Education bill on its way to the governor
From Chris Korsmo, executive director of the League of Education Voters:
ESHB 2261 is an acknowledgement that our state is not living up to its paramount duty [to educate all of Washington's children], and that our teachers deserve the support and resources they need to provide a high quality education for every child. The legislation provides a roadmap for the future to build a stronger and more amply funded education system that will be protected from devastating budget cuts. And, it positions our state to compete for $5 billion in federal funds dedicated to innovation in our public schools.We passed the plan, but now the really hard work begins: finding the revenue to put the plan into action. That will be a continuing work in progress.
The results of the role call were very interesting. The final vote was 67 yeas to 31 nays, but the interesting part was the party line breakdown: Democrats, 51 for the bill and 12 against, and Republicans, 16 for and 19 against.
The final bill was a weakened version of the original, but still an enormous victory for public education. Virtually all members of the education community supported it, with only the teachers union opposed. These facts make it hard to understand why twelve Democrats bowed to the pressure of the Washington Education Association (the state teachers union) and voted against the bill.
The WEA lobbied hard against the bill, going so far as to say that those who support it are:
...vested interests masquerading as concerned citizens who care for children. They’re denigrating and dismissing those of us who actually educate our state’s children!To align yourself with a firebrand like that seems like a foolish move. Democratic and Republican legislators who voted against this milestone should have a good explanation for disappointed constituents back home.
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