Tuesday, July 07, 2009

The League of "Education" Voters, the Bellevue Teacher's Strike, and School Librarians

Bellevue fired the cat, too.


Noted a press release put out recently saying that two Bellevue parents have joined the Board of Directors of the League of "Education" Voters.

Noted, too, that the Bellevue School District cut High School Librarians last month in order to save money. The school board says that the principals know best, and that every one of the principals wants to cut library.

Further noted that one of the reasons the L"E"V put forward to support HB2261, the Basic Ed Finance Reform Bill, was that it would protect school libraries. And librarians.

It's pretty obvious that the L"E"V is more interested in the theory of change than they are in the effects of the change. Instead of protesting the library cuts, they almost seem to praise them as "finding savings in creative ways." There's an open letter to all school librarians in the state: The L"E"V is on your side, until the going gets tough.

The final note: Bellevue is either represented by or close to the legislative districts of Representative Ross Hunter and Senator Fred Jarrett, two of the leading voices that guided the final work that came out of the Basic Ed Finance Task Force. The hotbed of ed reform in the state right now, for better or worse, is Bellevue. And the L"E"V won't even stand up for their librarians.

Noted.

Updated 7/8 10:00 PM: I got a message on Facebook from a reader who didn't understand the whole "finding savings in creative ways" criticism from up above; if you follow the link, it now reads "Cutting the basics" instead. Thanks to the miracle of Google's cache, though, you can still see the original, and here's a screen shot to prove it:

I'm glad they've acknowledged that librarians are basic education again. Just wish they had done it the first time.

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1 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Knock Rep. Ross Hunter, HB 1487 Microsoft Subsidy Bill Sponsor, and “YEA” voting Jarrett out of the King County Executive Race

How?
Send $14.87 to opposing candidates in the King County Executive race.

Hunter, at best, shows flawed judgment sponsoring the Microsoft subsidy bill in the midst of an economic crisis.

Hunter is unable to discern and prioritize needs of the people he serves, ignoring Washington residents in crisis to introduce special purpose, emergency legislation with errors and omissions to benefit only Microsoft.

Fellow Washington residents, on July 1, a new state law, HB 1487, nicknamed the “Microsoft subsidy bill” became effective. This special purpose legislation uses public dollars to fund Microsoft private interests, giving in-state tuition rates to an unknown number of temporary, non-immigrant visa workers and their families.

The beneficiaries of this generous subsidy did not request the benefit, nor did they organize or lobby to pass the bill. With an average wage of $92k, twice the state average, and $22k expected family contribution, these high-income families, exceed financial hardship guidelines, and can afford non-resident tuition at every college in the state during their 3-year visa.

While Hunter fiddled with Microsoft legislation to benefit families that did not request the privilege, Washington residents burned through life savings because we’ve lost our jobs, homes, and 401k plans.

In lawmaker's haste to pass the emergency Microsoft subsidy bill, they neglected to hear opposing testimony, fact and math check. During the same legislative session 2,500 teachers lost jobs and 110,000 people lost health insurance.

I do not understand why Rep. Hunter's Microsoft subsidy bill was pushed through the legislature as an emergency bill. The real emergency is to help King County families in need that Ross Hunter ignored.
Hunter can’t see people in need, only corporations with hands stretched out in greed.

Please ask your friends to donate $14.87 to an opposing candidate to knock Ross Hunter and “YEA” voting Sen. Fred Jarrett out of the KC Executive Race.

Now, more than ever, we need a leader elected for the people, by the people, not BUY Microsoft, who can direct American generosity to those most in need.

King County Executive Candidates - not involved in Microsoft subsidy bill
• Larry Phillips http://larryphillips.com/
• Stan Lippmann http://tinyurl.com/ld6n52
• Alan Lobdell www.alanlobdell.com
• Susan Hutchison www.susanhutchison.com
• Dow Constantine www.dowconstantine.com

12:03 AM  

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