Superintendent of
Public Instruction, non-partisan
The Superintendent of Public Instruction administers the
basic education program for all public and private schools in the state;
prepares the state school budget; grants certification to teachers and
administrative staff; develops and distributes curriculum; administers
accreditation of public and private schools; prepares rules for disabled,
gifted, remedial, health services, food services, vocational, basic education,
bilingual, and other state programs; reviews expenditures of local school
districts; regulates apportionment of federal program funds; and administers
education programs for children in state institutions.
And here’s another crowded field, with 9 candidates and no obvious labels. As ever,
there are some who can be eliminated from the get-go> Luckily in this case,
that leaves only a few viable candidates. The real race here is between Chris Rykdal, a very popular legislator, and Erin Jones, an equally popular educator. Both are
endorsed by FUSE Progressive Voters. My inclination is to go with Erin Jones. Seems like she has the licks, knows the
job, and is ready to take it on. I hope Chris Rykdal
will continue in the legislature, where we need people like him. I’ll be voting
for Erin Jones.
Bulleted lists are responses to questions at a public forum.
The candidates:
education: WSU, University of North Carolina MA in public
admin.
Has a great deal of experience in education planning and
budgeting. Was also a classroom teacher. Currently a state legislator. “Our
greatest obligation is not to short-term solutions, but to long-term
sustainability for our children and grandchildren. By making tough choices
today, we can have a strong economy, a healthier environment, a world-class
education system, and a strong safety net for vulnerable families. These create
the substance of long-term success.”
issues: Fully funding basic education, with affordable
access to college; Recommitting to career and technical education; Meaningful
assessments, rather than standardized tests; High school completion; The
opportunity gap – its not that non-white students are less smart. They’re just
not as well served, and the result is lower achievement. Outstanding school
support staff, supported with adequate pay and working conditions.;Teacher
excellence, achieved in part with adequate pay. Expanding dual credit options
(running start). High standards with local control. A long term vision for
OSPI.
Commenters on his website ask his position on charter
schools. Good question. I also note a lack of mention of the McCleary case and
the fact that every day the state fails to fully fund basic education costs the
taxpayers $100,000.00. The superintendent of public instruction does not set
the budget, but s/he certainly carries some weight with the legislature. In
fairness, he does commit to “fully funding basic education”, which is the
language of McCleary.
He is endorsed by many Dem legislators and organizations,
teachers’ unions, other labor unions,
- Capital gains tax is needed to raise more money
- Local levys should go down or be eliminated and state property taxes increased
- Need flexible pathways to get 24 HS grad credits
- Testing is ok but needs work
- Career vs. college ready: Functional vs. academic
- Single snapshot on testing with something that helps and matters. Not linked to grad
- Thinks ESSA is better than NCLB (these are testing platforms)
- Doesn’t support charter schools
- Said Senate blocked action on the levy cliff. OSPI should be an advocate on levy issues.
- ESSA: Supports; wants it to evolve
- Local control of school decisions
- Big data has pluses and minuses. Controls are needed. How to manage release? Data systems are poor.
- Define customers and their needs
- Steps vs. Outcomes
- 24 HS credits look like college prep and career prep
This question was posed of all candidates at a forum:
What is your position on teaching transgenderism in
Kindergarten? His answer: The standards do not promote cross-dressing and other
fabrications of the extreme right. They teach gender identity and self
awareness. These are good things not to be vilified.
· Endorsed
by FUSE Progressive Voters.
experienced as classroom teacher & administrator. Currently
Assistant Superintendent of Public Instruction. Focus on great schools for all
kids, regardless of zip code, race, or language.
Core values:
Advocacy – in support of students and educators.
An educator’s lens – by continuing to teach 2 days a week
she stays close to the heart of education, teachers. Non-teaching staff are
also important. Appropriate resources for arts, athletics, and other facilities
need to be provided.
A collaborative mindset – to include local government, community
organizations, business owners, religious institutions, and families.
