Things Are Picking Up!
On Wednesday I went to my area WEA-PAC meeting, where they generally bemoaned what had come out of the legislature so far. Gainsharing appears dead, the Rule of 90 wasn't going anywhere (much less the Rule of 85), and there was a general grumbling about the health insurance costs going up yet again.
Then comes Thursday and a gift from the Gods: The Simple Majority passes! It still has to pass a vote of the people, but for it to even get to this point is pretty profound. SVC Alumnus isn't pleased, especially with Senators Brandland, Clements, and Pflug who crossed party lines to vote with the democrats on the issue. If even one of the three stays on the reservation, the bill dies. You can also read the opinion of the Evergreen Freedom Foundation here.
Today brought word that HB2079 had passed the senate. This was the bill the WEA badly wanted in order to stave off the coming action from the Supreme Court that would have hampered their ability to spend dues money in creative ways, and barring an April surprise from Christine it looks like it will happen. SVC Alumnus has been all over it from the conservative standpoint, and it's now a front-page story over at the EFF and Sound Politics blog.
Getting the simple majority to the voters is a big win for Washington teachers, and I'll be curious to see what the campaigning looks like on both sides come November. I personally think it's far from a slam dunk, but that could just be the Eastern Washingtonian in me not seeing things for what they are. The Association will tell us that 2079 is a win for teachers, and I'll be curious to see what the practical impact is for us, but my gut-level reaction is that it's just one of those bills that proves the old adage about laws and sausages.
It has to be said, though, that this hasn't been the best legislature for the WEA. One would have thought that control of all three law-making branches would have been a lot more productive than it's turned out to be. One wonders if the legislators decided to support 2079 to stroke the beast, since gainsharing, the rule of 85, and class size reduction are all on the scrap heap. The changes to the WASL timeline are a win, I guess, but was that done because of WEA pressure, or because of the pressure that was going to be put on the lawmakers by parents when their kids didn't get their diplomas?
This coming week could be a doozy.
Then comes Thursday and a gift from the Gods: The Simple Majority passes! It still has to pass a vote of the people, but for it to even get to this point is pretty profound. SVC Alumnus isn't pleased, especially with Senators Brandland, Clements, and Pflug who crossed party lines to vote with the democrats on the issue. If even one of the three stays on the reservation, the bill dies. You can also read the opinion of the Evergreen Freedom Foundation here.
Today brought word that HB2079 had passed the senate. This was the bill the WEA badly wanted in order to stave off the coming action from the Supreme Court that would have hampered their ability to spend dues money in creative ways, and barring an April surprise from Christine it looks like it will happen. SVC Alumnus has been all over it from the conservative standpoint, and it's now a front-page story over at the EFF and Sound Politics blog.
Getting the simple majority to the voters is a big win for Washington teachers, and I'll be curious to see what the campaigning looks like on both sides come November. I personally think it's far from a slam dunk, but that could just be the Eastern Washingtonian in me not seeing things for what they are. The Association will tell us that 2079 is a win for teachers, and I'll be curious to see what the practical impact is for us, but my gut-level reaction is that it's just one of those bills that proves the old adage about laws and sausages.
It has to be said, though, that this hasn't been the best legislature for the WEA. One would have thought that control of all three law-making branches would have been a lot more productive than it's turned out to be. One wonders if the legislators decided to support 2079 to stroke the beast, since gainsharing, the rule of 85, and class size reduction are all on the scrap heap. The changes to the WASL timeline are a win, I guess, but was that done because of WEA pressure, or because of the pressure that was going to be put on the lawmakers by parents when their kids didn't get their diplomas?
This coming week could be a doozy.
posted by Ryan at 2:34 PM
2 Comments:
Thanks for including me. I guess I owe you one.
I do hope though that class size reduction is a budget priority though!
That week WAS a doozy.
jl
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