Last month a very important step towards equality was taken by the Washington State School Directors Association or WSSDA. A by-law which had been in place since 1986, called the “weighted vote”, was eliminated. The results will be an equal voice for all school districts at WSSDA. WSSDA is the association that creates model policies for all Washington school districts. It sets legislative priorities and lobbies legislators for changes to laws. It also provides training and insurance for all school board directors in the state. The membership consists of one representative from each school district, and these members vote on the WSSDA board and committee members. Every September WSSDA … [Read more...]
Washington’s Special Ed Schools Rife With Abuse Complaints, Poor Academics: Report
Today we bring you an article that is deeply concerning. If you have or are aware of a special needs child in K-12 schooling you may already be aware of these issues. If you know of examples that you want to share (all names and details that could be used to trace back to a child will be removed) please let us know. This report comes to us from: The Daily Wire - https://www.dailywire.com/news/washingtons-special-ed-schools-rife-with-abuse-complaints-poor-academics-report written by: Mairead Elordi Washington state’s special education schools are rife with student abuse allegations and poor academic performance, a new report shows. A severe lack of state oversight has resulted in … [Read more...]
Real books being used in real schools in Washington State
From Bruce Jolly a resident of Southwest Washington. His learnings on some books in use that may shock you. NOW once you have seen my last post concerning a school’s reaction to a middle school history project. Here are examples of four books geared for our youth, that may be a shocker for some. I saw a video about these books being in use in some elementary and middle schools in Washington State, that will stun you for sure. I bought them to see for myself, and I couldn’t believe what I saw. (All copyright laws have been observed in these book reviews. Quotes are shown as written in each case.) 1. The first one is called "Woke Baby”. It is … [Read more...]
Washington State Comprehensive Sexual Health Education Data Survey – Part 1/2
In early December 2019 OSPI (Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction) issued a report that the 2019 Legislature directed the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI), in collaboration with the Department of Health (DOH), required be conducted. The data is from a survey of availability of sexual health education and relevant health measures in public schools. The entire report can be found at: 2019-12-Sexual-Health-Education-Data-Survey Following are the summary findings in the post. We will review the Sexual Education Workgroup recommendations in Part 2. Without further ado here is their "executive summary". We'll have a few comments and questions at the … [Read more...]
Charter Schools – Good or Bad?
Washington State approved the formation of charter schools in 2012 (https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/charter-schools-narrowly-win-approval-in-washington/). The approval was for up to 40 schools. What's happened since the approval? Today we bring you a information that may be useful in judging the utility and value. Where do you go to learn more about charter schools in Washington State? https://wacharters.org/ Here is a link to the 2019 Washington State Charter School Report in case you want details: WA_Statre_Charter_School_Performance_Report_2019 Why consider a Charter School? You are not happy with public schools Here are some Frequently Asked Questions and … [Read more...]
Washington State School Funding data for Ridgefield School District “More money does what?”
There is a LOT of buzz about funding K-12 education in Washington State the last couple of years. We’ve seen the State raise property taxes to better fund schools…with over 50% of the entire state budget going to education. We’ve seen limits placed on local levy’s with a requirement to ONLY use the funds for “enrichment” programs. We’ve seen the legislature debate increasing the $1.50 levy limit to $2.50 because most of the extra funds from tax increases went to teachers and districts are now running deficits and need to lay teachers off. We now see special “capital levies” to fund technology. We see capital bonds to fund new schools and renovations/repairs. So what has all that money done … [Read more...]
Southwest Washington State SBAC (Common Core) Test Scores 2015/16 vs 2017/18
This is Part 2 of our review of the Washington State SBAc test score results released on Sept 10, 2018. In our first article: https://swweducation.org?p=5232 we reviewed the results and offered a quick snapshot of an example. Today we offer a more detailed view of how the ten (10) districts in Southwest Washington State compare to each other and the State results. Let's start out by providing you the link to the State results: http://www.k12.wa.us/assessment/StateTesting/ScaleScores.aspx In this link you get to specific 2017-18 vs. … [Read more...]
And so it starts…Levy legislation to raise more money – Superintendent Reykdal
As you know the State of Washington has increased property taxes for schools. In Clark County it has gone from $1.98/$1000 to $2.90/$1000. The median priced home ($346,000) will see a $318 increase in property taxes in 2018. With this tax increase came a promise of a cap on levy's to $1.50/$1000 or a max of $2500 per student. But the games begin....in the following Press Release Superintendent Reykdal is calling for increasing that cap AND allowing a broader use of funds. So, you think your taxes went up? Oh wait...you thought your taxes would go down...Oh wait...you thought taxes would stay flat. Think again. If he gets his way your local levy's may not fall at all. Indeed, the claims … [Read more...]
Washington Common Core Test (SBAc) Results: Evergreen vs. Washington State
Last week we brought you the results of the Battle Ground School District's 2016/17 Common Core Test known as the SBAc. You can find that article at: http://www.swweducation.org/?p=4299 Today we bring you the data for the Evergreen School District (ESD) and show how their test results compare to the Washington State averages. Like the BGSD's results it is detailed. The report is nine (9) pages in length and can be downloaded by clicking this link: ESD vs WA State SBAC performance 14-15 to 16-17 Let's walk through the highlights: Washington State, for ELA, across the three (3) years of available data, showed slight improvement across all grade ranges tested The ESD varied a … [Read more...]
Washington State Tax Tsunami – Updated October 29th
Hold onto your hats...and checkbooks and get ready to raid your savings account! The Washington State taxman cometh.... One revision to this article. The Clark County Assessors Office has revised their estimate of the new State School Property Tax Rate. They had told us it would likely be $2.84/$1000. The latest information is that it will be around $2.90/$1000. So, when you review the original report below the actual taxes will likely be HIGHER than noted. The story we are about to tell is complicated and has a few twists so it's going to be hard to make it simple...but we're going to give it a try. In January 2014 the Washington State Supreme Court found that the State of … [Read more...]
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