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Washington colleges should give credit where credit is due

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August officially kicks off the college application season for many high school seniors.

And while colleges have made some progress helping high school students better manage the application process through platforms like The Common Application, prospective students still encounter a dizzying array of requirements and standards when it’s time to apply.

The state legislature recently stepped up to help students with one aspect of this messy process with a new law that asks state colleges and universities to come up with a uniform system for awarding college credit for student scores on Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) tests. Right now, it’s left to each school to decide, and that creates a pretty random system that doesn’t make a lot of sense to students in Washington or their families. The Seattle Times editorial board described it this way:

Take calculus, one of the more popular AP exams, as an example. The University of Washington awards one quarter of credit to those who score a three or four on the most common Calculus exam or two quarters of credit for those who score a five. Just 111 miles to the east on Interstate 90, Central Washington University awards just one quarter of credit no matter the score on that test. Every university has its own list of credits for the various AP exams.

Students deciding whether to attend UW or CWU should have an understanding that the credit they earned in high school would apply the same at either school. The same is true for International Baccalaureate credit, which involves another standardized test.

Despite the new law, for lots of reasons (some warranted, others less so), leaders at Washington’s state colleges and universities have been slow to respond and then come up with a plan. According to the Seattle Times, the universities want to review each class and its curriculum before coming up with a standard.

But the point of the new law was to provide students and their families with certainty no matter where they applied to college in Washington. And now, as students settle into their first year of college, they are left wondering whether all that hard work in those rigorous courses will result in real, measurable progress towards their college diploma, either through credit or meeting course prerequisites.

State Sen. Mark Mullet (Issaquah), prime sponsor of this new law, is concerned universities have been too slow to come up with a plan and is hoping higher education leaders will step up for incoming college freshman (and their families). Because programs like these not only help prepare students for college, they also help defray tuition costs and free up course credits for elective or upper-level courses in lieu of entry level course work. And that just makes sense from both an economic and academic perspective.

Ending the cycle of teacher strikes in Washington

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The situation parents in Kent face is just one of many like it around the state. Schools there are scheduled to start Aug. 30, but the teachers union in Kent is prepared to strike if its salary demands aren’t met – even though teacher strikes are illegal.

Keep in mind, the current Kent contract runs through this upcoming school year. The union is threatening to strike and disrupt the school year despite being under a current contract. Other teacher unions under contract might do the same.

Why? Because the state this year approved more money for teacher salaries, and local unions want to lock in big raises now. They want the large raises now so legislators feel obligated to spend more next year, when local property tax rates are lowered (which was part of the McCleary compromise approved by the state Supreme Court).

It’s a “get while the getting is good” position, with no regard to what districts can afford going forward. The Seattle Times says school districts need to “need to show some backbone” and mustn’t “bargain away money you don’t have.”

This whole high-pressure situation shows the absurdity of setting pay in 295 separate contract negotiations. The state pays for the bulk of school costs and salaries, so it’s time to make the rational move to statewide bargaining.

Rob McKenna served two terms as Washington’s Attorney General, from 2005 to 2013. This article was originally published at Smarter Government Washington.

McCleary victory is historic opportunity for families

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When the McCleary education funding lawsuit was first filed in December 2007, George W. Bush was president and Mike Holmgren was head coach of the Seattle Seahawks.

Fast forward to today and we can see the tangible results of the work the state legislature has done investing in our schools:

  • State funding for K-12 has more than doubled since 2012, increasing from $6.5 billion in 2011 to $13.7 billion planned for 2021.
  • Increased funding from the state has helped reverse over-reliance on local levies to pay for education.
  • Spending on K-12 now accounts for over 50 percent of the state budget, which hasn’t happened in Washington since 1983.

Because of the legislature’s work, late last week the State Supreme Court dismissed the McCleary case in a unanimous opinion, finding that the state had fulfilled its obligation to fund schools. The Washington Education Association (WEA – the state teachers’ union) called the decision a “victory” for students and public education. Elected officials, including Gov. Jay Inslee, were mostly positive about the result.

So McCleary is finally over. What does that mean moving forward?

