46th District legislators announce package of education bills for this year
Published 3:58 pm Wednesday, January 27, 2016
The following is a release from Washington House Democrats:
A group of legislators, including all three from the 46th District that represents Kenmore, came together yesterday to promote a package of bills that would make sure every kid gets a fair shot at an excellent education. The package addresses some of Seattle School District’s most urgent problems. These bills support the work being done to fully fund education statewide.
“These proposals, together with what the House passed this week, will make a real difference for students in Seattle Public Schools,” said Rep. Jessyn Farrell, who represents Kenmore from the 46th District. “As Democrats, we believe this is a very important session for education, not a do-nothing session.”
The legislators want to focus on four key areas: capacity for students; recruitment of teachers; accountability for school district decisions; and closing the opportunity gap.
“Seattle has experienced dramatic enrollment growth over the last six years and needs assistance to provide classroom space required both by enrollment growth and class size reduction laws,” said Senator Jamie Pedersen (D-Seattle), prime sponsor of SB 5859. “This bill will increase the state’s contribution to school construction, helping Seattle and school districts across the state build the classrooms needed to educate kids.”
“We have a teacher shortage crisis. Teachers are leaving the profession at alarmingly high rates and there aren’t enough new teachers to lower class sizes” said Rep. Gerry Pollet, a prime sponsor of HB 2881 and represents Kenmore from the 46th District. “This teacher shortage and new teacher recruitment bill will allow us to lower class sizes and mentor teachers. It will expand Seattle’s successful residency mentor program for first year teachers, and provide hundreds of tuition grants for students who want to become teachers.”
“As the Seattle School District decides how to implement class size reductions, these decisions need to consider the impacts to all students in the district,” said Farrell, prime sponsor of HB 2837. “In a school district as big as Seattle, there can be shuffling of teachers and students around to meet class size reduction mandates. But these actions should not create smaller class sizes for some students while others see their classrooms ballooning. House Bill 2837 will foster transparency and accountability with respect to decisions around class size and teacher allocation.”
“We will continue our efforts to secure state funding to reduce the horrible overcrowding in Seattle’s schools,” said Pollet.
The delegation has secured over $40 million in the past several years to reopen and renovate overcrowded and unsafe schools in Seattle, and Carlyle, Pedersen and Pollet are working with the District to develop a new package of targeted investments.
