Today's article comes from Intellectual Takeout written by Jeff Minick. We've said the same thing for years. Don't change methods or types of instruction just because it's been around for hundreds of years. It's time to step back and do a complete assessment of K-12 education and use the best of the best and stop using fads. Sometimes the best way to go forward is to go backward. In 1899, the population of Boonville, North Carolina was under 200. It was a tiny crossroads town in the middle of farming country. It was also the home of the Yadkin Valley Institute and School of Business, which 20 years later would become a public school. My friend Allen, whose ancestors were among the … [Read more...]
Oregon Drops Essential Skills Requirements to Graduate High School, Citing Harm to ‘Marginalized Students’
Do you want the same to happen in Washington State? Original article at Western Journal Business owners, beware of students with high school diplomas from Oregon. They may not be able to read or do basic math. According to Oregon Public Broadcasting, in 2020, the Oregon Department of Education suspended the “essential skills” requirement to accommodate students who had fallen behind because of school shutdowns and online learning — or so they said. The state changed letter grades to a pass-incomplete system. There were little to no attendance requirements, and the essential skills requirements were suspended, according to OPB. Although the suspension was supposed to … [Read more...]
New Teachers contracts in Southwest Washington State: Update Sept 22, 2023
It's Friday morning September 22, 2023. We just got off the phone with the Evergreen School District HR; Evergreen Teachers Association Union office; Camas School District HR and Battle Ground HR. We contacted Evergreen and Camas to get copies of the newly approved teachers contracts. Neither contract is published and there is no target date for publication. Both districts said that once the teachers have approved the contract the district must then go through a review process to correct any wording and formatting. The proposed final document then goes back to the Union with any revisions and then back to the district, rinse and repeat until it's approved by both parties. In the case of … [Read more...]
School choice foes turn to ballot referendums as states expand voucher programs
The number of states that have added an option to allow some or all of the funds for K-12 education in public schools to follow the children appears to be causing issues with....teachers unions. In the following article from The Washington Examiner they spell out some of the efforts and tactics teachers unions are going to try and stop "choice" Voters in Nebraska are likely to weigh in on the state's school choice program after a group submitted more than 100,000 signatures last week, seeking to force a ballot referendum. The effort seeks to repeal a state law passed this year that established a $25 million tax credit program for donors who give money to a scholarship fund that … [Read more...]
Battle Ground School District – compensation history 2016-2022
As the Battle Ground Teachers decide whether to strike or not it's appropriate to look at the changes to their compensation since McCleary. Please note the salary + benefits as well as the compensation growth vs inflation. Are your earnings growing faster than inflation? Do you earn more than the median in Clark County? Where will the school board get the nearly 17% increase? … [Read more...]
Evergreen School District – Compensation history 2016 to 2022
Here's the snapshot of the earnings changes since McCleary for the Evergreen School District: Notice that they all are ahead of inflation by a wide margin? Have your earnings stayed ahead of inflation? … [Read more...]
Camas School District compensation data for teachers + admin + superintendent
Update: Sept 4th Here is a link to the Camas SD page that contains the negotiations updates: https://www.camas.wednet.edu/about-csd/budget-development/labor-relations/ They say a picture is worth a thousand words. The graphic shows the compensation information for the Camas School District going back to 2016. Please note the inflation line...have your earnings kept you ahead of inflation? Where is your money going and how much more can you pay? Compare Camas to Evergreen and Battle Ground. Here are links to the Battle Ground and Evergreen data sets so you can compare Camas' offer" Battle Ground School District – compensation history 2016-2022 (swweducation.org) … [Read more...]
Washington State K-12 teachers – earnings and ranking information
Are Washington State k-12 teachers compensated better, equivalent to or less than other states? How do Washington State teachers compare? Let's make sure we get the facts straight. Factors: Salary; Benefits (including retirement, healthcare and others); Cost of living; Work hours and time off You judge for yourself: > In this report Washington State teachers are #5 in the USA: https://wallethub.com/edu/best-and-worst-states-for-teachers/7159 > This article doesn't rank but does share "salary" only info. Please note that most reports only share salary. The benefits package adds about another 40% on top of salary. This article show WA State $76,743. Note that the … [Read more...]
Teacher Strikes in Washington State – What should be done?
The law—RCW 41.56.120 — reads: “Right to strike not granted. Nothing contained in this chapter [on union collective bargaining] shall permit or grant any public employee the right to strike or refuse to perform his or her official duties.” References from: https://www.peninsuladailynews.com/news/public-employee-strikes-illegal-in-washington/ A formal opinion by the Washington State Office of the Attorney General in 2006 affirmed that strikes by public employees are illegal and courts consistently agree. “The state does not automatically act when a teachers union strikes, so it’s up to the school district to file an injunction with the the court to get teachers to return to work,” … [Read more...]
Public vs. Private K-12 education cost review July 2023
As parents finish a school year and vaguely think about the Fall we thought it might be helpful to pull some information together about cost of public vs private schools. What follows is the most current data varying from 2021 up through 2023. For the 2023 school year, there are 39 private schools serving 5,466 students in Clark County, WA (there are 145 public schools, serving 75,243 public students). 7% of all K-12 students in Clark County, WA are educated in private schools (compared to the WA state average of 9%). As we closed out the 2022/23 school year the private school tuition costs were about $9,585. Public school cost numbers may vary depending on the source. The State of … [Read more...]
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