For teachers, the WEA has made it clear that since the state has invested billions more in education, “now’s the time to negotiate big pay raises.” And that’s already starting to play out. Just this week the districts of Bridgeport, Mossyback, Ocean Beach and Cascade all announced new contracts with teacher pay increases from 15 to 20 percent. The WEA stated it expects “other good bargains will be announced soon.”

Of course, not all additional money from the state is earmarked for teacher pay.

For students and families, the end of McCleary presents a historic opportunity to engage with your local school district about programs, services and supports that matter to you. Are you concerned about special education, reading or math instruction, improving access to advanced or honors classes, more options for career and technical training, or arts education? Something else? Given the historic investments in education, now is the time to engage with your school district and let them know. And encourage your friends and neighbors to do the same.

First impressions on the end of McCleary

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While the result itself wasn’t a surprise, the seemingly abrupt end to the long-running McCleary education funding case late last week still seemed to catch many off guard. In a unanimous, five-page opinion, the State Supreme Court lifted the $100,000 per day sanctions against the state and ended its jurisdiction over the 11-year-old case.

Here’s what elected leaders and others had to say about the conclusion of the landmark case:

Gov. Jay Inslee: “Today’s Supreme Court decision affirms that, at long last, our Legislature is providing the funding necessary to cover the basic costs of our K-12 schools. Reversing decades of underfunding has been among the heaviest lifts we’ve faced in recent years and required difficult and complex decisions, but I’m incredibly proud and grateful for all those who came together on a bipartisan basis to get this job done.” Read the full statement here.

State Superintendent of Public Instructin Chris Reykdal: “The Washington State Supreme Court’s ruling today comes as no surprise. The Legislature has made meaningful progress during the past three budget cycles. McCleary v. State of Washington concerned a previous model of education funding. That model relied too heavily on local property taxes and not enough on state resources, and this is why the Supreme Court found it unconstitutional.” Read the full statement here.

House Majority Leader Pat Sullivan (Covington): “We’re glad the Supreme Court recognized the Legislature’s many years of hard work to solve the McCleary school funding case. More importantly, it means we have made significant education investments that will benefit the state’s 1.1 million school children.” Read the full statement here.

Sen. John Braun (Centralia) Ranking Member, Ways & Means Committee: “The fact that Washington students had not been receiving an adequately or equitably funded education came as no surprise given schools had been a low priority of the Legislature in the decades before 2013. We were finally able to make historic investments over the last five years by putting the needs of students, teachers and parents first in our budgets.” Read the full statement here.

Washington Education Association President Kim Mead: “This is a tremendous day for the 1.1 million students of Washington state, and we mark this milestone as a victory for them and public education. I am proud of the efforts of WEA members who fought so hard over the past 15 years to see that our state’s leaders met their paramount duty to amply fund basic education. We appreciate the gains for students we’ve made because of the McCleary case.” Read the full statement here.

Network for Excellence in Washington Schools (NEWS), plaintiffs: “Today, the Washington State Supreme Court issued a ruling that brings an end to the McCleary lawsuit’s successful challenge to the constitutionality of the State funding levels at issue in our lawsuit’s 2009 trial. Today’s ruling does not, however, resolve the constitutionality of the State’s new basic education program funding levels. The fight is not over! NEWS will continue.” Read the full statement here.

Helping students find their way with online learning

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Online learning is an increasingly attractive option for students. Initially hailed as a game-changer in higher education, over time school districts across the country have brought the e-learning platform into the K-12 arena. Here in Washington over 30,000 students take advantage of this option. Most are high school students (over 70 percent) and most take fewer than five courses.

As a newer education platform, online learning presents opportunities and challenges for teachers and students alike. We talked to a current teacher and two former students to get a better sense of what life is like in a virtual school.

Teachers and students – online and plugged in

Mary Lou Roels teaches English, psychology, sociology and Washington State History with K-12,  a tuition-free online public school that operates in Washington and across the county. She works with about 600 students total over the course of a three-semester school year, along with a homeroom class of about 40 students.

K12 teacher Mary Lou Roels

In her homeroom class, Roels uses the 7 Mindsets curriculum to teach organizational skills, foster accountability and facilitate social-emotional learning. “They don’t have other students around them to keep them going,” said Roels. “So that’s our job.” Homeroom teachers also are responsible for keeping track of how students are doing academically and whether they are on track to graduate.

