In early May, thousands of Washington Education Association members in seven Puget Sound districts walked off the job to protest legislators' failure to adequately fund public education-including voter-passed initiatives to pay for educator cost-of-living increases, smaller class sizes, and professional development. Media reports indicated strong parental support for school employees on the day of the first walkout.

In Virginia, the governor and legislators have failed to agree to off-year amendments to the biennial budget to meet the pressing needs of public schools.

"At a time when the public identifies improving public education as a priority, we will see a decline in support for education of seven dollars per pupil," points out Virginia Education Association President Jean Bankos. "Education was clearly not a priority when the General Assembly left town, work unfinished."

The Oregon Education Association has given its Education Citizen of the Year Award to Governor John A. Kitzhaber for his "unwavering commitment" to public education. "The governor has shown us that he believes the health of our state ultimately depends on the learning opportunities we afford our children and young adults," says OEA President James Sager. Faced this year with revenue shortfalls, Governor Kitzhaber prioritized public education above all other state services in his proposed budget.

The Florida Supreme Court has refused to consider a challenge, raised by the Florida Education Association and coalition allies, to the constitutionality of the state's two-year-old voucher law. Opponents now plan to redouble their efforts, challenging the voucher program as a violation of the constitutional separation between church and state.

Recently, the Canadian Teachers Federation commissioned a poll to gauge public opinion on the importance of eight factors used to evaluate community schools. Pollsters found that only 40 percent of Canadians believed that pencil-and-paper test scores are very important.

"The majority of Canadians have little confidence in the credibility of school rankings," sums up CTF President Marilies Rettig. "Instead, they believe class sizes, curriculum, school budgets, and the number of educational support workers, such as guidance counselors, are more important factors to consider than test scores."