Systems alignment – including a strategic plan to assure
success from pre-kindergarten through college.
The issues:
Funding – she cites to the McCleary case, in which she testified,
and provides a link to the case. For 6 years the legislature has suspended
voter approved COLA for school employees, resulting in loss of real income.
Teacher pay in WA is 42nd out of the 50 states. She lists the real
losses caused by the budget crunch, including lack of tech and vital support
staff, which leads to student failures. Asking educators to improve results
with decreasing resources is not only impossible, its an unfair expectation
with unacceptable results.
Common Core – a set of standards for what students are
expected to know and be able to do in any given year. It is not a curriculum
and it is not the state test. She plans, as Superintendent, to gather educators
and test experts not associated with any test company to see how they can
improve testing and spend less time on testing.
State Testing – tests need to be effective and provide
useful information to educators. Testing needs to be simplified and meaningful.
English language learners should not be tested as if they are proficient in the
language when they are not.
Teacher Evaluation – is necessary but should not be punitive
or an excuse to oust individual teachers. Student test scores should not factor
into individual teacher evaluations.
She gives a clear definition of the duties of the
Superintendent.
She is endorsed by many Dem officials and organizations,
progressive organizations, education unions, and African American
organizations,
- No plan for McCleary funding
- Equality is key. Data, recruiting educators, authentic community engagement, student support.
- Need better transitions between grades
- Eliminate barriers for educators to do their job. Help identify local gaps. Academic and soft skills needed
- High stakes testing is dangerous. Look at other measures. Focus on personal growth.
- Public doesn’t understand levies. Make sure the public is aware of the financial issues.
- OSPI should talk about family engagement
- Need a conversation about who pays taxes
- OSPI needs to provide data that can be used
- Accountability has gone overboard – eliminate barriers
- She is a Director for AVID
- Match student passion with opportunities and careers
- Summary: As an educator she eliminated barriers; running because she loves teaching
· Endorsed
by FUSE Progressive Voters.
Appears to have no website. Could find no real information.
He ran for the position in 2008, and a report from then says that he has worked
in public schools for many years as a teacher and assistant principal. He
speaks 8 languages. His issues in 2008 had to do with improving curriculum and
celebrating diversity. He wanted to see better curriculum in technology,
languages, reading, writing, and global education.
education: UW PhD in Education Leadership & Policy
Studies
Has worked 13 years as a school nurse.
She wants to address the ‘achievement gap’ by providing full
access to education for all students, regardless of place of origin, language,
or current residence. Honor the values of the communities, and draw in parents
as active participants. Preserve students’ safety, curiosity, and natural
thirst for learning.
Issues: Ample provision for education of all children. Not
just throwing money at the problem but using strategic and thoughtful
allocation. Smaller class sizes,
necessary health & safety supports, teacher & principal excellence and
innovation, reducing summer learning loss, leading edge classroom tech.
Strengthening partnerships among parents, educators,
legislators, community organizations, and state and national agencies.
Early learning. The “achievement gap” is already in place by
the time children enter kindergarten. Investment in early learning – social,
emotional, and intellectual – and in child and family support, has the greatest
potential to close that gap.
“No Child Left Behind” – recently reauthorized as “Every
Student Succeeds”, and much improved, no longer requires that teachers be
evaluated based on standardized student test scores. There is still the issue
of foreign language speaking students being tested as if they spoke English.
Student health and support – Sick students don’t learn well.
Many students are poor, immigrants, and/or have a diagnosable health condition.
She will work to strengthen the critical support networks for those students.
She does not mention charter schools or dealing with
McCleary.
Endorsed by some Dems, the National Women’s Political Caucus
of WA, and a number of ethnic community leaders.
- Didn’t say her name in the intro
- Least amount of education experience of candidates
- School nurse with health as her focus
- No plan for dealing with McCleary funding
- Wants to level the playing ground
- Invest in early learning and use a prevention mindset
- Would create a new department to help districts get access to the system
- Need a Core education. Talked about the need for trade training but nothing else
- Role of testing and other methods but not for SBAC.