In academic classes, Roels makes sure to mix and vary her techniques to keep students engaged, using videos, slide presentations, and in-class surveys. “When I log on the students see me. I tell the students – ‘I want you to see me [and] know there’s an actual teacher here.’”

Powering through classes you enjoy

Geni Steadham enrolled in K12 as a full-time student for her senior year of high school, taking courses in psychology, criminology and forensic science. For Steadham, then living in Napavine (a small city located outside of Centralia) the choice was clear: “I wasn’t doing very well socially in public school. And I wasn’t really reaching my potential. So, my parents and I decided to try something else.”

Just like students in brick-and-mortar schools, Steadham started each morning online with her assigned classes. But, unlike her traditional school, on most days she could “power through” the materials and complete assignments much faster (especially in the classes she liked, such as psychology) which then left time for other work or pursuits.

Overall, Steadham explained she preferred her online school because she could enroll in what she eagerly described as “cool classes” not offered at her regular school, such as criminology or forensic science.

When your school is too much to handle

Starting in 5th grade, Elliana Currie and her family noticed a trend. She needed more and more time to finish her daily homework. This only worsened in middle school.

When it was time to start high school, Currie, who lived in Redmond at the time, enrolled in one of Lake Washington School District’s choice schools, but that didn’t help either. “I got depressed. It was too much stress for me to handle.” She switched to an online school – Washington Virtual Academy – so that she could go at her own pace.

From Currie: “I really liked how it was easy to access the classes. I had five to six assignments per day, but I didn’t have to spend an hour each day in class” on top of the time to do the assignments. Currie found the teachers were all supportive of her work, which also made a big difference. “You could email or call them,” said Currie. “Some of them you could even text. You could even have an extra session with your teacher or get FaceTime help.”

Later on, Currie realized that online learning helped prepare her well for life as an adult after school. “Online school cemented a lot of important organizational skills,” said Currie. “It also taught me a lot about what motivates me . . .. [I]t taught me to be independent.” Currie now attends Bellevue College.

One platform meeting different needs

Online classes aren’t for everyone, but teachers and students who have tried it point to two types of students who do well in this setting.

  • Busy and self-directed – Students whose schedules don’t align with spending an entire day, every day, sitting in a brick-and-mortar building often embrace the freedom afforded with online learning.
  • Needs individual help – Students who struggle in a traditional school setting with large class sizes often benefit from the individualized attention they can receive through online learning, so long as they are willing to seek it out.

Other students use online school to work ahead and finish graduation requirements early, or to make up a class they failed or dropped. Some students enrolled in the popular Running Start program also take online courses to fill gaps in requirements or electives.

Benefits and drawbacks

Overall, as a teacher, Roels finds the flexibility of online learning is “definitely a plus.” Students can more easily make up a missed class since all materials are online. Teachers can add extra sessions or classes for topics that students need more help to understand.

The downside? Because K12 students are located all over the state, it’s practically impossible to meet them in person. This also rules out other in-person learning experiences, such as field trips.

According to Currie, some online teachers facilitate social interaction online through group work projects. OpenBoard, an interactive whiteboard, has features that facilitate meet ups outside of class, such as coffee, lunch groups or clubs. And at K12, graduating seniors participate in a traditional ceremony at Bellevue College each year.

Moving forward

Roels cited genuine concerns about school safety, as well as crowded classrooms, as two of many examples of why online learning will continue to expand. “I think online learning is going to grow exponentially.”

Every child is different. Online learning helps some learners thrive, including those who may get lost in the shuffle of a big school or are frustrated by the one-size-fits-all pace of learning. These tuition-free options approved by the state of Washington are one way for students to explore different subjects or potentially chart a new academic course.

Want to learn more about online learning in Washington state? Read our background Q&A here.

Online learning 101

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Editor’s note: Cami Brix is a junior at Inglemoor High School in Kenmore, where she is a writer and editor for the Nordic News student newspaper. Here are answers to questions we posed to her about online learning in Washington state. 

Q: What online learning options are available to public school K-12 students in Washington? 

