State Report

Education Wins in Key Elections

California
Educators scored big victories in California, defeating Governor Schwarzenegger’s special election initiatives. Voters defeated Proposition 74, which would have lengthened the time public school teachers are kept in probationary status from two to five years. While probationary employees, they could have been terminated at any time without cause. In addition, school districts could have dismissed a permanent teacher after two consecutive unsatisfactory performance evaluations, using a modified dismissal process. Voters also defeated Proposition 75, which would have required public employee unions to obtain written consent from every employee each year before using their dues for political purposes.  For more, visit the California Teachers Association .

New Jersey
In a face-off between two multimillionaires for New Jersey governor, Democratic Sen. Jon Corzine defeated businessman Doug Forrester. The 125-member political action committee of the 190,000-member New Jersey Education Association (NJEA) endorsed Democrat Jon Corzine for governor. “Jon Corzine has an outstanding record of support for children and public education,” said NJEA President Edithe A. Fulton. “Throughout his career in the U.S. Senate, he has always been accessible to NJEA members, showing a genuine willingness to listen to the concerns and perspectives of professional educators. For more, visit the New Jersey Education Association.

Virginia
With Virginia Education Association (VEA) support, Democrat Timothy M. Kaine won the Virginia race for governor, defeating Republican rival Jerry W. Kilgore. VEA President and Chair of the VEA-PAC, which recommended Kaine for governor, Princess Moss said Kaine’s victory means VEA and the new administration will be able to “continue the progress that Governor Warner started. It means that we’ll make progress increasing Virginia teacher salaries to the national average, and that we’ll fund the Virginia Standards of Quality.” Speaking to supporters at his campaign headquarters election night, Kaine said that, in his administration, “we’re going to keep working to give every Virginia child a world-class education,” starting with “free preschool for every Virginia 4-year-old.” For more, visit the Virginia Education Association .  

Leading the Way

Connecticut
Connecticut became the first state to file suit against the federal government over the so-called No Child Left Behind (NCLB) law, claiming that the Bush Administration had not provided enough money to pay for new testing and programs. The federal government gave Connecticut $5.8 million this year, but state officials say another $41.6 million is needed by 2008 to comply with the law, which, by the way, states the federal government must pay for the rules and regulations it is imposing on public schools. The Connecticut Education Association (CEA)  also declared that state and local funds cannot be used to meet the goals of the 2001 act. More than 42 Connecticut school districts back the state's lawsuit. Since the law's enactment in 2002, there has been a $27 billion funding shortfall in what Congress was supposed to provide schools.

Something in the Water

Washington
Contract negotiators are on a roll with at least eight recent victories. The Bellingham Education Association and Mount Vernon Education Association each ratified contracts that include average salary increases of 1.85 percent for each of the next two years, plus the state COLA for each of two years. The Peninsula Education Association agreed on a contract containing more paid days annually and fewer restrictions on what teachers can do during that time. Association bargaining teams were also successful in Bethel, Clover Park, Oak Harbor, Snoqualmie, and Tacoma, among others. For more information, visit the Washington Education Association .

New Track Records

Wyoming
A new data tracking system in Wyoming that collects education statistics and student records could help manage the way NCLB requirements are reported. The Wyoming Education Association  (WEA) is working with government and private industry sources to further develop a data warehousing system that will enable the quick transfer of student files among departments as well as districts. "As a student transfers from within the state, their records will transfer electronically in a consistent format," says WEA President Gary McDowell. "A student's performance and assessments will be tracked more efficiently." Student grades, for example, will be entered in the system only once, then transferred electronically.

Measuring Progress

Arizona
Enforcement of adequate yearly progress (AYP) standards could affect more than 150 schools. Arizona schools had been asked by the U.S. Department of Education to include AIMS test scores from students just learning English when calculating AYP measurements. Schools that fail to meet standards four years in a row could be ordered to replace teachers and principals. John Wright, Arizona Education Association (AEA) president, says the Association has helped place members on a statewide work group that includes government and school district officials.

"We can't undo the federal formula," Wright says. "We can work with teachers and school districts to develop non-threatening peer support recommendations." In response to AEA's efforts, federal authorities recently agreed to omit the scores of Arizona students in their first three years of learning English.

Certifiably Number One

North Carolina
More than 500 National Board Certified Teachers (NBCTs) from across the state attended a summit recently to discuss how to increase the supply of quality teachers. Sponsored in part by the North Carolina Association of Educators (NCAE), recommendations were sent to state legislators, school boards, and administrators to help recruit and retain teachers.

"Providing our state's neediest children with an adequate supply of well-prepared teachers is critical to closing the achievement gap," says NCAE President Eddie Davis. "Research tells us that the consequences are profoundly negative when students in high-needs schools are deprived of effective teachers."

Ties that Bind

Delaware
Thanks to a binding arbitration law, the Lake Forest Education Association (LFEA) gained binding arbitration recently for all members of the bargaining unit and negotiates one contract that covers teachers, specialists, child nutrition workers, secretaries, paras, and custodians. In recent negotiations, LFEA gained a 100 percent salary increase for paras, a tuition reimbursement increase of $20,000 (to $85,000), and a payoff for unused sick days for retirees (from $10 to $30 per day) among other gains. The Delaware State Education Association (DSEA), after 10 years of work with legislators, helped usher in Delaware's binding arbitration law in 2003, which requires public employers and unions to negotiate binding grievance arbitration language for their successor contract if it does not yet include such language.

Closing the Gap

Utah

The slogan for the Utah Education Association’s (UEA) campaign to improve public schools gets to the point: “No Excuses! Invest in Public Schools.” It also gets around on billboards, car window stickers and lawn signs. Aimed at policymakers, the campaign promotes public schools as financial investments in creating jobs, helping stabilize property values, attracting new businesses, and helping close the economic gap between the rich and poor. “Our goal with this campaign is to do what we do best – educate, motivate, and empower,” says UEA President Pat Rusk. “We have choices on how our tax dollars are spent. We can choose to give more tax breaks to corporations, or we can choose to invest in schools, our communities, and our state.” More information about the campaign is available at www.utea.org.