- Immigrant and bilingual students have a harder time
- Schools don’t fail. Poverty is the issue.
- Excited about ESSA. Sees it as great opportunity for WA State
- Levy transfers from richer districts to lower income districts to create a balance
- OSPI needs to help ESDs/Districts access data and use it. Need better use/applications
- Health and poverty must be solved to improve education
What is your position on teaching transgenderism in Kindergarten? Restrooms should be accessible to all people, however they identify. It is easy to do this by creating bathroom stalls with walls that go to the floor and to (or near to) the ceiling to ensure privacy. Hand washing facilities can be shared by all.
Retired military. Retired engineer (USDOE), WSU teaching
certificate, Cal State teaching credential.
Issues: Maintain local control of our children’s education,
which means doing away with Common Core curriculum. He wants schools to teach
the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. Insure parents maintain
ultimate authority over their children’s education. Prevent bullying by
well-financed special interest groups that promote unhealthy lifestyles (read
that to mean accepting LGBT students as equals). Promote healthy lifestyles and
sobriety. Protect personnel from violence. Treat boys and girls as boys and
girls (read that to mean not accepting trans kids for what they are). Provide
educational opportunities for all. Maintain high literary standards. Ensure
that schools teach students the whole truth.
Assist educators by: Eliminating unneeded testing. Affirming
the right to voluntarily join or not join a union. Reduce teachers’
administrative burden. Enhance teachers’ career flexibility.
He does not list any endorsements. What shows through is an
anti-LGBT bent and a right-wing libertarianism, complete with opposition to
unions.
What is your position on teaching transgenderism in
Kindergarten? I oppose the new health
education learning standards that were quietly adopted by the Washington State
Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) on March 25 without
issuance of public notice or press release. These new standards include
teaching gender expression to kindergarteners. I believe that these
standards are government-sanctioned and taxpayer-subsidized child abuse and
should be rescinded. I also think that the way in which they were
adopted, without issuance of public notice or press release, to be egregiously
unethical and a flagrant example of “government in the shadows,” rather than
“government in sunshine.”
Appears to have no website. The email suggests that this
person works in the office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction.
Education: MBA
(Master of Business Administration), Global Management, City University of
Seattle; the second Master’s degree in English Philology: English, American
Literature, Linguistics – Phonetics, Phonology, Education
What is your position on teaching transgenderism in Kindergarten? Definitely we need to hold on some things – research AGENDA 21 – Tom DeWeese for the starters, please. Then: Alexandra Swann: AGENDA 21: Bankrupting America into Utopia One City at a Time – education IS a part of AGENDA 21.
Statement: Grazyna
credits Polish family (grandparents’ twelve children: eight plus four) and
Polish teachers for teaching decency, honor, humility, resilience. Gratitude
goes to professors at the City University of Seattle MBA Program: for
transformations as dark side of leadership surface: ability to identify systems
that lack quality, accountability, transparent budgets (participated: W.
Edwards Deming’s red bead experiment, there).
Grazyna’s
experience and research of planned agendas, the latest AGENDA 21: Bankrupting
America into Utopia: One City at a Time, Alexandra Swann, Rosa Koire;
John
Taylor Gatto: “Ultimate History Lesson of American Education ” that theme
across with works of Beverly Eakman “Cloning American Mind. Eradicating
Morality through Education,” Charlotte Iserbyt “How We Got Here,” “ABCs of
Dumbed Down”.
Grazyna communicated ‘voluntary’ (mandated)
AGENDA 21 through Open Letters to schools, cities as they implement it with
contempt for public, “Common Core: Based
on Agenda 21, UNESCO Standards.”
Grazyna
is against charter schools (unelected boards),
Academic Child Abuse (Engelman), Blumenfeld: NEA, standardized testing:
examine Candice Bernd: Morna McDermott’s Flow Chart matching STOP AGENDA 21 – Tom DeWeese.
