League of Education Voters Blog - Education in Washington State

Meet Laura Hitchcock, our new Interim CEO

December 19, 2018 by Arik Korman

Laura Hitchcock comes to League of Education Voters as the Interim CEO from over 25 years in nonprofit and policy management. As a consultant, she has worked with Jan Glick & Associates to help strengthen organizational clients’ external, internal, and strategic focus, as well as provide strategic clarity to coalition and multi-organization initiatives, including facilitating the formation of the Early Learning Action Alliance.

Recent consulting engagements include facilitating Brave Conversations – a convening of over 25 youth services provider agencies to envision a better approach to serving youth, and strategic clarity work with behavioral health, substance abuse treatment, and cancer research organizations. An attorney by training, Laura has also served as Policy Director of the United Way of King County and Executive Director of the WA Public Health Association. She has also spent over 10 years working in local governments in the Seattle area, with a strong focus on policy research and policy advocacy to address equity in population outcomes.

A public school graduate from a family of teachers, Laura is the proud parent of two Seattle public school students and has been active in PTA and other district-level work in Seattle. For fun, she likes to get outside, travel, and to sample many of the new eateries popping up in the ever-changing region.

Welcome aboard, Laura! Read More

Podcast – Governor Jay Inslee on his 2019-2021 budget proposal

December 16, 2018 by Arik Korman

Governor Jay Inslee - League of Education Voters — Governor Jay Inslee

In our podcast, we interview policymakers, partners, and thought leaders to spotlight education policies, research, and practices so that together we can create a brighter future for every Washington student.

In this episode, League of Education Voters Communications Director Arik Korman asks Governor Jay Inslee what he sees as the biggest challenges and opportunities in education from pre-K through higher ed and how he addresses them in his 2019-2021 budget proposal, what he hopes to achieve with special education funding changes, why focusing on student well-being is important, and why he chose to dedicate funding toward student supports in higher education.

Listen:

Governor Inslee’s 2019-2021 Budget Proposal

December 13, 2018 by Arik Korman

By Jacob Vela, League of Education Voters Senior Policy Analyst

Governor Jay Inslee released his 2019-21 budget proposal today. The Governor’s proposal is a start to the budget conversation that will get underway in earnest on January 14, 2019 when the new legislature convenes to begin hearing legislative proposals for their 105 days of the scheduled regular legislative session that extends through mid-April.

The proposed budget includes around $1billion in funding increases across the education continuum from pre-school through higher education. The governor recommends $173 million more for early learning, including serving 2,385 more students through the Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program (ECEAP).

An increased focus is brought to student mental health with $155 million in additional investments for school nurses, psychologists, social workers, and guidance counselors for elementary and middle schools. Funding will be rolled out over several years with a priority given to low-income districts. Read More

Podcast – The 2019 Washington Teachers of the Year

December 9, 2018 by Arik Korman

2019 Washington state Teacher of the Year Robert Hand - League of Education Voters — Robert Hand, 2019 Washington state Teacher of the Year

In this episode, League of Education Voters Communications Director Arik Korman asks the 2019 Teachers of the Year about their teaching philosophy, their greatest accomplishment in the classroom, how they would make teaching better in Washington state, what advice they would give a new teacher, what motivation they still carry with them from their first day in the classroom, and what they would ask the Washington state Legislature to prioritize in the upcoming 2019 session. LEV was honored to interview:

Robert Hand, 2019 Washington state Teacher of the Year and Northwest ESD 189 Regional Teacher of the Year from the Mount Vernon School District

Tracy Castro-Gill, 2019 Puget Sound ESD 121 Regional Teacher of the Year from the Seattle School District

Ryan Healy, 2019 Capital Region ESD 113 Regional Teacher of the Year from the Yelm School District

Kristine Mars, 2019 ESD 123 Regional Teacher of the Year from the Kennewick School District

Mathew Brown, 2019 North Central ESD 171 Regional Teacher of the Year from the Manson School District

Susan Douglas, 2019 Northeast ESD 101 Regional Teacher of the Year from the Almira School District

Karen Doran, 2019 Olympic ESD 114 Regional Teacher of the Year from the Port Angeles School District

Kimberly Miller, 2019 ESD 112 Regional Teacher of the Year from the Woodland School District

Michael Clinton, 2019 ESD 105 Regional Teacher of the Year from the Mt. Adams School District

Listen:

Podcast – Seattle Superintendent Denise Juneau

November 14, 2018 by Arik Korman

In this episode, League of Education Voters Communications Director Arik Korman sat down with Seattle Public Schools Superintendent Denise Juneau to discuss her listening tour around the district, her Student Advisory Board, her strategy for closing achievement gaps, and her personal education journey.

