WSPTA Legislative Director Sherry Krainick Testifies at Quality Educaton Council Meeting

The Quality Education Council (QEC) met in Olympia on November 18, 2013.  This was the third of four meetings to be held this fall by the QEC as they prepare their report to the 2014 legislature.  Washington State PTA Legislative Director, Sherry Krainick has attended each of the meetings and provided testimony on behalf of Washington State PTA at the November 18, 2013 meeting.  The meeting can be viewed on TVW here. Topics covered at this meeting included an update on SB 5491, 24 Credit diploma, Innovative Schools, ESEA Waiver and revisions to TPEP, and Standards implementation (Common Core State Standards – CCSS and Next Generation Science Standards - NGSS).  In addition, the committee discussed Professional Learning as it relates to TPEP, CCSS, and NGSS, Compensation, Technology Readiness, Capital Needs and the Funding Plan.    Discussion included the possibility of adding Learning Improvement Days (LID) as professional development for teachers. The State Board of Education (SBE) shared outcomes and goals from their meeting on November 14 and 15.  Sherry Krainick shared the priorities on the Washington State PTA legislative platform and addressed challenges with funding of family engagement coordinators in the prototypical school funding model, including the challenge of transparency of the use of the funds locally.  Sarah Butcher, Vice President of Bellevue Special Needs PTA also testified before the QEC on November 18 in support of meaningful inclusion of Special Education in the goals around Career and College Readiness (CCR). The final QEC meeting of the year will be held in Olympia on December 4.  To learn more about the QEC, view agendas and documents from previous meeting, follow this link to their website. The Quality Education Council (QEC) was created by the Legislature in ESHB 2261, the major education reform bill passed during the 2009 session. Its purpose is to develop strategic recommendations for implementation of a new definition of Basic Education and the financing necessary to support it. In addition to guiding implementation of the bill, the QEC must also: Develop strategic recommendations and update those every four years. Identify measurable goals and priorities for a 10-year period for the educational system, including ongoing strategies to eliminate the achievement gap and reduce dropout rates. Consider the OSPI system capacity report.