Public ‘homework” results in awareness on
developed ‘pipelines’ that require push-back as multi-faceted endeavors connect
both broad research and experience Grazyna has and ‘official language”
Based on the answers above, one gets the impression that
this person is a bit of a loose cannon.
education: UW MA in education and child development
taught 20+ years at Bellevue College, mainly in problem
solving and conflict resolution. Rescue leader, King Co Search & Rescue.
Owner, Wilderness Sports store. Leader, Washington Public Bank Coalition.
Politically independent.
What is your position on teaching transgenderism in Kindergarten? I have been asked for my position on the new OSPI Sex Education program as described in the following article. http://dailycaller.com/2016/06/01/washington-state-to-teach-transgenderism-to-kindergartners/ Let me begin by pointing out that I am the only candidate running for Superintendent with a Masters Degree in Child Development. I am acutely aware that young children do not have the capacity for abstract reasoning both in terms of brain development as well as an experiential frame of reference to even begin to comprehend most of the extremely complex subjects described in the article. So my objection to this program is the same as my objection to the Common Core standards – neither is age appropriate.
Beyond this, I believe in parental rights and local control of schools. One of the reasons I am running for Superintendent is to eliminate the huge burden of completely needless state regulations imposed on our public schools. There is a place for sex education. But it should be addressed at the local level with participation from and input from local parents and teachers.Finally, I am deeply disturbed about these divisive debates as they take away focus from what is really harming our kids – namely the fact that we subject them to the lowest funded most over-crowded schools in our nation. What will help our kids is not subjecting them to a State Driven Sex Education Agenda. Rather it would be cutting class sizes from 32 students per class (the highest in the nation) down to 16 students per class (near the lowest in the nation) so that struggling students can finally get the help they need to succeed in school.
I am the only candidate with a REAL plan to double school funding, cut class sizes in half, build hundreds of schools, hire thousands of teachers, provide four years of free higher education and end the toxic SBAC test. I will achieve these goals by going around our gridlocked legislature and directly to our Supreme Court asking them to repeal billions of dollars in illegal tax breaks to wealthy multinational corporations. It is way past time that our State met its Paramount Duty to fully fund our public schools.
Issues: Fully fund schools. Cut class sizes in half. Fully fund school construction. Provide 2 years of free college. Provide homes for all homeless children. Lower local property taxes. End high stakes testing. Increase the graduation rate. Restore a fair GED test. End unfunded mandates. Oppose school privatization. Clean up Olympia.
There’s a ton more there. The website is a bit amateurish and hard to access, but there are solid ideas for progressive change in Washington. I’m just not sure the Superintendent of Public Instruction is the proper agent of that progressive change.
This is as close to a website as I was able to find, but the
information dates from 2012. Could find no current info.
education: Temple University
MA in science education
Former high school science teacher, ran for Superintendent
of Public Instruction in 2012, 2008, and 2004 as well.
education: UC Santa Barbara PhD in American environmental
history
Retired college professor, historian, 2005 Seattle mayor
candidate.
Dr Al’s prescription for healthy schools:
·
Before
advancing in any grade, every student in Washington State needs to master
reading, writing, and math.
·
Every
teacher must be treated with respect, and like other professionals in our
economy be fully compensated for quality teaching.
·
Parents
must be listened to and their views respected as to what is taught to their
kids.
·
Bureaucratic
"theories" have no place in classroom teaching. In planning the state
curriculum, common sense--not Common Core or standardized testing--should
prevail.
·
Our
education bureaucracy must be drastically reduced to save funds and restore
teaching as our top priority.
·
All
public education is local, whether at traditional public schools, charter
schools, private or home schools. All schooling that achieves results in
teaching the basics deserves our full support.
·
All
students should know their country's patriotic and civic heritage. U.S. history
should be taught in every grade, beginning with our country's founding.
NOTE:
Regardless of any judicial ruling, only when every taxpayer is reassured that
classroom teaching is the state's priority will the issue of funding be
resolved.
No comments:
Post a Comment