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LEGISLATION
Washington State Legislative Session
The
Washington State Legislature has concluded its 2010 session.
Bills
of Interest to PTSA
·
6696 – passed during the regular session: This bill changes
school district accountability measures in an attempt to align the State of
Washington with the expectations of the federal Race to the Top grant.
·
2776 –passed during
the regular session:
This bill contains new funding formulas for K-12 education.
·
2893 – passed during the regular session: This bill
increases levy lids for all school districts in the state.
The final legislative budget cut Issaquah School District’s revenue by
an estimated $3.1 million. Lawmakers eliminated all I-728 funding, which lowers
class sizes; shrunk funding for enhanced class-size ratios in elementary
grades; and took away the only remaining professional development day for
teachers.
However, the GOOD NEWS is that bill 2893 passed that
increases school districts’ levy authority by 4 percent through the year 2017. The
Issaquah School District now has the ability to collect a Maintenance and
Operations (M&O) levy worth 28.97 percent of its total state and federal
revenue. Previously, we were capped at 24.97 percent. The increase in local
levy dollars will allow us to offset the systemic cuts made to State education
funding for the most part, allowing us to break even next year and covering the
$3.1 million in State reductions as well as the typical annual growth in
operating expenses. Therefore, the District anticipates maintaining current
class sizes and service levels next year, and will not institute a
reduction-in-force in our teaching ranks.
The
latest news on legislative issues can be found on the Washington State
Legislature Bill Information website.
Information
about the State Legislature can be found on the Washington State
Legislature website.
School District Levies
THANK YOU to all who voted YES on the three levies in the February 9
election. All three passed!
·
Renewal Maintenance and Operations (M&O) Levy: Classroom learning
The
M&O levy provides 19˘ of every classroom dollar. That is equivalent to 360
classroom teachers or 425 classified positions (custodians, bus drivers,
educational assistants, etc).
·
Renewal School Bus Levy: Health, safety, and
efficiency
This levy will provide enough money to purchase
41 buses and will allow the District to collect State funding to offset the
cost of bus purchases, ensure alignment with State safety standards, and
provide the most efficient buses.
·
Renewal Capital Levy: Classroom
technology and critical repairs
For
technology, these levy dollars will fund replacement of aging computers,
printers, servers, and document cameras; staff training; development of online
classes; school tech specialists; ACTIV Boards; implementation of wireless
Internet; and upgrades to District websites and emergency alert systems. For critical repairs, these levy dollars
will fund projects such as replacement of failing kitchen equipment,
maintenance of heating and cooling systems, and roof and structural repairs.
Volunteers for Issaquah Schools (VIS) is an organization
that organizes campaigns to pass levies and bonds in the Issaquah School
District. VIS is on Facebook. Both students and parents can join their own Facebook groups. Issaquah Students for Issaquah Schools (ISIS) and Volunteers for
Issaquah Schools (VIS). Join
today and keep up on the latest VIS news.
If you have any questions about VIS or the Levy election, please
contact Anne
Moore, IH PTSA Volunteers for Issaquah Schools Representative.
Registering to Vote
When
your student turns 18 years old, he/she can register to vote. They can register online: http://www.kingcounty.gov/Elections/Registration.aspx
For legislative information
and/or updates, contact Betsy Cohen Legislation chairperson.