Now We're Movin'! 

SEA will hold its mock representative assembly on Thursday, April 11th, from 5 to 8 p.m.  If you are a delegate, please reserve that time in your schedule now.  Because of the unprecedented number of delegates this year we will not be able to hold this event at the SEA offices.  It will be held at Cleveland High School. 

The event will start with schedules and logistical details about the WEA RA.  We will have a catered dinner at the mid-point.  Then we will continue with discussion and action on new business items.   We will also be discussing in detail the strategies that result in the passage of new business items. 

At the last two NEA RAs in Chicago and Washington D.C. SEA delegates were successful each time in passing an NBI when using these strategies.  At the WEA RA last year in Spokane SEA delegates who employed these strategies were successful in passing two NBIs.  It takes work and discipline, but there is a way to do it.  Submitting NBIs early, even before the mock RA, increased their chances of passing.  President Jonathan Knapp will be happy to work on your ideas with you.

NEA Grants

Over winter vacation SEA applied for six grants from NEA.  So far we have been awarded three. Here's a synopsis.

ProTeach Support   The first is for $10,000 to help us start up a cohort support program for ProTeach certification that will be similar to the program SEA already does for National Boards.  All Washington state teachers who received their initial certification since 2002 must eventually pursue either ProTeach or National Boards to maintain their teaching credential.  This grant will help us get the ball rolling this year so that we can offer ProTeach support next year.

Urban Teacher Residency   Across the country teacher certification programs that require as little as five and a half weeks of training are proliferating.  These do not contribute to the professionalization of the teaching corps.  NEA offered grants to promote the creation of rigorous, practicum-based teacher certification programs.  The second grant that SEA received is for $15,000 and is destined to support the Seattle Teacher Residency program.  The STR will have teaching candidates complete a full-year paid residency in a Seattle school under the tutelage of a master teacher before becoming the teacher of record.  Our master teachers will also receive a stipend.  NEA has signaled its support for the concept of urban teacher residency programs.  SEA looks to be the first NEA local nationwide that is in at the ground floor for building an urban teacher residency program.

Community Organizing   SEA's third grant is for $60,000 and is awarded to build organizational power.  The grant proposal was conceived to dovetail with an invitation that came from NEA to Seattle, Milwaukie, WI, Denver, CO, and Clark County, NV to join NEA in a partnership with the Annenberg Institute.  NEA sees these four local associations as having the best chance to lead their cities into a different understanding of what universal, high-quality public education should be.  The Annenberg Institute has developed a process to scan community organizations in these cities and identify potential partners and allies for the four local associations.  SEA will use the resources to identify and train a cadre of SEA member community organizers who will use the Annenberg tool to build institutional relationships and alliances that will support a vision for a humane public education that is amply funded.

Organizing through Social Justice Participatory Action Learning at the Wells School for Social Justice

Organizing takes a different twist for SEA members at Middle College High School in general, and at the Ida B. Wells School for Social Justice at the University of Washington in particular. The Wells School is an 11^th-12^th grade college preparatory school with the Seattle School District, in partnership with the University of Washington's Office of Minority Affairs and the College of Education.  Our school provides a pathway for the underrepresented populations of the university to gain opportunities for a four-year post-secondary education. 

Seattle Education Association Subsitutes Honor "Substitute Friendly" Schools

The Seattle Education Association Substitute Department, which is comprised of all certificated, SAEOP, and Paraprofessional substitutes in Seattle Public Schools is recognizing five "substitute friendly" schools. Being a substitute and filling in for someone out on leave can be a hard job.  As well as having to step in and work with unfamiliar students and families, processes, and district curriculum and directives; each building has a different culture to adjust to.  The Seattle Education Association Substitute Department wanted to recognize those buildings where there is more of a sense that they are respected and valued.

The factors that the substitutes looked at in choosing the district's top schools included: feeling welcomed by the office staff and other staff in the school; having class rosters, keys, and other important information and resources available at the front office; coming in to a place where plans are clearly laid out about the expectations of the job and the day as a whole; a culture of respect exists; a culture exists where students are friendly, respectful, helpful, and cooperative with substitutes; administration "checks in" with substitutes on a regular basis; and the entire school seems to be on the same page when it comes to student expectations and attitudes needed for learning.

The department took nominations from substitutes and then a committee chose the honored schools.  For fall 2012, the department recognizes: Franklin High School, Hamilton Middle School, Pathfinder K-8, Rainier View Elementary, and the University District Youth Center.  "All of these schools exemplify the factors that make them welcoming to substitutes and we congratulate them", stated Mike Acord, vice president of the SEA Substitute Department.  Each school will be recognized with a certificate honoring them as a substitute friendly school and a presentation was made at the February 20 school board meeting as well. 

What is Happening in Olympia?

Take a minute and look around your workspace, whether it is a classroom, a playground, a bus, or an office, and note the things you are looking at. Odds are that everything you see is paid for with tax dollars. Nearly all of the resources available to educators come from some kind of political process. Political action is about sharing resources and power, and educators who ignore that reality and do not engage in the political process do themselves and their students a disservice.

In Olympia, over the coming months, Seattle area legislators will make decisions that directly affect the working conditions and resources of educators and their students. Class size, health care, evaluation, pensions, and basic education funding all rely on the political process. SEA works with other WEA members and NEA members to influence the political process with the goal of getting educators and students the necessary resources to excel and thrive.

