4 votes
I disagreeTuition rates are growing faster than families can keep up with. Federal and state financial aid is not making up the difference. The 7 and 14 percent increases over the last few years are arbitrary and not based on median income familes' ability to pay. Tie tuition rates to an indicator that has grounding in the real economy
11 votes
I disagreeProvide more on-line classes and make them slightly cheaper than classes in brick and mortar situations. My child is taking an online class with three instructors that she never met (even once) and yet still had to pay full tuition like she was taking up classroom space and electricity. I know not all classes can (or should) be offered online, but there are many that can be done this way, freeing up classroom space ...more »
Provide more on-line classes and make them slightly cheaper than classes in brick and mortar situations. My child is taking an online class with three instructors that she never met (even once) and yet still had to pay full tuition like she was taking up classroom space and electricity.
I know not all classes can (or should) be offered online, but there are many that can be done this way, freeing up classroom space for classes that do need face to face time (like sciences classes with labs, or sociology, education, psychology or human resources classes) .
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17 votes
I disagreeConsolidate management of community colleges in any given county, so that there are not two or three of five separate HR departments. This will help save money that could be put into college education.
16 votes
I disagreeEliminate the focus on sports in schools. Concentrate on the 3 R's.
-39 votes
I disagreeClose down the University of Washington and sell off its assets. Warn the other universities that they will be next if they don't get education costs under control.
18 votes
I disagreea. let people know where the dollars from the lottery are going, they say they are going for education but it does not appear that is true. b. legalize statewide gambling, if the tribes do not like it, tell them the state will not legalize it if they give 5% of their gross take to the state c: put the entire university system under state control, with the same salaries for all the staff and common tuitions, etc. Set ...more »
a. let people know where the dollars from the lottery are going, they say they are going for education but it does not appear that is true.
b. legalize statewide gambling, if the tribes do not like it, tell them the state will not legalize it if they give 5% of their gross take to the state
c: put the entire university system under state control, with the same salaries for all the staff and common tuitions, etc. Set up a board of governors.
d. Have one early learning department, we have one state level and one at OSPI-we don't need two.
e. drop testing of pre-k and k-2 students; the feds are already doing this and do a follow through to 5th grade we can not do at the state level
f. End Of Course Exams in Mathematics-why is the state conducting these assessments; they should done at the district and the school level; this adds to the overall assessment costs at the state level, and probably will not reflect what kids know unless they follow a state dictated curriculum.
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-14 votes
I disagreeMake the public school systems food service industry self-sustainable. Schools would grown their own vegetables and livestock, double win for extra curriculum and sustainablity.
32 votes
I disagreeStop requiring teachers of students with profound cognitive disabilites to write WASL portfolios (now HSPE). These students, who have functional levels of 6-12 months, don't even know they are taking a test. Teachers spend hours of time and districts hire substitute teachers so these portfolios can be written for students who have never done academics. Make an exemption for these students and don't punish the schools ...more »
Stop requiring teachers of students with profound cognitive disabilites to write WASL portfolios (now HSPE). These students, who have functional levels of 6-12 months, don't even know they are taking a test. Teachers spend hours of time and districts hire substitute teachers so these portfolios can be written for students who have never done academics. Make an exemption for these students and don't punish the schools for "failing" HSPE scores for these students.
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29 votes
I disagreeI know employees are still get tuition reimbursement for college classes. I think if a state agency is going to pay for a college degree then the employee should have to sign a contract that makes them stay with the agency for a couple of years minimum. I have known several employees who have had the state pay for their degrees and then they go to the private sector for the higher salary. We need to stop this practice! ...more »
I know employees are still get tuition reimbursement for college classes. I think if a state agency is going to pay for a college degree then the employee should have to sign a contract that makes them stay with the agency for a couple of years minimum. I have known several employees who have had the state pay for their degrees and then they go to the private sector for the higher salary. We need to stop this practice!
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17 votes
I disagreeThe Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) test is already used by hundreds of schools around the state. It's developed by a private company, the Northwest Evaluation Association. It's correlated to our standards. The results are immediate. Beyond that, though, the potential savings--given that it's computer based, we wouldn't need a staff member in every school and district to process the old WASL/MSP paperwork. Instead ...more »
The Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) test is already used by hundreds of schools around the state. It's developed by a private company, the Northwest Evaluation Association. It's correlated to our standards. The results are immediate.
Beyond that, though, the potential savings--given that it's computer based, we wouldn't need a staff member in every school and district to process the old WASL/MSP paperwork. Instead of pouring more money into OSPI to move towards computerized testing, why not just adopt a perfectly good computerized test that we already have available? The annual allocation for the testing we do now is tens of millions of dollars, and that doesn't take into account the local costs to districts. The MAP would be a much better way.
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38 votes
I disagreeIn our effort to balance the state budget, Higher Education has landed on the chopping block. I believe this is a gross mistake. Washington needs to continue to attract and retain the best and the brightest if we expect to sustain our economy for the future. Lets not become so short sighted in a time of economic crises as to threaten our future.
