ISSUES: EDUCATION

The economic future of our region and the quality of life that we have come to expect and enjoy in this state depends largely on the skills and intellectual capacity of each of us. Along with public safety, education is the paramount concern of our state government. As citizens we must demand excellence and accountability from our public schools and school officials. At the same time, we must adequately support and fund our public schools and employees in order to ensure that each of our students has equitable access to an excellent education.

PreK-12. The way K-12 education is funded in Washington must be reformed. There are more effective, equitable and efficient ways of funding our schools, and the current system is much too dependent upon economic trends and local supplemental levies. We must continue to rethink and reengineer the direction we're heading to ensure all of our students are well-prepared, contributing citizens. While there are positive aspects of the WASL/HSPE, the negative impacts of these tests must be addressed in the near term. The way we treat K-12 educators, the way we train them, the way we pay them, the way we require them to maintain and update certification, etc. must be reformed if we are serious about attracting and retaining exemplary educators. For example, continuing education to remain certified as an educator is a logical component of teacher accountability. However, this amounts to an unfunded mandate or tax on our teachers, who are already lagging behind trying to keep up with the cost of living in this state. At the very least, we should offer our teachers continuing education opportunities at little or no cost through our public colleges and universities.

Higher Education. The funding challenges facing our universities, colleges and tech schools must be addressed in the very near term. Our state's and region’s economic and social structure depends on these institutions – especially during difficult economic times. Additionally, the 1st District and the immediate surrounding communities desperately need the presence and stability of an independent, public, four-year institution that addresses the specific needs of our diverse and growing community. Such a partnership would go a long way toward ensuring the economic, cultural, vocational and intellectual viability of our region.

So, what do you think? I'd appreciate hearing your thoughts. Email me at vince@vincedemiero.com or post a message to my wall on Facebook.

(en Español)