Posted Oct. 31, 2011
The WSSDA Board of Directors has adopted the association’s top legislative priorities for the upcoming special session and 2012 regular session. The priorities were based on recommendations from the Legislative Committee and on the position rankings from the September meeting of the Legislative Assembly.
The board took action at a special teleconference meeting held Oct. 28. The top priorities are:
- Implement the new definition basic education and funding formula changes as adopted in 2009 by the Legislature under ESHB 2261.
- Establish a comprehensive, stable and sustainable funding system for education.
- Fund Local Effort Assistance (LEA).
In addition, the board considered some guiding principles to be used in budget discussions over the coming months. These include:
- Avoid mid-year or retroactive cuts in the 2011-12 school year.
- Provide statutory relief from locally bargained contracts to create flexibility to best meet student needs.
- Stop using school district fund balances to backfill state obligations.
Eliminating unfunded mandates scored high among Legislative Assembly delegates but is not listed in the top priorities because it is clearly a priority for the association, and is viewed as more of a “given” than a priority.
As always, WSSDA will oppose any new requirements to districts. Members and staff also will push for legislation that makes most current state-level requirements for public schools voluntary, and suspends requirements that have not been implemented. School directors are encouraged to have conversations with their boards, superintendents and finance officers to identify burdensome reporting and activities that don’t add value to student learning.
In light of the current state and local budget situations, the board will continue to refine the priorities and choices around proposed budget cuts based on input from membership.
Forty-seven new positions were adopted by voting delegates at the Legislative Assembly. These were in addition to the 41 Standing Legislative Positions that had been approved as part of a regular legislative agenda. Delegates ranked their top 10 of the 88 positions; the list of all positions in priority order is available using the links at right.
Typically the board would adopt priorities at its November board meeting during Annual Conference. With Gov. Chris Gregoire’s announcement of alternatives and preliminary choices, and the fact the legislative budget negotiators are drafting their own versions of the supplemental budget now, the board acted to make sure WSSDA’s voice was heard and part of the deliberations.