SENATE BILL SB 5639

Title: An act relating to education governance.

Arne Duncan has brought us merit pay, closing schools and turning them into charter schools, firing an entire school staff for no good reason and high stakes testing. None of these “reforms” has raised test scores or strengthened school communities.

On Monday, Secretary Duncan spoke via video conference to our state representatives about Governor Gregoire’s bill to consolidate several programs under the auspices of the Governor’s office and have a governor appointed state school board.

There are many flaws in this idea. First is the fact that the governorship is a political position that can change every four years therefore the ideas and whims of that governor or their supporters can make drastic changes to how our schools are run. Our school policies would change with the political wind. Because the governor is a politician, there could also be strong lobbying by big money interest in reforming education to the flavor of the month, eliminating the democratic process.

Other changes that the governor proposes are putting the control of the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) and the Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI) under the control of the governor. The Superintendent of Public Instruction would no longer be an elected position therefore eliminating the democratic process altogether.

As an aside, our State Superintendent, Randy Dorn, has not been a fan of most corporate reform ideas in education and therefore has been at odds with what Gregoire and Murray have been pushing.

The Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction has a broad range of responsibilities including the oversight of special needs programs, educational technology, issuing certificates for teachers, as well as overseeing support personnel and administrators of the K-12 system.

This is a lot of power and control for a governor to have particularly because the elected governor would probably not have any background in education or education administration.

The State Board of Education (SBE) was established by the Washington Territorial Legislature and   consists of 16 members – five elected by school board members and seven appointed by the Governor. Gregoire wants the power to appoint all 16 members of the state school board.

An example of this is in California where the governor appoints all the members of the state school board. While Arnold Schwarzenegger was in power he appointed representatives of charter schools and Ben Austin of Parent Trigger fame. The board was stacked toward corporate reform. When Jerry Brown became governor, he eliminated the ed reform proponents and put into place board members who had experience in the field of education.

The executive head of the Department of Education (DOE) is the Secretary of Education who is appointed by the Governor and subject to confirmation by the Senate. The DOE includes the Washington State Board for the Blind (WSSB) and the Center for Childhood Deafness and Hearing Loss (CDHL). Per the governor’s bill, the Department of Early Learning (DEL), SBE, and the Professional Educator Standards Board (PESB) would be abolished and their powers, duties, and employees would be transferred to the DOE. I don’t see any savings there, just too much power and responsibility under one roof creating an even larger and more unwieldy bureaucracy. The Quality Education Committee (QEC) would be abolished and some of its duties would be transferred to the P-12 Council and the DOE. The Early Learning Advisory Council (ELAC),  the Achievement Gap Oversight and Accountability Committee (AGOAC), the Office of Education Ombudsman (OEO) and the Washington State School Directors Association (WSSDA) would be abolished.

The OEO is a critical piece of our public school system. The office has a very small staff and yet handles individual issues with students throughout the state ranging from ESL equity to special education students adjusting to their school environment.  The WSSDA provides great information on a daily basis about what is going on in our state legislature as well as throughout our school districts in the state of Washington.

There is a substitute bill that will be heard today, Bill ESHB 1849.

According to a memo sent out by WSSDA:

As it passed the House, ESHB 1849 would create a 23-member Washington State Education Council (appointed by the Governor) that would recommend policies, strategies and a governance structure to make the public education system student-focused and to provide a seamless service to all students. The council includes representation from early learning through higher education.

One of the tasks in the bill would be to review the present education system and make recommendations about responsibilities, transferring or changing roles, and a focus on service delivery.

The list of organizations that would be reviewed includes: HEC Board; State Board of Community & Technical Colleges; State Board of Education; PESB; QEC; Achievement Gap Oversight and Accountability Committee; WSSDA; Office of Education Ombudsman; Education Research and Data Center; Dept of Early Learning; OSPI. A preliminary report is due January 5, 2012, with a final report December 5, 2012.

Bill sponsor Rep. Kathy Haigh, D-Shelton, has indicated her main focus is on making the transition points, particularly from high school to postsecondary education, much more seamless and easy to maneuver. While governance may play a role, Haigh and others in the House say they want to take a deliberative approach to create a more aligned system that is focused on student achievement and student needs.

This bill provides an opportunity to review the idea of consolidation of state run agencies rather than make sweeping reforms without an opportunity to consider the ramifications.

However you may feel about these bills, let your legislators know. It’s better coming from you than from Arne Duncan.

Dora

Here is a list of our Washington State Senators. Please e-mail them or give them a call.

Post Script: March 17, 2010

See the Parent Underground for additional information and another viewpoint on Governor Gregoire’s restructuring bill.