A: OSPI has approved many different online learning opportunities for Washington students in grades K-12. While the range of service depends on the student’s school district, students can enroll full-time, part-time or even in just one class of an online program. OSPI recommends reaching out to a student’s home school for guidance. From this writer’s experience, it is fairly common for a high school student to earn their PE/Health credits through an online class to make room for other, more interesting classes in their schedule.

However, if this range does not fit the needs of the student  (the majority of school districts do not have online learning options for students younger than high school), OSPI has approved many multi-district programs.

 Q: Who can enroll?

A: The Alternative Learning Department listed several qualities that indicate a student’s success upon enrollment in an online program. It helps if the student is an independent learner because online education at times can lack the same structure of a traditional school. In general, a student taking online courses should be self-motivated, organized, active and resourceful.

Q: What types of online schools are available? Are they all kind of the same or do some have different focus?

A: There are two types of online learning programs: district and multi-district. Generally, every program focuses on the main subject areas of math, English, social studies, health, etc. However, depending on the program, there are different course levels which range from credit recovery, standard and even Advanced Placement.

Q: What is the total student enrollment in online education for Washington state, grades K-12?

A: The online learning student headcount in the 2017 Online Learning Report is 31,719 students.

Q: Looking at the data and information available through OSPI, what conclusions you can draw about the type(s) of students that are typical of online school?

A: In terms of types of students taking online classes, high school students were a majority of online learners (79 percent). Only 13 percent of online learners were close to full-time in online courses. The majority (71 percent) enrolled in fewer than 5 courses.

In terms of demographics, white students were over represented in online learning. Students of color, except for Native Americans/Alaskan Natives were under represented. Other groups were also under represented including English language learners, low-income students, students receiving special education services.

In terms of likely courses taken, five subjects accounted for 75 percent of non-elementary enrollments. These subjects include English Language Arts (14,477 enrollments), Math (12,857 enrollments), physical/health/safety (11,682 enrollments), history (10,372 enrollments) and science (8,193 enrollments).

New law eases training burdens for foster parents

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Rep. Paul Graves (R-Fall City)

A child is placed in foster care when their family cannot care for them. Foster families serve as a temporary substitute family while the child’s parents are given the opportunity to engage in services to help them resolve their challenges and provide a safe home environment. These services might include parenting classes, mental health counseling or chemical dependency treatment.

Washington state faces a chronic shortage in the number of licensed foster families, which means too often children who need foster homes can’t get them. In the 2018 legislative session, State Rep. Paul Graves (R-Fall City) sponsored legislation to help make it easier for prospective foster parents to complete the required training to earn their foster care license by giving them online options for some parts of it. In this Q&A Rep. Graves explains the new law.

Question: What is the law’s purpose?  

Answer: The purpose is to make it a little easier to become a foster parent. Right now, you have taken about 40 hours of training before you can apply to get your foster parent license. That’s just as it should be. It’s a tough job, and people should know what they’re getting into. But you must do all of it in person, often at inconvenient hours in inconvenient locations. The goal with this bill is to put the training online, and for the department to allow people to take some, but not all of it, online.

Question: How will the new training work?

Answer: The precise details are still to be worked out. The first step is to put all the training online. The plan then is to consider how much of it can sensibly be taken online, and how to make sure people are actually reviewing the training when they take it online.

Question: What prompted your involvement?

Answer: I’ve worked substantially over my legal career providing free representation for the best interests of foster kids in trial courts. I know how challenging it can be to be a foster parent, and we need more people doing that important work. When talking with people about taking a step to explore becoming a foster parent, this training was regularly mentioned as a stumbling block. We are a high-tech state and our foster parent training should reflect that.

Question: What are some of the biggest challenges foster children face? What can state and local governments do to help address some of those needs?

Answer: You usually don’t go into foster care without a rough home life in the first place. Add on top of that losing everything you’ve known. Then pile on a move to a new and unfamiliar place, often involving a school change and losing connections with your friends and siblings. Any adult facing all of that would struggle, and it’s even more difficult for children. The biggest challenges are personal and cultural, and those are difficult for government to fix. But the state can help by working to make sure that kids go to safe and loving homes, that they are disrupted as little as possible (which is why we need geographic diversity for foster parents), that they get support from school and counselors, and that they move to permanence in their lives as rapidly as feasible.

Question: If you could tell someone thinking about becoming a foster parent just one thing, what would it be?

