July 2018 | League of Education Voters

The Work Ahead

July 25, 2018 by Arik Korman

By Julia Warth, Director of Policy and Research

The recent investments and changes made to the K-12 funding system in response to the Washington State Supreme Court McCleary ruling will have long-lasting impacts on our education system. While progress has been made to adequately fund basic education, more work remains to ensure that we equitably fund basic education. League of Education Voters is committed to working with districts and partners to continue to move towards an education system that is funded to provide every student what they need to succeed.

We will be providing a number of resources and series of analyses that will highlight some of the remaining opportunities and work ahead looking towards the 2021 legislative session. These include:

A series of maps that illustrate the impact of House Bill 2242 (2017 legislative session) and Senate Bill 6362 (2018 legislative session) across the state, and the inequities that remain;
A brief on the choices facing districts and the new investments in teacher salaries;
An analysis of the continued challenges in special education funding in preparation for the 2019 session; and
A broader analysis of the impact of HB 2242 and SB 6362 and solutions to explore to address challenges created by regionalization factor and the two-tiered local levy structure, and how we can better target resources to students who have been systemically and historically underserved.

Join us in wishing Chris well

July 24, 2018 by Arik Korman

Our longtime CEO Chris Korsmo is leaving League of Education Voters effective November 1st. She is not going far – she will be joining our longtime strategic partners at Strategies 360.

We are extremely grateful for Chris’ leadership through a strong period of growth and transition. She and the LEV team drove critical changes to and billions of dollars in funding for Basic Education and played a leading role in two statewide campaigns – one to make levies a simple majority vote, and the other to bring public charter schools to Washington – all anchored in the education finance system and its role in delivering equitable opportunities to Washington’s students.

Under Chris’ leadership, LEV worked with partners to champion major investments in Early Childhood Education, expand postsecondary access through the College Bound Scholarship and State Need Grant, and begin new and exciting work to reach our students furthest from opportunity.

Chris is most proud of where LEV is now: building critical systems of support so that every student is career and college ready.

We are excited about the work ahead. In the 2019 legislative session and beyond, LEV will focus on early learning, career and college readiness, and working with and on behalf of our students furthest from opportunity.

The Board has begun the process of identifying an interim director and establishing the timeline for the search for the next Chief Executive of LEV. You can reach our Board Chair, Betsy Johnson, at BetsyJ@educationvoters.org and Board Vice Chair, Tom Halverson, at TomH@educationvoters.org.

Thank you for all you’ve done in support of Washington’s kids!

Love what we do? Support our work

Want to find out the latest in education news in Washington? Subscribe to our newsletter

Want to learn more about League of Education Voters? Find out here

Project-Based Learning Through Partnership

July 17, 2018 by League of Education Voters

Tilth Alliance facilitates project-based learning with South Shore Students. Six children crowd around a blue tarp with dirt and critters on it. The children are in winter clothes. — Second grade students explore critters in the soil

Thanks in part to an incredible partnership with Tilth Alliance, League of Education Voters has continued to promote project-based learning. Since 2002 League of Education Voters has been partnering with South Shore, a Seattle Public Schools PreK-8 school serving around 700 students in Rainier Valley, to fund innovation and create proof points in hopes of spreading effective practices across the state.

Through our partnership with South Shore, since 2009 we have also helped support what has become the Rainier Beach Learning Garden, located behind South Shore, providing project-based learning for several nearby schools, community centers, and daycare programs. While land management and site coordination is now provide by Seattle Parks, the garden’s educational programming is managed by Tilth Alliance, a statewide nonprofit organization focused on organic gardening and urban ecology.

Tilth Alliance specifically utilizes the Rainier Beach Learning Garden as a facet of their mission “to increase access to fresh healthy food for folks in Rainier Valley.” By working with Tilth Alliance, League of Education Voters has continued to impact each South Shore student’s education. Read More

Education Advocate of the Month: Jennifer Muroya Thomas

July 16, 2018 by Arik Korman

At League of Education Voters, we recognize all of the hard work that you do toward improving public education across Washington state.

We are pleased to announce our Education Advocate of the Month for July: Jennifer Muroya Thomas. Read about her education journey and the need for more educator supports.

July Education Advocate of the Month Jennifer Muroya Thomas - League of Education Voters — July Education Advocate of the Month Jennifer Muroya Thomas

Jennifer Muroya Thomas has been part of our Vision Project, our journey to find Eastern Washington’s vision for what education could be, from the very beginning. She always brought students to our events. She is a member of the Spokane Human Rights Commission, where she runs the education committee. Jennifer cares about students, especially those from communities of color and underserved populations. In particular, she has a strong connection with students who attend Rogers High School, located in a low-income area of Spokane.

Jennifer ran for the Spokane School Board last year. Although she did not win, she learned that running is just as important as winning. She met Spokane Regional Field Director Sandra Jarrard during that time, in March 2017, when Sandra organized a community discussion about diversity in education.

Jennifer’s father served in the Air Force, which meant that she moved around a lot and experienced schools all over the country. “I had teachers I remember and loved, and I had teachers I remember and didn’t love,” she recalls. “Teachers who change the world and do incredible work invest in students’ lives every day – they made indelible marks on my life.” Read More

Early Childhood Education Honors East African Culture

July 9, 2018 by Arik Korman

South Seattle’s Voices of Tomorrow East African Development Center began in September of 2017 and hopes to become the country’s first certified dual language preschool in Somali. Five languages besides English are currently spoken: Somali, Amharic, Oromo, Arabic, and Vietnamese. English appears only on Mondays and Wednesdays, and Somali is spoken on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Honoring Somali culture and language is the center’s primary goal. Director Zam Zam Mohamed says, “There is plenty of opportunity to learn English, but not so many opportunities to learn Somali.” By focusing on Somali, family structures are maintained at home instead of succumbing to challenges faced by many immigrant communities, where children become translators for their parents and devalue their parents’ cultures. Read More