Advocacy in Action
On January 22, the Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education Committee heard public testimony on bills that would close the funding gaps in what are being called “The Big Three” – special education, school operating costs (MSOC), and student transportation. WSPTA Board Secretary Melissa Stone was part of a panel of education association leaders asking the Legislature to act this session to support school districts and students across the state.
The number of testifiers was limited, but Melissa spoke in favor of SB 5307, OSPI-request legislation that would remove the enrollment cap, increase the multiplier, and lower the threshold to access the safety net for higher cost students. Melissa also asked the committee to include funding for inclusionary practices for all building staff and direct teacher preparation programs to add inclusion to their pre-service coursework.
Listen to Melissa here.
While prepared to testify on all of the bills, Melissa was called up to testify on SB 5187, creating predictable and stable student transportation funding. She asked legislators to move up the due date for the OSPI report and new funding recommendation formula so districts didn’t wait through another three years of underfunding. Melissa thanked committee members for including immediate funding for students who are homeless, but asked them to include another highly mobile population – students in the foster care system – and students with disabilities. Speaking after Melissa, the OSPI representative said the agency was ready to go now, prompting a question from Ranking Republican Paul Harris of Vancouver if the date could be moved forward. The answer was yes.
Melissa’s testimony can be found here.