of evaluations, we should increase the number of College Board’s advanced placement courses, which already have implemented instructor evaluations and student assessments. More importantly, we should set stricter standards when hiring new teachers in order to make sure they are qualified and are motivated to teach. Again, this is another action, which requires funding.

Inadequate funding not only affects individual communities but also the entire state. States with strong education systems tout examinations that cover not only core subjects but also distinct assessments for individual subjects such as world history and biology. One commendable example is New York’s “Regents Examinations”. These assessments not only assess a student’s core knowledge but also are useful in helping students prepare for college entrance examinations. For this reason, it is extremely important that the WASL expand beyond its current limits of solely testing core subjects.

These are only some of the many problems which our school system cannot fix due to insufficient funding. As the bearers of a constitution that places top priority on education, we must become better role models to the next generation and adequately prepare them to compete in this new age. In order to do so, it is our state’s duty to invest in the most important asset it can give its students, a successful education that will not only prepare them for a successful future but also give them the tools to build up the wonderful nation we call home.