Okay, so I did something for the very first time the other day.
I sent a letter to an elected official. Actually, I sent it to several of our elected officials here in Washington State.
Although I have always been a very faithful voter and take that privilege quite seriously, I’ve never felt overly passionate about a particular issue enough to warrant penning any correspondence.
Until now….
My wife, Janice, is a 5th grade teacher at Brownsville Elementary School in the Central Kitsap School District. Call me biased, but I think she is one of the most gifted and caring teachers on the planet. She’s one of those highly memorable teachers that kids look back on as having made a significant positive impact in their lives.
This last year, along with several other teachers at Brownsville, Janice has been studying for her National Board Certification. Achieving this goal is an extremely difficult and involved process which requires meeting very rigorous standards through intensive study, expert evaluation, self-assessment and peer review. The process culminates in a lengthy exam where the passing rate is only 50%. My wife is scheduled to take the test in May.
The National Board Certification was recently recognized by the National Research Council as having a positive impact on student achievement, teacher retention, and professional development. It’s one of the few truly viable programs out there that offers meaningful incentives for teaching professionals to improve their skills, and actually translates into providing better education to students. As an incentive/reward for their hard work and commitment, those who achieve certification receive an annual stipend/bonus of $5000.
And so it comes with incredulous shock and dismay that one of our local legislators, Rep. Kathy Haigh, of the 35th District, would introduce House Bill 2343 “Achieving Savings in Education Programs” that could potentially jeopardize the future payment of the National Board bonuses.
Let’s face it, teachers don’t earn the kind of salaries they deserve to begin with. And for those who genuinely want to improve or excel, they should be duly compensated for taking the time, energy, and initiative to do so. Why would we want to encourage teachers to simply remain at the status quo and penalize those who want to become better equipped to teach our children?
For the faithful readers of SoundBiteBlog, would you join me in doing what I did? Maybe it might be a ‘first’ for you too! Send a letter to our elected officials, and tell them what a really bad idea House Bill 2343 is. Surely with all the Congressional bailout legislation and pork barrel spending going on lately, some of those programs could easily be eliminated without penalizing our valued teaching professionals AND students yet again! Thank you!
For the record, I have received one response thus far to my letter. It was from Rep. Sherry Appleton. Here’s what she wrote:
Thank you for your e-mail. I appreciate you writing me for your first time!
I understand your frustration. I do not want to cut education, nor do I want the many cuts that are taking place. With a budget deficit exceeding $9 billion, and no new taxes to bring in more revenue, we have no choice but to make cuts to very critical programs.
I do not support House Bill 2343. I support National Board Certified Teachers and do not want to see any cuts. I understand the amount of work it takes, for both the spouse and the candidate, to become Nationally Board Certified and I commend you and your wife for your dedication and decision to become certified.
Thanks again for writing. I appreciate hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Sherry
Sherry V. Appleton
Representative, 23rd Legislative District
~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~
Rich Jacobson is a licensed real estate professional providing empowerment and relentless representation for his clients of residential properties and vacant land throughout all of Kitsap County WA and portions of Pierce, Mason, and Jefferson Counties. You can also find him at KitsapLife.com and Crabbing in the Hood.
Edited By Mark – 4/17/2009
In an effort to understand this bill and it’s potential impact, I have been researching. The following links may help visitors more clearly understand the issues.
Superintendent of Public Instruction site – It is interesting that Washington State was recently used as a model for a promotional video by the National Board of Professional Teaching Standard. It is also interesting to view the original proponents of the Initiative (bottom, right-hand corner of the page).
The OSPI site includes the following statement:
The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards Washington State program is unique. The shared responsibility and cooperation among the three different organizations (OSPI, WEA and CSTP) is being copied all over the country.
Washington Education Association site – A description of the National Board Certification program.
Washington State University page – This page is for educators. There is a very clear description of the requirements, time commitment and benefits of this program as well as links to additional sources of information.
Stories From School blog – A collaborative blog of 6 NBPTS Educators. This link leads to a recent post praising the Washington State program that is now in jeopardy.
Seattle Times article – A December 2008 article. The final sentence of the article:
Here is a program improving the quality of hundreds of teachers. It ought to be valued.
2009 Biennial Budget Request – From the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction website.
Share on Facebook
Posted in Bites of Washington | No Comments »
Tags: Brownsville Elementary, Central Kitsap School District, Christine Rolfes, house bill 2343, Kathy Haigh, National Board Certification, Phil Rockefeller, Sherry Appleton
There’s been a lot of somewhat heated yet healthy discussion and debate lately regarding the upcoming local school support levies being voted upon here in Kitsap County WA by February 9th.