Answer: You don’t need to be a superhero. You just need to be a reasonable, caring person. Many seek to adopt children in foster care, but we could use a lot more temporary care foster parents. Too often kids are taken from their homes and there is no spot immediately available, so they end up sleeping in hotels or at department offices. Just having a bed and a safe house while permanent care is set up is critical, and that’s a smaller commitment that more people can both take on and that many people don’t know about. If you’ve ever considered being a foster parent, I’d encourage you to take the next step. You might not be able to solve the whole problem, but you can do much good.

To learn more about becoming a foster parent, visit the information page for foster parent licensing at the Children’s Administration website here, and the National Foster Parent Association here.

Final results – Feb. 2018 levy and bond measures

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The results are in from the Feb. 2018 levy and bond measures for school districts across the state. Locally, most agreed these elections had a decidedly different vibe than ones in past years, as school districts and taxpayers adjust to a new education funding plan passed out of the legislature in 2017. During this “bridge” year of implementing the plan, state property taxes are going up while school districts begin the process of dialing back local levies.

Despite these somewhat turbulent tax crosswinds, voters appear to have mostly passed their local levies (which primarily go towards supporting school operations). According to analysis from the Washington Education Association, voters across the state approved 95 percent of local levies for school operations. Bonds – which fund school building construction and require a 60 percent +1 margin for passage – did not fare as well. Locally, bonds in Everett, Lake Washington did not pass, while Northshore’s measure did.

Here’s are the final voting results from EEN’s districts (based on results provided at county election sites as of Feb. 24, 2018):

Bellevue

Replacement education programs and operations levy (Proposition 1)

YES: 54%

NO: 46%

Replacement technology and capital projects levy (Proposition 2)

YES: 52%

NO: 48%

Bus levy (Proposition 3)

YES: 55%

NO: 45%

Everett

Replacement education programs and operations levy (Proposition 1)

YES: 55%

NO: 45%

Capital bond (Proposition 2)*

YES: 55%

NO: 45%

Issaquah

Renewal educational programs and operations levy (Proposition 1)

YES: 51%

NO: 49%

Renewal capital projects levy (Proposition 2)

YES: 54%

NO: 46%

School bus levy (Proposition 3)

YES: 57%

NO: 43%

Lake Washington

Replacement education programs and operations levy (Proposition 1)

YES: 55%

NO: 45%

Renewal capital projects levy (Proposition 2)

YES: 55%

NO: 45%

Capital bond (Proposition 3)*

YES: 54%

NO: 46%

Mercer Island

Replacement education maintenance and operations levy (Proposition 1)

YES: 72%

NO: 28%

Northshore (includes King and Snohomish counties)

Renewal education programs and operations levy (Proposition 1)

YES: 62%

NO: 38%

General obligations bonds (Proposition 2)*

YES: 61%

NO: 39%

Renewal capital projects technology levy (Proposition 3)

YES: 62%

NO: 38%

Riverview

Renewal education programs and operations levy (Proposition 1)

YES: 52%

NO: 48%

Renewal technology and capital projects levy (Proposition 2)

YES: 53%

NO: 47%

Transportation vehicle fund levy (Proposition 3)

YES: 55%

NO: 45%

Snoqualmie Valley

Renewal education programs and operations levy (Proposition 1)

YES: 52%

NO: 48%

Renewal capital projects (Proposition 2)

YES: 53%

NO: 47%

*Under Washington state law, school construction bonds require 60 percent +1 for passage.

King County Feb. 2018 election results: click here

Snohomish County 2018 election results: click here

About that property tax bill…

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Editor’s note: With property tax bills arriving in the mail, we thought this summary of the new law that changes how we fund education, prepared by State Sen. Joe Fain (Auburn) in a letter to his constituents, was worth sharing. While this analysis focuses on Sen. Fain’s district, the framework is still useful to help taxpayers understand how the new education funding plan and other factors impact their taxes (in fact it’s the best analysis we’ve found so far).

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In recent weeks you may have seen news stories about property taxes going up, with some attributing the increase to changes made last year in the Legislature. While that’s partially the case, the overall increase is actually due to a variety of factors including a state rate increase, local voter-approved levies and increasing home values throughout the region.

