Local teachers are organizing an event Friday evening in Aberdeen to speak out on the major education issues facing legislators in Olympia this year.
What they are calling an education town hall meeting is planned from 5:30-7:30 p.m., at the Rotary Log Pavilion. This event is one of several regional education town halls organized by members of the Washington Education Association. At each event, teachers and education support professionals will be writing postcards, sending emails, posting to social media and making calls to legislators.
Some of the issues they cite include school funding increases that have been mandated by the state Supreme Court,required by citizen initiative, educator salaries and standardized testing.
Organizers say Rep. Brian Blake, D-Aberdeen, and Shawn O’Neil, who is an assistant for Sen. Jim Hargrove, D-Hoquiam, are assistant are scheduled to attend.
Organizers say two hundred teachers, education support professionals and other school supporters are expected to participate by sharing their stories and explaining how decisions in the Legislature can help or hurt kids in the classroom.
“This is a chance for teachers to speak directly to their legislators, the people in Olympia who are passing laws and writing budgets that affect our community’s public schools and children,” said Cathleen Peterson, who teaches at McDermoth School in Aberdeen. “The Supreme Court is holding the Legislature in contempt over its failure to fully fund our kids’ education. The voters have ordered the Legislature to reduce K-12 class sizes. The economy is improving. This is the best opportunity in a generation for us to work together and provide the quality education our students deserve.”
The state House of Representatives is expected to release a budget proposal later in March, followed by the Senate’s budget plan. Billions of dollars in new funding for K-12 public schools are at stake.
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