Listen:

Students Educate Educators on Implicit Bias

November 14, 2018 by Arik Korman

By Arik Korman, League of Education Voters Commnications Director

Inspirational Workshops has partnered with King County Best Starts for Kids to expand trauma-informed and restorative practices in schools, beginning with Garfield High School and Washington Middle School in Seattle to offer the Trailblazers Program: youth of color blazing the trail for others.

The Trailblazers Program, created by Inspirational Workshops founder Theresa Hardy, is designed to empower underrepresented students to gain confidence that will support them with navigating institutionalized racism. Trailblazers introduces youth to social justice awareness and elevates student voice.

Last week, Trailblazers presented a professional development (PD) workshop on implicit bias for the entire educator staff at Washington Middle School, which was the first PD in the Seattle School District ever led by students. The session was led by Washington Middle School students Sona, an 8^th-grader, and Kamilo (a.k.a. Bubbles), a 7^th-grader. Sona and Kamilo told their personal stories and led discussions on what implicit bias is, which biases were in the room, why people have implicit bias, negative impacts of implicit bias, and solutions. Read More

Education Advocate of the Month: Patty Shastany

November 14, 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 November: Patty Shastany. Read about her advocacy for early childhood education.

November 2018 Education Advocate of the Month Patty Shastany - League of Education Voters — November Education Advocate of the Month Patty Shastany

Patty Shastany serves as a coach in Spokane for the Early Achievers program, which improves the quality of early learning in Washington state. As an Early Achievers coach, she spends most of her time in the field at childcare programs to work with directors and teachers to improve the quality of care for children. Since 2012, she has facilitated a monthly meeting for childcare owners and directors to build relationships and support each other in improving program quality. As part of that work, early learning professionals have advocated for effective, realistic regulations, and better funding to support quality improvements. Patty’s organizing paved the way for the statewide Washington Childcare Centers Association (WCCA). “I am most proud of the relationships I have built,” she says, “especially with people who want to make the world better for kids.”

Patty has known League of Education Voters Spokane Regional Field Director Sandra Jarrard for years. Since Early Achievers rolled out in 2012, Patty has been facilitating monthly meetings with owners and directors of childcare programs. “Sandra came to a meeting in 2015 to help us understand advocacy,” she recalls. “A year after that, the minimum wage law passed and the unintended consequence was that childcare programs struggled to increase wages without raising tuition rates beyond what families can afford. Childcare programs have always worked on the very edge of being sustainable, especially programs that cared for significant numbers of children who received subsidies from the state. State reimbursement rates are far below the market rates. “It’s hard to maintain quality and keep teachers without adequate funding,” Patty says. “Programs need to cut corners wherever they can, which impacts the level of quality you can provide.” Read More

Wins, Losses, and What Lies Ahead

October 30, 2018 by Arik Korman

By Chris Korsmo, League of Education Voters CEO

Friends,

As I prepare to leave the League after nearly twelve years, I’ve had the chance to reflect on our work, our wins, losses, and what lies ahead. I’m incredibly proud of my service to LEV and the kids we work so hard for. This team is talented, compassionate, and committed to improving the lives of our students and families – in particular, those furthest from opportunity. These past dozen years or so have been a tutorial on the changing needs and assets of Washington’s students, a slow societal and organizational awakening to the inequities we’ve baked into our entire system including the education system, and coming to terms with the need to change strategies to match or stay ahead of changing realities. Like all good living things, we’ve grown and changed, and we think we’re more impactful because of that evolution.

We started out 18 years ago focused on K-12 education funding, with the thinking that if we just put enough resources into the system, everything would be all right. We soon learned that money, while important, isn’t the only resource we need to consider. And we learned that if we start in kindergarten, we’re too late, and that ending at high school doesn’t guarantee much in terms of success for kids and families. Read More

Congratulations Students and Families on State Supreme Court Victory

October 25, 2018 by Arik Korman

56 percent of Washington’s 3,400 charter public school students come from low-income households, as compared to 42 percent statewide.

60 percent of students identify as students of color, as compared to 46 percent statewide.

15 percent of students receive special education services, as compared to the statewide average of 14 percent.

Today, all these students learned that they can stay in the school of their choice.

Washington’s charter public schools continue to serve higher-than-average percentages of students impacted by inequities.

Today the Washington Supreme Court has given families with students in charter public schools new hope by affirming that their schools will continue to be a valuable part of our state’s public education system.

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

New Podcast – Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal

October 15, 2018 by Arik Korman

In this latest episode, League of Education Voters Communications Director Arik Korman sat down with Washington Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal to discuss his office’s statewide survey on funding priorities, how the survey informed his budget ask for the 2019 legislative session, and how we can get involved in making these priorities a reality.

Listen: