Victory & Action

FIRST. Let's celebrate our victory. The 2010 state budget finally passed. The legislature left town and the online students' share of education funding for 2010 is protected!
Friends in Olympia have told us that it was your phone calls and emails that convinced the committee members how important these schools are to students in our public school system. You saved the day for online public school programs! Congratulations. It is an impressive win for our kids. This year's final state budget stripped $120 million from educational programs, but these cuts were not targeted at students in online programs.

SECOND. Let's not forget the threat as we face the challenges ahead.
While this year's fair share of funding is preserved, we can't forget the shock of learning that the Washington State House of Representative's Ways & Means Committee Chair's budget proposed to "save" $22 million by eliminating all funding for Kindergarten thru 6th grade online public school students and other K-6 Alternative Learning Experience (ALE) programs.

With the victory of this year's budget battle finally behind us, next year's battle, unfortunately, is forecast to be even worse. Experts are calling it a "funding cliff" when the federal funds end, state entitlements continue to grow and tax revenues remain troubling.

THIRD. Let's each find new ways to share our stories wherever we are for the next eight months. Evidenced by this year's budget battle and House Bill 3200, we need to launch an organized statewide effort to reach each of our 147 elected state representatives and senators before January when the next budget will be written. It's essential for them to understand the importance of online public school programs to students across the state, including your child.

So, what do we need to do?
!! In November's elections, voters will decide to return or replace each of the 98 state representatives and 25 of the 50 state senators. It is vital that we get to know the individual men and women who are currently and/or seeking to represent us in Olympia. The final list of candidates will come when filing for public office ends on June 11, 2010.

!! Please email us your ideas (new or tried-and-true) to www.infor@waonlinefamilies.org telling us how you think we can best help legislators, the media and fellow taxpayers to understand more about what your child does everyday in an online public school.
Parents have proposed a press awareness campaign, videotaped interviews, social gatherings around the state, a film FaceBook, YouTube, student contests, fundraising, specialized school gear... What works for you? As Coordinator for our non-profit family coalition, I'll collect the ideas, organize them and send everyone a SurveyMonkey before developing an action plan. We need your feedback and advice at www.info @waonlinefamilies.org . Once you've emailed your ideas to www.info@waonlinefamilies.org and we have survey results, we'll need online family members and friends willing to lead and support the chosen projects.

??? Can you imagine the day when every elected representative knows the value and accountability of our online public school programs and online school supporters are the ones making the budget decisions? I can. It would be a breeze to maintain your child's educational online opportunities for years to come. Please email your now to info@waonlinefamilies.org to make it happen.

Thanks in advance.
Gigi Talcott, Coordinator for WA Families for Online Learning