18 votes
I disagreeThe younger generation is the fundation of the World's future. Therefore, if we really wanted the best for ourselves, we would start by providing our children and younger generation with the best, practical, and most accesible education.
19 votes
I disagreeCut the average state funding cost per credit hour by at least 10% thru increased average class size and average faculty teaching load with at least 1/3rd of the savings at each institution coming from the latter.
-1 votes
I disagreeReduce staff expense of central agency administration of Department of Early Learning by at least 10%.
48 votes
I disagreeDecrease school district superintenant pay by 6%. Even with their pay freezes, its not doing enough for the schools and the hundreds of teachers losing their jobs.
6 votes
I disagreePLACE WEBCAMS IN K-12 CLASSROOMS
We need to insure quaility education as well as class safety. Improving the education of our youth will improve our youths chances for greater income thus providing more taxable income because are youth will be the future leaders of this state.
30 votes
I disagreeNot all students are ready for a college track while in high school. Offering quality vocational education is a wonderful alternative to our kids wasting away and bored to death in high school. This training gives them the skills to join the work force and become responsible citizens. This can also delay going straight to college after high school. Many of our youth are not ready to go to college but feel the must ...more »
Not all students are ready for a college track while in high school. Offering quality vocational education is a wonderful alternative to our kids wasting away and bored to death in high school. This training gives them the skills to join the work force and become responsible citizens.
This can also delay going straight to college after high school. Many of our youth are not ready to go to college but feel the must or they are failures. Working at a job for which they trained can give them real life experience and maturity before they go to college. This would make these youth more successful in college.
It's time that we saw the benefits of real vocation education. Bright Future, in Seattle is an excellent program to look at for a model.
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24 votes
I disagreeSchool districts across Washington are apportioned funding via a many different mandated "pots" that then roll up into our "apportionment". The different 'colors of money' create constraints that inhibit best practices and effective use of funding received. Often, the amount of money in individually mandated pots only affords the district the opportunity to run mediocre individual programs instead of being able to ...more »
School districts across Washington are apportioned funding via a many different mandated "pots" that then roll up into our "apportionment". The different 'colors of money' create constraints that inhibit best practices and effective use of funding received.
Often, the amount of money in individually mandated pots only affords the district the opportunity to run mediocre individual programs instead of being able to combine the pots to run a single program that is more effective and better addresses the student achievement gaps in our district.
Currently, if we don't run medicore Program "A", we lose that funding ($100K, for example) and if we run mediocre Program "B", we lose that funding ($100K for example). The end result is two separate mediocre programs collectively expending $200K. Mediocre success is better than no success. But, we would prefer to use that same $200K to run one outstanding program that produces better results. A bonus is reduced administrative costs tracking one program instead of several smaller ones.
As a school board director, I want our programs to be as effective and efficient as humanly possible. It makes no sense to run two mediocre programs instead of a single effective program. Don't consign us to mediocrity! Give us the latitude to move the same dollars to more effective programs and then, please, hold us accountable!
We want to be accountable. It is frustrating to be stuck in a system where we must 'use or lose' mediocre programs when we could do so much better for our students if we had the flexibility to use the same amount of funding to produce better results.
Respectfully,
Kathryn Simpson
School Board Director,
South Kitsap School District
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-9 votes
I disagreeFrom the information distributed at the Governor's public hearing, there are 100,000 students receiving $435 million in state financial aid. The various universities and colleges that these students attend should ask their alumni to step up and "adopt-a-scholar" instead of draining state funds. I don't know what the situation in Washington is, but the University of Illinois estimates that it has 600,000 living alumni. ...more »
From the information distributed at the Governor's public hearing, there are 100,000 students receiving $435 million in state financial aid. The various universities and colleges that these students attend should ask their alumni to step up and "adopt-a-scholar" instead of draining state funds.
I don't know what the situation in Washington is, but the University of Illinois estimates that it has 600,000 living alumni.
If alumni have been successful in life because of their education, they ought to be willing to step up to this need. Corporations that alumni work for ought to match this at least one-for-one.
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19 votes
I disagreeHere's the transcript of the testimony delivered by the President of the Associated Students of the University of Washington at the Everett Public Hearing: Good evening, and thank you for the opportunity to offer testimony tonight. My name is Madeleine McKenna, and I serve as the President of the Associated Students of the University of Washington. Tonight I am proud to speak on behalf of the 42,000 students I represent. ...more »
Here's the transcript of the testimony delivered by the President of the Associated Students of the University of Washington at the Everett Public Hearing:
Good evening, and thank you for the opportunity to offer testimony tonight. My name is Madeleine McKenna, and I serve as the President of the Associated Students of the University of Washington. Tonight I am proud to speak on behalf of the 42,000 students I represent.
As students at the University of Washington, we are proud to attend a world-class university right in our own backyard. But we are deeply concerned that if the State continues down a path of divestment in our University, the UW will no longer be a place that talented students from Washington’s middle- and working-class families will be able to afford.
