Office of Governor Gary Locke
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - February 4, 2004
Contact:  Governor's Communications Office, 360-902-4136

Gov. Gary Locke Calls for Continued Progress on Education Legislation

Gov. Gary Locke today reiterated his call for the Legislature to pass key education legislation this session. During his weekly news conference in Olympia, Locke praised the progress that legislators have made so far on the education legislation he requested or is strongly supporting.

“Education continues to be my top priority,” Locke said. “I will continue to work with legislators – Democrats and Republicans – to ensure that the entire education legislation package is passed this session.

“It is absolutely critical that we further education reform in our state and maintain our tough new academic standards. Our children must be prepared for today’s global, high-tech, 21st century economy.”

Locke is calling on the Legislature to pass the following education legislation or supplemental budget items affecting early learning, K-12 and higher education:

·Kindergarten Readiness Guidelines – Locke and Terry Bergeson, state superintendent of public instruction, are working with experts in the field of early childhood education to develop a set of benchmarks to assist families, child care providers, pre-school teachers and kindergarten teachers to help children to be ready for school, and schools to be ready for kids. Initial funding for this project was provided by the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) and the Head Start-State Collaboration Office. Locke is seeking $200,000 of one-time funding in his 2004 supplemental budget to support the publication, distribution and implementation of the benchmarks.

·WASL Refinements – Locke requested Third Engrossed Substitute House Bill (3ESHB) 2195, which passed the House and is now being considered in the Senate Education Committee. The legislation would refine and clarify the Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL), particularly regarding the certificate of mastery, now called the certificate of academic achievement in the legislation, that students will be required to complete for graduation starting in 2008. Locke wants to focus on the basics – requiring tests in reading, writing and mathematics in 2008 and adding science in 2010. The legislation would also authorize more than one opportunity for students to demonstrate mastery of each subject area through retakes and alternative assessments.

·Learning Assistance Program Adjustments – Locke requested 2ESHB 1989, which passed the House. The Senate is considering similar legislation. The legislation would strengthen the state’s Learning Assistance Program (LAP) by focusing on best practices to support struggling students, provide greater program accountability and stabilize allocations to school districts that need the most help. Locke also included $7 million in his proposed 2004 supplemental budget to increase the services LAP provides to struggling students.

·Charter Schools – Locke supports HB 2295, which passed the House Education Committee and is now before the House Appropriations Committee. The legislation would support the development of charter schools within the public school system by allowing school districts to convert some schools to charters or to provide for the development of new schools. The focus is to help struggling students meet state standards. A Senate version of charter schools from last year is in the Senate Rules Committee. Locke also included $531,000 in his proposed 2004 supplemental budget for charter schools.

·Levy Base Adjustments – Locke strongly supports HB 2044, which passed the House, and SB 6211, which is now being considered in the Senate Education Committee. The maximum amount school districts can collect through local levies is limited to a percentage of their state and federal revenues. When the state K-12 budget is reduced, the amount that school districts can collect is reduced, even when local voters have approved collections beyond this limit. This legislation is needed to authorize the collection of the full amount of voter-approved levies to avoid a compounding reduction to district budgets as a result of recent state budget reductions.

·Simple Majority for Levies – Locke strongly supports House Joint Resolution (HJR) 4204, which passed the House and is now assigned to the Senate Education Committee. The legislation would change the super majority that is now required to pass local educational levies to a simple majority. This would come in the form of a proposed constitutional amendment, to be on the November ballot, which would change the 60 percent voter approval now required, to 50 percent plus one vote. This legislation gives the citizens of the state the opportunity to make this change.

·Higher Education Contracts – Locke requested legislation that would enable the Governor’s Office to negotiate pilot performance contracts with a limited number of state colleges and universities to hold the institutions accountable for specific performance goals in exchange for predictable funding for higher education. The Senate Higher Education Committee passed SB 6332 earlier this week. The House Higher Education Committee is expected to vote on its version of the legislation, HB 2681, later today.

·Higher Education Enrollments – Locke’s 2004 supplemental budget calls for increasing state-funded higher education enrollment by as many as 5,200 full-time students, providing the access that citizens seek, and the well-educated, well-trained graduates that Washington businesses need to remain competitive. Funding is provided for at least 2,727 students in high-demand fields such as health care, computer science, math and special education instruction. The number of state-funded general enrollments also would be expanded by 2,500.

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