News Releases
Office of Governor Gary Locke
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - September 8, 2004
Contact:  Governor's Communications Office, 360-902-4136
Alt Contact:  Tim Church or Donn Moyer, Department of Health, 360- 236-4077/4076

Gov. Locke Praises State’s Progress on WASL, Education Reform; Announces Funding to Initiate Testing for Lead in School Drinking Water Systems

Gov. Gary Locke said today Washington state continues to build on its success in education reform. At a news conference, Locke praised the continued improvement on the 2004 Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL) and said the state must move forward with education reform efforts to be ready for the new graduation requirements that take effect in 2008.

The governor also announced funding to initiate testing for lead in elementary school drinking water systems across the state.

Regarding the 2004 WASL scores, Locke praised the work of students, parents, teachers, school administrators and community volunteers for the continued improvements at every grade level and in every subject area. He also commended Superintendent of Public Instruction Terry Bergeson for her leadership on education reform.

“Our children are part of a thriving, challenging education system in Washington state,” Locke said. “More of our students are now meeting or exceeding our tough new academic standards.”

The governor stressed the need for continued vigilance in education reform, with the Class of 2008 now starting high school. Those students will be the first class in Washington required to earn a Certificate of Academic Achievement to graduate.

Locke said the state continues to make progress. “Our children are responding to our higher academic standards,” he said. “Test scores keep rising. We also passed key education legislation this year to help our students, teachers and parents better prepare for the new graduation requirements in 2008.

“We passed legislation that clarifies and refines the WASL – allowing for retakes and alternative assessments. We also passed legislation to require student learning plans and to better target Learning Assistance Program (LAP) money to struggling students and school districts that need it most.

“We must continue moving forward on education reform. We have come too far, and made too much progress, to change direction now. We must make sure that every student in our state has ample opportunities to learn, improve and graduate from high school with the advantage of a superior education.”

2004 Governor’s Summer Reading Challenge

Also today, Locke reported great success from the 2004 Governor’s Summer Reading Challenge, which ended on Labor Day.

“So far, we’ve heard from 12,065 children who have met my challenge of reading 15 hours or more this summer!” Locke said. “That’s double the total amount of participants we had during the past two years! I’m so proud of all of our summer readers. They know that reading is the key to all academic success.

“I’d like to thank the libraries across the state for their hard work in promoting the challenge. I understand that more than half of the children who have written to us so far either participated through, or heard about the challenge from, their local library.”

The governor had urged all children under the age of 18 to read 15 hours or more before Labor Day and report their success to him via e-mail or letter. The deadline for students to report to the governor is Sept. 18.

Students can report their summer reading success to the governor by logging on to www.governor.wa.gov/summerreadingchallenge/ or by writing to the following address: Governor’s Summer Reading Challenge, P.O. Box 40002, Olympia, WA, 98504-0002.

Each child who participated in the 2004 Governor’s Summer Reading Challenge will receive a signed certificate from the governor and is eligible to win a trip for a family of four to Disneyland. The random grand prize drawing will take place in a few weeks. Sponsors of this year’s challenge are Comcast, Alaska Airlines, Page Ahead and Verizon.

Locke started the Governor’s Summer Reading Challenge in 2002 to encourage Washington students to continue reading during summer vacation and add to the reading gains they made during the school year.

Children’s Health Issues

As students head back to school, Locke today also addressed two important children’s health issues.

In light of recent reports of lead being found in some school drinking water systems, the governor today announced he is allocating $750,000 in state money to help test for lead in the drinking fountains of elementary schools across the state. The money would require a 25 percent match by school districts across the state to test all of the drinking fountains at elementary schools. Younger children are at the highest risk for lead exposure.

Locke said the state has no known cases of lead poisoning caused by drinking water. “Even though kids are at much higher risk from lead in paint in their homes, and in soil, parents must feel confident that the water their children are drinking at school is safe,” he said. “That’s why I am allocating this money to initiate the testing of school drinking water fountains.”

“I strongly encourage districts to test their water,” Locke said. “I am also directing the state Board of Health to immediately address the issue of drinking water in our schools to ensure that the water is regularly tested and is safe to drink.”

The Washington State Childhood Blood Lead Registry receives reports of all blood lead tests on Washington children. This information is compiled to help track childhood lead poisoning in the state. The state uses the information from the lead registry to assure that children with elevated blood-lead levels receive appropriate follow-up, and to provide data on childhood lead poisoning in Washington.

The most recent figures from the lead registry show that about seven percent of Washington children are tested for lead poisoning some time before age six, and that 1.3 percent of the children tested have elevated blood lead levels.

“Our state has a very low percentage of kids with elevated blood lead levels, and we need to keep it that way,” Locke said. “Out of 44 states reporting to the CDC, Washington has the third lowest percentage of children ages zero to 6 with elevated blood lead levels.”
The governor said the state Department of Health is already working with schools, and has developed technical assistance tools and guidance to help them test for and respond to lead.
Also today, Locke discussed the issue of proper childhood immunizations. “Students must be properly immunized before they enter the classroom, and parents have to step up,” he said. “This is an important health risk for their children.”

The governor said Washington’s immunization rates are below the national average and the recent National Immunization Survey estimates 25 percent of children aged 19-35 months are not fully immunized in the state. That’s a 6 percent improvement from last year, which is the largest improvement in a number of years.

“I urge parents to protect their children from serious and preventable illnesses by making sure their immunizations are up to date,” Locke said. The governor said parents should confirm which vaccinations their children need to return to school by contacting their health care provider.

Many health care providers use the state’s CHILD Profile Immunization Registry to keep track of a child’s immunizations and can use the system to provide a current immunization record to parents. CHILD Profile helps to ensure that Washington children receive the preventive health care and immunizations they need.

# # #

Related links: www.governor.wa.gov; www.doh.wa.gov


» Return to this month's News Releases
» View News Release Archive

Access Washington