Gov. Gregoire�s statement on Senate passage of teacher evaluation bill

For Immediate Release: February 14, 2012

OLYMPIA � Gov. Chris Gregoire today issued the following statement after the state Senate approved legislation to reform teacher and principal evaluations:

�There is nothing more important than ensuring the success of our students. And that success relies on quality instruction supported by a solid and credible evaluation system. That�s why over the past few weeks, I�ve led frequent negotiations in my office to hammer out the details of this legislation. I�m pleased with the compromise we reached, and thank leaders from both parties for reaching a bipartisan agreement � including Senator Rosemary McAuliffe, Senator Steve Litzow, Representative Kristine Lytton and Representative Bruce Dammeier. We�ve developed an approach that builds on the successful pilot we launched two years ago, and is showing useful and impactful results in the classroom.

�I thank the members of the Senate for their passage and look forward to this bill having the same success in the House