Here’s a snapshot of declining affordability at the UW. In the time that I’ve been at the University, my tuition bill has gone up by almost 50%, while State support for the UW has dropped by a third. Last year, the Governor’s Book 1 Budget included a suspension of 60% of the funding for the State Need Grant, which currently supports the education of some 7,000 Husky Promise students.
Enough is enough. Unless State leaders stand up for higher education, the UW will quickly become an institution reserved for the elite. Cuts to financial aid and institutional funding will disproportionately affect students of color and first generation college students.
I thought I would close tonight with a story about a UW alumnus and dear friend of mine, Tim Harris. Tim comes from a working class family in Vancouver, WA. His father is a small business owner. Tim earned good grades in high school, and with support from the State Need Grant and the Husky Promise program, he became the first person in his family to attend a four-year college. At the University of Washington, Tim completed an Honors thesis in Psychology,, volunteered at a non-profit community health clinic, and was crowned Homecoming King.
Tim’s leadership and service activities helped earn him a spot in the prestigious Teach for America program. Eventually, Tim wants to move back to Washington to use cutting-edge technology to provide psychiatric care to rural and resource-poor communities.
Tim’s story, while impressive, is not necessarily a unique one. There are thousands of students who, like Tim, earned a ticket to a better future because of the State’s commitment to funding higher education and financial aid programs for the students that need it. The success of these students will pay dividends in economic development and prosperity for future generations of Washingtonians far beyond the State’s investment. There are some alumni in the room - and probably some alumni on the panel - who I think would agree.
We recognize that, over the coming years, the State must make tough decisions about how to spend scarce resources. But we ask the Governor and the Legislature to recognize that in these tough times, higher education is one of the smartest investments we can make — it’s an investment in jobs, learning, and the future of our state. It’s an investment in the future opportunities of thousands of working students and their families.
Thank you, and go Dawgs.
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16 votes
I disagreeStick to basics during this economic crisis especially. Keep a simple academic program for the schools, this may also contribute to improvement in education.
The frills such as athletics, clubs etc should be the responsibility of interested parents or other community members on a volunteer basis
-35 votes
I disagreeDrop textbooks completely from K thru college. Give every child their own laptop, like the laptops from One Laptop Per Child (http://laptop.org) and use cloud computing & the internet. They could be Ipads, laptops, netbooks - anything that they can access the internest with. Set up a partnership with ereader companies (eg Amazon, B&N etc) so that any textbooks needed can be accessed in e-format. Every 3 years, the ...more »
Drop textbooks completely from K thru college. Give every child their own laptop, like the laptops from One Laptop Per Child (http://laptop.org) and use cloud computing & the internet.
They could be Ipads, laptops, netbooks - anything that they can access the internest with. Set up a partnership with ereader companies (eg Amazon, B&N etc) so that any textbooks needed can be accessed in e-format.
Every 3 years, the kids get a new computer, an upgrade after they turn in their old one.
Computers promote interactivity with assignments as well as cutting down on the cost of physical books and the cost of trees.
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55 votes
I disagreeEliminate over processed foods from schools, find how to feed organic, natural food to students. This has been shown in Appleton, Wisconsin to reduce behavioral problems to near zero. It must be good for learning. We had apple machines in my Junior High school. We must get rid of bottled water, or share 50/50 in the profits until we do. Most of our tap water is better regulated than any bottled water.
9 votes
I disagreeNursing and Dental Hygiene students at community and technical colleges pay the same rate of tuition as students taking any other courses. These students are highly employable upon graduation and receive high levels of compensation (often higher than the rate paid to their faculty). Instruction of these students is much more expensive than instruction of students in other programs of study. For example nursing ratios ...more »
Nursing and Dental Hygiene students at community and technical colleges pay the same rate of tuition as students taking any other courses. These students are highly employable upon graduation and receive high levels of compensation (often higher than the rate paid to their faculty). Instruction of these students is much more expensive than instruction of students in other programs of study. For example nursing ratios at clinical are 8 or 10 students per faculty while faculty to student ratios in english or math classes are as high as 30-40 students to faculty member. Ratios of student to faculty are even lower for dental hygiene in the clinical arena. With the current structure, taxpayers and other students are subsidizing the education of these students. These students will often make more than $50,000 their first year of employment and could easily pay back any student loans they had incurred once they are employed. Nursing students are now paying $7000-8000 for their two years of professional education. Permitting differential tuition based upon program for these high cost and high demand programs would permit the colleges to recoup some of the expense of educating these students. Because there is high demand (many more applicants than spaces) and because the graduates will be making a good wage once graduating, this move should not be expected to decrease the production of registered nurses and dental hygienists. It would create a more equitable system, reducing the amount of subsidization paid by individuals not benefitting from enrollment in these high demand programs. With the current rate of cuts at the community and technical colleges if the trend continues the colleges will not be producing any graduates of any type.
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3 votes
I disagreeContinue to fund public home-based "virtual schools" such as the Washington Virtual Academy (WAVA).
WAVA families are assisted by state-certified school teachers and they get free access to top-notch curriculum (both textbooks and online). The state saves in building costs and there is no need for buses or school lunches.
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