News Releases
Office of Governor Gary Locke
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - December 10, 1998
Contact:  Governor's Communications Office, 360-902-4136

Governor wants to hire 1,000 new teachers to help students succeed

OLYMPIA - A reform-minded financial plan for public schools that's dedicated to improving student achievement is the leading edge of Gov. Gary Locke's 1999-01 budget proposal.

"Make no mistake about it," Locke said. "Student achievement is our highest priority. Every dollar we have been able shake loose in our 1999-01 state budget goes to hiring more teachers, improving teacher quality, boosting student performance, and helping all of our children succeed.''

Among student achievement initiatives are proposals providing enough resources to hire more than 1,000 new elementary-school teachers statewide, Locke said.

"I am passionately committed to preparing every child in this state for success in the 21st century,'' Locke said. "That's why, in my budget, I have actually cut funding in other areas to free up 144 million new dollars for K-12 schools. That's why I'm investing millions of dollars in welfare savings in both K-12 and higher education. If we really invest in educating our children well, they won't need welfare."

The governor said high academic standards have been set for public schools, and testing is under way to determine whether students are learning.

"But there is still a long way to go," Locke said. "I am committed to stepping up the pace of reform - to move from reform to results - because there is no time to waste when it comes to making sure every student gets the chance to succeed."

Locke said his budget proposal adds $144 million for K-12 schools to:

* Put more teachers in schools so students get the help they need.
* Set and maintain the highest possible standards for teachers so students get the best possible instruction in reading, math, and science.
* Free school districts and their schools from state rules, regulations and paperwork so they can focus on student achievement.
* Rewarding high-performance schools, teachers, and students.

The governor's budget uses $40 million in state funds to match $40 million in federal funds to hire more teachers. Combined with another $52 million in new state funding for a restructured Learning Assistance Program, the plan would provide enough resources to hire more than 1,000 additional school teachers, Locke said.

The governor proposes to change the learning-assistance program so it rewards rather than punishes schools that make gains in student achievement.

Locke said the trouble with the existing learning-assistance program is that it allocates funds based on student failure rates on statewide achievement tests. If more students fail, the state sends more money. If students succeed, the state stops sending funds.

Locke proposes to restructure the program to change the incentive. Funding allocations would be based on numbers of students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunches, reflecting the reality that poverty is the most proven and accurate indicator of which students will need more help.

Schools that increase the numbers of students meeting state learning standards will receive performance awards averaging $12,000 a year for elementary schools and $25,000 annually for middle schools. The awards will help schools take student performance even higher.

"In schools where students fail, we are going to offer immediate technical assistance to turn schools around," Locke said. "And in schools where students succeed, we're going to offer rewards."

Locke also proposes to expand his volunteer Washington Reading Corps to include tutoring in reading before and after school.

The governor said increasing the number of teachers in schools will not boost student achievement unless the best and brightest are attracted to teaching and then retained in the profession.

Locke is proposing scholarships of up to $3,000 that would be available annually to 200 outstanding teacher candidates in areas of study where teachers are in great demand, such as math, science and special education.

In addition, the 2,000 new teachers entering the state's public schools each year would get on-the-job support and training during their first crucial year of teaching from experienced colleagues who would mentor them.

Locke stressed that high standards must be set, and that teachers must be able to connect with students in their classrooms. To ensure there are qualified teachers in Washington's classrooms, he said teachers, and the state that certifies them, need teaching-preparation programs and a certification system guided by clear standards.

Under Locke's education plan, new teachers would be tested before they could teach. They would have to demonstrate mastery of teaching skills and knowledge of their subject areas.

"Once we've put good teachers in our classrooms, we want to keep them," Locke said. "Too often, our best teachers leave the profession after just a few years. While the personal rewards of teaching draw people to the profession, I know that teachers, like anyone else, want financial rewards for high performance on the job. And we can do something about that."

The governor proposes recognition salary increases of $1,000 for teachers who attain new state professional-level certification and $3,000 for teachers who achieve National Board Certification.

These increases would be in addition to general cost-of-living adjustments that the governor will propose for teachers, college faculty and state workers when he presents his full 1999-01 budget plan next week.

"We can improve student achievement, and we can improve the quality of our teachers, but schools also must be held accountable for student performance," Locke said. "Now, it's time that we keep our commitment to education reform by giving school districts the power and flexibility they need to get the results we want.''

By letting school districts become Opportunity School Districts, the governor is proposing to free school districts and their schools from state rules, regulation and paperwork so they can focus on student achievement.

Parents, teachers and principals in Opportunity School Districts will have the power to make basic decisions about curriculum, instruction and budgets at their neighborhood schools.

Locke said education is critically important because Washington's economy no longer is driven by the state's abundance of natural resources.

"Our economy is driven by smart people using their brains to invent new products," he said. "Our economy is driven by the human capacity to learn."

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