DFER Washington
From Our Blog
Goings on in the Pacific Northwest…
June 5, 2013
By Tania de Sá Campos, DFER WA Deputy State Director
CO State Senator Talks Ed Reform:
Superstar Colorado State Senator Mike Johnston’s recent visit to Seattle to speak at the League of Education Voters’ annual breakfast is still being talked about, over coffee and in The Seattle Times. You can also watch the video of his speech here. He shared the work being done to reform K-12 funding in Colorado and remove the systemic inequities that have been in place for decades. He also exhorted Washington’s legislators to enact policies that ensure excellence and equity for all kids.
WA’s Budget:
The Washington State Legislature continues to negotiate a budget deal in special session. All eyes are on two dates - June 11th, the scheduled end of the special session; and July 1st, the start of the new budget year. If the legislature cannot make a deal by the 1st of next month, the state won’t be able to pay its bills. It addition, it won’t be able to make the $1 billion investment necessary this biennium to comply with the state Supreme Court’s McCleary decision on basic education funding. Optimistic is not the word we’re hearing most…
Public Charter Schools:
Getting off the Ground
The process to authorize and open high quality public charter schools in Washington continues moving forward. The Charter School Commission held another meeting and heard a presentation from Don Shalvey of the Gates Foundation, complete with music and references to the Summer of Love. Shalvey gave a history of the public charter movement, profiled some successful CMOs, and gave an overview of what the CMOs are looking for as they consider coming to Washington. The Commission is working hard to get itself situated with rules (known as Washington Administrative Codes, or WACs) and put policies in place, while simultaneously getting ready to accept applications for the first public charters in Washington. Just this week they have three meetings scheduled to discuss and adopt the proposed WACs pertaining to the public charter school law. (The Commission also has an opening for an Executive Director. Only the fabulous need apply.)
New Organization to Help with Development
A new non-profit organization launched recently to help high-performing public charter schools get started. The Washington State Charter Schools Association will focus on three primary goals: “providing information about public charter schools; supporting leaders who want to grow high-performing public charter schools; and, providing general support and services to help charter schools operate.”
Possible Lawsuit
Meanwhile, the threat of a lawsuit from the WEA challenging the constitutionality of the public charter school law lingers, with their spokesman confirming that it’s “in the works” but not giving any clarity as to when it may drop. The sponsors of Initiative 1240, which passed in November to bring public charter schools to Washington, worked with Washington State constitutional law experts to draft the charter school law. We are confident that our law will pass constitutional muster.
The Nine
March 7, 2013
By Lisa Macfarlane, DFER WA State Director
Drum roll….Nine Washington Charter School Commissioners have just been appointed by Governor Jay Inslee, Speaker of the House, Frank Chopp, and Lieutenant Governor, Brad Owen. The mission of the Washington State Charter School Commission is to authorize high-quality public charter schools throughout the state, particularly those designed to serve at-risk students. The nine newly appointed commissioners are a strong group of leaders who have all said they are committed to advancing high-quality public charter schooling in Washington State.
Our new charter school law specifies that the Commission can consist of no more than five members of the same political party. Competition to serve on the commission was stiff. Many qualified applicants did not make the final cut. The appointers were all Democrats, and they appear to have done a good job in choosing a well-rounded, diverse, and experienced group of thought leaders.
The list includes a superintendent of a small, rural school district; a founder of a school serving homeless children; a university professor; and a former urban district school board member. There are also three current public school parents, several educators, and non-profit leaders in the mix.
DFER-WA helped lead the coalition supporting the charter school ballot measure and we applaud these appointments. Launching the commission is an important milestone on the road to opening a few great charter schools in 2014.
Now, without future ado, please meet the founding members of Washington’s Charter School Commission:
- Doreen Cato - E.D. of United Way of Grays County, Founder of First Place School
- Trish Millines Dziko - Co-founder of TAF Academy
- Kevin Jacka - Superintendent of the Mary Walker School District
- Chris Martin - Spokane Gifted Education Advocate
- Margit McGuire - Director of Teacher Education at Seattle University
- Dave Quall - Retired Democratic state legislator
- Steve Sundquist - Former Seattle School Board Member and Retired Business Executive
- Cindi Williams - Federal and State Education Policy Expert
- Larry Wright - Non-profit Business Leader with Extensive Background in Mentoring
Lisa Macfarlane is the Washington State Director for Democrats for Education Reform, a co-founder of the League of Education Voters, a past President of Schools First (Seattle's levy and bond committee), the sponsor of two statewide education funding initiatives, and a PCO in the 46th District. Read Lisa's full bio here.
Washington Moves From Laggard to Leader
February 5, 2013
By Lisa Macfarlane, DFER WA State Director
Originally published on National Alliance for Public Charter Schools' Website
(February 5th, 2013)
In its first year of competing in the race for best charter school law, Washington won a bronze medal! On behalf of the coalition that wrote the initiative and campaigned for its passage, we are proud and pleased that the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools has given our law a prestigious #3 ranking.
After four prior ballot box losses, Washington voters approved our first charter school law last November. Being 20 years late to the party gave us some clear advantages. We knew that strong authorizing, oversight and accountability would lead to better schools, so we looked to the Alliance’s model law for guidance.