Education bills currently under consideration include:

• HB 1673 Implements 2010 recommendations of the Quality Education Council for class sizes in k-12 and provides adequate staffing levels for other classified and certificated positions. Seattle sponsors include Pollet and Santos.
• HB 1293 "Parent Right to Know" Requires school districts to notify parents about each standardized assessment from k to 12 that is required by state or federal government along with cost and instruction time lost. Seattle sponsors include Santos, Berquist, Pollet, and Fitzgibbon.
• HB 1562 Requires the state to fund two professional development days related to training on the new teacher and principal evaluation system. Seattle sponsors include Berquist, Fitzgibbon, Cody, Santos, and Pollet.
• HB 1494 Doubles the estate tax with funds going to support higher education. Seattle sponsors include Pollet, Fitzgibbon, Santos, Pettigrew, Carlyle, Berquist, Tarleton, and Hudgins.
• HB 1545 Adds a two-percent excise tax on WA residents and others doing business in WA who earn more than $1 million. Funds go to reduce class sizes for k-4. Seattle sponsors include Santos, Pollet, Pettigrew, and Farrell.
• SSB 5244 Requires OSPI to disaggregate, cross tabulate, and make public all discipline data in and by various subcategories. More info on the legislative website or www.ourvoicewashingtonea.org. This bill has no Seattle sponsors.
• HB 1369 Schools that are administering the WaKIDS would be authorized to use up to five school days at the beginning of the year to meet with parents and families as required in the parent involvement component of the inventory. This bill has no Seattle sponsors.
• HB 1177 Directs OSPI to create criteria that will allow it to identify certain challenged and low-achieving schools. Seattle sponsors include Santos, Pollet, Fitzgibbon, and Berquist.
• SSB 5329 "State Take-over" By July 1, 2013, OSPI must identify the ten most persistently lowest-achieving schools using the student results on the statewide reading and math assessments. The details go on to explain how these schools will be closed if they do not improve in the 3 year process. They could also be converted to charter schools. Seattle sponsors include Frockt.
• SB 5242 Eliminates due process for teachers in the event of a school closure, program elimination, or voluntary transfer by allowing districts to fire certain teachers without cause. There are no Seattle sponsors on this bill.
• HB 1476 Would assign an A through F letter grades to individual schools. There are no Seattle sponsors on this bill.
• SSB 5328 Would require giving each public school a letter grade based on student test scores and other factors. There are no Seattle sponsors on this bill.
• SB 5194 Suspends I-732, teacher COLAs for the 2013-2015 binennium. There are no Seattle sponsors on this bill.
• SB 5587 Requires that the college and career test becomes a high stakes test. There are no Seattle sponsors on this bill.
• SB 5246 Changes evaluation law for the third time in three years by replacing "substantial" in "substantial student growth" with "fifty-percent", meaning 50% of a teacher's evaluation would be based on student growth. There are no Seattle sponsors on this bill.
• SB 5330 Re-defines basic education by restricting K-3 class size reduction commitments to k-2 class reduction, capping salaries districts can pay, and requiring 114 districts to reduce pay for teachers and other employees. There are no Seattle sponsors on this bill.
• SB 5278 Establishes salary bonuses for eligible certificated instructional staff who teach in math, science, and/or special education. There are no Seattle sponsors on this bill.
• SB 1450 Would implement the new common core standard assessments that would change all the tests currently required by the federal DOE, grades 3-8 and add an 11th grade college and career ready test. The bill retains the 10th grade tests except for one Geometry EOC exam and requires that four subjects be used as high stakes graduation requirements. Seattle representative Pollet has sponsored this at the request of OSPI.
• SSB 5237 requires schools to hold back fourth-graders based on test scores and to provide them remedial services with no guarantee of funding these services. There are no Seattle sponsors on this bill.
• SB 5588 Originally revised definition of school day to exclude late starts, early releases, and partial days that result in less than six instructional hours. Amended version calls for an analysis of how districts use school days. This bill has no Seattle sponsors.
• SB 5856 Changes pensions from defined benefit plans to 401K style defined contribution plans. All new public employees and all current public employees under 45 would be impacted. This bill has only one sponsor - Senator Rodney Tom.

The legislative session is dynamic and changes overnight, so to keep up with legislation, members can go to the state legislative website (http://app.leg.wa.gov/DistrictFinder/)  or to www.ourvoicewashingtonea.org for more information. Members can go to Seattle legislator's websites to see how these lawmakers stand on issues. The ourvoice website will also explain WEA's stand on the various bills and issues. Both websites will allow you to send email messages or create letters to legislatures. The state website will also allow you to leave a phone message. You will also find information about WEA-PAC and other avenues for action. Engagement is your choice and your right!

"The SpEd system is broken"

This was one of many disturbing assessments heard when 140 SEA members from 53 schools attended the February 21st SEA Special Education Summit. We listened to each other's stories of concern and brainstormed ideas to make our voice be heard. We came together as one voice to say:

• ENOUGH!
• We want our students to be successful!
• We want our students to get services particular to their disability.
• We want our students learning and socializing with peers as appropriate.
• WE are the experts and have ethical and legal obligations!
• WE know what strategies work!
• WE must stop the dangerous situations educators and students are in now!

We heard stories of the Collective Bargaining Agreement not being upheld. (Do staff get lunches? Preps? How about a week's notice of incoming student's disabilities?) Members shared examples of inappropriate requests re: IEPs and questionable use of funding.

All the ideas that participants had have been distilled. Members made great suggestions as to ways that we can stress the need for educator voice in creating a sensible effective Special Education system that allows us to provide services for our students. SEA Association Representatives will talk about this at their March 11 meeting. So, beginning March 12 - check in with your Association Reps or with those who attended the Feb 21 meeting.