FREEEEEDOM! Except for state employees, they can go screw.

I don't understand this point of view, at all.

A couple of years ago my District went to the employees with an idea to change dental plans.  I thought that, all things considered, it was a fairly moderate proposal.  They met with everyone in my building, certificated and classified, and presented.

They left running with their asses firmly held in their hands, because any time you talk about changing benefits people get really, really antsy.

That was a good 8 years ago.  Last year there was the proposal to move all school employees into one pool, an idea which only passed in the dead of night at the last day of the session, embarrassing the PSE of Washington in the process, which was the single best organizing tool that the WEA has ever been handed since I've been involved.

Point is, people get really, really touchy about their health benefits.  They should.  They're a big deal.  The notion that Senator Tom is putting out with this bill, that these new programs should be pushed down from administrators onto their underlings because it's the administrators who know best, is ridiculous.

There is nothing that will make employee wellness programs fail faster than leaving out the employees when you design them.

Read more here, if any.

Congratulations to Senator Rodney Tom on Breaking the World Record Time for Shitting the Bed After Taking Power

I'm not even talking about all the nonsense with Pam Roach, although that is a fun side story that gives the press corp something to do in this week where every committee meeting begins with 30 minutes of "I'm Representative Jones, I love kids, and my district is awesome!"

Remember last month, when the Majority Coalition Caucus came into being in the Washington State Senate and released their five governing principles?

We, the members of the Coalition Caucus, come together behind the principles of:

• budget sustainability and living within our means;
• creating an economic environment where jobs are plentiful and small businesses thrive;
• providing a world-class education system through reforms and enhancements;
• governing collaboratively to protect our most vulnerable while prioritizing the needs of middle-class Washingtonians;
• and setting priorities for state government and holding it accountable.

How do you reconcile those principles, then, with Senator Tom's insistence on destroying the Guaranteed Education Tuition (GET) Program, our pre-paid tuition program here in Washington State? Those families that buy the GET credits are budgeting for the future and making sure that their kids are taken care of. They're doing their best to help their children access a world-class education system without having to start their adult lives $50,000 or more in the hole. They're prioritizing education by accessing a program that's great for middle-class Washingtonians. The families using GET are doing the exact right thing.

In return Senator Tom, who worries about the middle class in the same way that a hawk worries about the number of mice in a field, calls GET a Ponzi scheme (horseshit--the money is always there for those who pay into it) and tries to argue that GET is somehow driving tuition costs when it's the legislature and the directives that they've given to the colleges that's making that happen, not GET. Senator Tom is the former chair of the Senate Higher Education Committee--he knows full well why tuition has become what it has become. I mean, really:  

Tom said it's unclear exactly who the GET program helps.

It's clear as day, unless you really don't want to see.  It helps middle class families, like mine.  Someone who literally lives off of a trust fund may not get that, but our reality is different than his.  It is heartening to see that the House Republicans, most notably Gary Alexander, have already come out against eliminating GET, and I applaud them for it.

It only took five days, out of 105 in the session, for Senator Tom to have his first several screw-ups.  Here's to more of the same next week.

Other reading:

• Senator Rodney Tom: The Politics of Two-Faced Divisiveness by Joel Connelly at the Seattle PI
• Senator Rodney Tom: Give College Savings Program the Budget Ax by John Stang at Crosscut
• Axing College Savings Program: The Jury Is Out, ibid
• Money From Nothing?, by the only media outlet in the state that would praise Senator Tom for this.

Read more here, if any.

I Agree, They Certainly Are!

From a ridiculous puff-piece that was linked to off of the League of Education Voter's Facebook page:

But that's changing. Why? First, leaders from both parties, including Senators Litzow and Tom, and Representative Pettigrew, are demonstrating the steal it takes to move reform in a state that has long resisted it.

I agree--Senator Tom does have what it takes to steal.

Read more here, if any.

Remember When Rodney Tom Was Good on Education?

Reading through an old Association of Washington School Principals magazine, he got their Torch of Leadership Award back in 2009.

Since then, he's used that torch to burn down the public schools every chance he gets.

Yay, leadership.

Read more here, if any.

The Washington State School Directors Association vs. Sen. Rodney Tom

From the floor of the sausage factory:

Earlier today, the Senate took action on its three unfunded mandates bills: SB 5880, SB 5889 and SB 5890. Each bill would delay, suspend or repeal a series of education unfunded mandates. Each bill was adopted today with amendments; however, we specifically want to make you aware of an amendment that was attached to SB 5880. Sen. Rodney Tom was successful in adopting language that would repeal current law provisions that school directors automatically become members of WSSDA. In arguing on behalf of his amendment, he said that this was needed to ensure school districts have the flexibility to decide for themselves whether or not they will be members of the Association. He also argued that larger districts were not adequately represented by the Association — even though WSSDA's own membership recently approved of major changes to our weighted vote structure. Ironically, WSSDA made these changes following an internal review that was prompted by pressure from then -Rep.- Rodney Tom.

Sens. Rosemary McAuliffe, Mary Margaret Haugen and Steve Hobbs each asked their colleagues to reject the amendment because WSSDA provides the services and training that school directors need to be effective. Sen. Hobbs strongly said that this amendment would ultimately hurt small districts because they can not afford any other representation in Olympia. Unless an oral roll call is requested, amendments are adopted by a voice vote in the Senate. When the vote was taken, there was some doubt as to which side prevailed; however, a division was called for (essentially a "standing vote") and 33 senators voted to accept the amendment. As SB 5880 moves to the House we will have to work with legislators there in an attempt to have this potentially crippling amendment removed.

You can read Sen. Tom's amendment here; TVW Washington video here, starting at about 39:30 in. Fun quote from Senator Tom:

"WSSDA is geared towards the smaller school districts. It's very undemocratic in the way they take their votes."

Fun quote from Senator Haugen:

"It sometimes gets to be the country mouse versus the city mouse down here."

It's obvious, then--school board members need an agency fee payer option.

Read more here, if any.