Washington’s law creates a state commission, allows multiple authorizers, and is well aligned with the model law’s quality control components. It also provides operational autonomy to charter schools. The WA law specifically references the National Association of Charter School Authorizer’s principles and standards for quality authorizing. Washington started with a cap on the number of charter schools because we want to lead with quality.
Now the real work begins to ensure that we open 40 great charter schools over five years, serving the kids most in need of better educational opportunities.
Lisa Macfarlane is the Washington State Director for Democrats for Education Reform, a co-founder of the League of Education Voters, a past President of Schools First (Seattle's levy and bond committee), the sponsor of two statewide education funding initiatives, and a PCO in the 46th District. Read Lisa's full bio here.
It's time to think differently about school choice
January 31, 2013
By Lisa Macfarlane, DFER WA State Director
Choice is a part of American culture. We can choose our career path, where we live, who to vote for, and the list goes on. So, it makes sense that the freedom to choose often enters into the political discourse of our nation.
Liberals are usually big on “choice” when it is associated with a woman’s right to choose.
But when that same freedom is mentioned in terms of education, liberals in WA mostly wince and hide. That is because the other side of the political spectrum has mostly led the charge on school choice. Much of the early messages on school choice were anti-public education. They focused too much on breaking up the education monopoly and not enough on what choice means for students and families.
The truth is “choice” in already a big part of our public education system. And the more affluent you are, the more choice you have. In our current system, families that are financially able can move to a school district with great schools to ensure their kids receive an excellent education.
In addition, the school districts populated by higher income parents usually have lots of “choices” within them, as evidenced by the number of their magnet or option schools. In Washington, higher economic parents have historically demanded more choices for their kids. Many have realized that not all kids learn the same way and one size does not fit all children.
While lower income parents absolutely want the best for their kids, they don’t always have the same privileges, tools, or choices. Many live where they can afford to live, regardless of the quality of the school district or the number of educational choices. The school their child gets assigned to may be fine, or it may have been low performing for years and years. Either way there is not much they can do about it unless they can find the funds to move to another higher performing district.
Here in Washington, we need to be honest and acknowledge that most of our current “choice” options are not in fact serving a high percentage of at risk or low-income kids.
It is an inconvenient truth that we still assign children to schools that the superintendent, school board member, or union leader wouldn’t put their own children in.
Which gets me back to “choice.” This week is National School Choice Week -- not something most Democrats in this state talk about because of who typically pushes this agenda. But this year’s effort is bi-partisan and grassroots and it aims to shine a spotlight on the need for effective education options for all American children.
National School Choice participants believe parents and children should have the ability to choose what’s best for their families, whether it be high-performing traditional public schools, public charter schools, private schools, magnet schools, virtual schools or home schooling.
I want to challenge liberals to think differently about school choice. If choice is good for the goose (middle and upper class kids who have a lot of educational choice in today’s system), why isn’t it good for the gander (poor kids who are shortchanged when it comes to quality choices)?
Lisa Macfarlane is the Washington State Director for Democrats for Education Reform, a co-founder of the League of Education Voters, a past President of Schools First (Seattle's levy and bond committee), the sponsor of two statewide education funding initiatives, and a PCO in the 46th District. Read Lisa's full bio here.
A Road Map to Student Success
December 19, 2012
By Lisa Macfarlane, DFER WA State Director
I fought back tears Monday as I walked up to my neighborhood Title I school to volunteer and saw an occupied police car parked on the sidewalk about 6 feet from the front door. I didn’t get centered until I was nestled on the classroom sofa with a struggling 4th grade African girl who read to me about slavery. At a time when most of us are still reeling from the Newtown school massacre and processing that unthinkable horror, it is good to remember that across this state and country, educators are heroes - day in and day out.
Last week’s news that the Road Map Project Consortium had won a coveted $40 million Race to Top District grant capped a year of education reform victories in Washington that no one could have predicted twelve months ago.
The Road Map Consortium, which includes seven school districts in South King County, WA, developed an impressive three-pronged plan to dramatically accelerate student achievement for low-income and minority kids:
- Start Strong - because early learning is critical to students’ future success. The districts’ plan calls for establishing summer reading plans for each student at high-need schools and creating individualized education plans to support PreK-3.
- STEM Strong - because the students living within the consortium are in a region where STEM-intensive skills are in high demand and short supply. The Race to the Top award will enable the winning districts to expand the use of digital STEM tools to personalize instruction, both in and out of school.
- Stay Strong - because students must graduate ready for college and a career and must be put on a clear path to do so well before they reach high school. The focus of the districts’ plan will be on student engagement, assessment and counseling by investing in an integrated system of middle and high school counseling and advising, including a High School and Beyond Plan beginning in 8th grade for every student.
With wind in its sails and new federal dollars to support the necessary work, Auburn, Federal Way, Highline, Kent, Renton, South Seattle and Tukwila, now have the opportunity to be a reform engine for groundbreaking change that will personalize education from Pre-Kindergarten through college.
It is exciting to think about the Road Map work radiating across districts and accelerating the pace of our region’s school improvement efforts. Heart felt congratulations to the team of community leaders and educators in the seven King County districts and the Puget Sound Educational Service District who are determined to do better by their students.
Lisa Macfarlane is the Washington State Director for Democrats for Education Reform, a co-founder of the League of Education Voters, a past President of Schools First (Seattle's levy and bond committee), the sponsor of two statewide education funding initiatives, and a PCO in the 46th District.
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