What hasn’t been as widely discussed is how much of that 2018 property tax increase is actually attributable to funding for public schools as well as what will actually be an overall tax decrease for many going into effect next year.

To understand the complicated world of property taxes and education funding I’ve broken down how it works for this week’s email update.

And not to spoil the ending, but we’re in great position to do away with the one-year tax increase thanks to our state’s strong economic growth.

What is happening?

The overwhelming majority of funding for Washington’s public schools comes from the state budget and local “maintenance and operations” levies.

While both of these items appear on your property tax statement, your overall bill is made up of many smaller components, which differ depending on the city and county you live in along with a variety of other taxing districts.

But what has been less discussed is how much the increase in the state rate factors into your overall property tax bill. In some school districts, it makes up most, and in others very little.

To get a better sense we’ll take a deeper look at how this plays out in Auburn.

SENATOR’S NOTE: I chose Auburn because the change in property tax rate is in the middle of the pack for South King County with some lower (Covington, Renton) some higher (Kent, Enumclaw) and others close to the same (Federal Way).

Property taxes for the median value home in Auburn are $403 higher in 2018 than in 2017.

Of that total $322 is attributable to changes in education funding, but it’s not actually that simple. The $322 also reflects the fact that the median value home increased significantly from $277,000 in 2017 to $304,000 in 2018. That means $243 of the overall increase is actually attributable to the increased state rate, with the rest a result of the home being worth more than the previous year.

That means roughly 60 percent of the overall property tax increase in Auburn is a result of the increased state property tax rate.

However, another key component of our property tax reform has gone under the radar. Beginning in 2019 the Legislature capped local maintenance and operations levies at $1.50/$1,000 of assessed value, which will lead to a tax reduction in Auburn, Kent, Federal Way, Covington and other South King Community communities starting next year.

The actual dollar amount will vary depending on future home valuations, but if the median value home in Auburn increased by 5 percent in 2019, as projected by budget staff, the owner of a median value home in Auburn would still see a $200 tax cut over what they paid in 2017. This would be carried out beyond 2019 into 2020 and 2021.

We can still do more

While South King County taxpayers will see a property tax cut starting in 2019, I’m still not a fan of the one-year property tax increase in 2018.

However, we have a way to fix that, which I co-sponsored and have been working on this year.

The two-year state budget we approved in June 2017 projects to balance for four years. Since then we’ve received good economic news.

Based on our third and fourth quarter 2017 revenue forecasts we’re already officially projected to take in $1 billion in additional revenue due to strong economic growth.

We also received news last week that the projected demand for services is actually lower than anticipated, which reduces spending already approved in the budget by $225 million. Furthermore, on Thursday (Feb. 15) we will get our first quarter 2018 revenue forecast, which is expected to be even higher based on previous month’s actual revenue collections.

All told we could be looking at almost $2 billion in additional resources, beyond what is necessary to sustain an already robust state budget. This would allow us to reduce the one-year increase in property taxes while continuing to make a historic investment in our state’s public schools.

***

Note: State Sen. Joe Fain (R) represents South King County’s 47th Legislative District in the Washington State Senate. It includes includes all of Covington and parts of Auburn, Kent, Federal Way and Renton.

What you need to know about local school funding ballot measures

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On Feb. 13 voters will decide whether to support local levy or bond measures for their school district. This year’s election is the first school districts have run since state lawmakers passed a comprehensive bill in 2017 that invests record amounts in schools  ($7.3 billion over four years) while also overhauling how our state pays for education.

Here at EEN we reviewed all the information each school district made available to the public about their respective ballot measures, then compiled that into our easy-to-use “Ballot Measure Overviews.” We focused on providing voters details about what programs, services and facilities are funded, how much it all costs, and what that means for local taxpayers.

Scroll down to find your school district, then click on the link to learn more about the school funding measures on your local ballot. And of course, please remember to vote!

School District Ballot Measure Overviews

Bellevue School District

Everett School District

Issaquah School District

Lake Washington School District

Mercer Island School District

Northshore School District

Riverview School District

Snoqualmie Valley School District

Note: Some districts provided more information than others about the total impact on taxpayers from local plus state property taxes for education. If you want more details or have additional questions, we encourage you to contact your local school district.