48 hours from now it will be too late. The governor has to decide by tomorrow whether she will either help us or follow the Legislature's plan that hurts us.
Our message to Governor Gregoire:
"Please veto Sec 9 of ESHB 2065. This will allow flexibility to enact policy changes in ALE (Alternative Learning Experience) programs in ways that support students and save state dollars."
1. Go to: http://www.governor.wa.gov/
Cut and paste the message? or just type in the message:
If you wish, add something positive, polite and personal.
2. Today is the last day to mail a personal letter to the governor.
The Honorable Chris Gregoire
Governor, Washington State
Legislative Building, 2nd Floor
PO Box 40002
Olympia WA 98504
3. Fast, free "hotline" message to phone operator
1-800-562-6000
Give you name and address so the operator can deliver the message.
Read the message to the operator. Add something positive, polite and personal, if you like.
For the first time, I'm asking you to ask your friends, neighbors, family and co-workers to send the same message to the governor.
Only Governor Gregoire has the power to save the basic education funding for all online programs. No one else matters. It's our responsibility to make sure she hears from us about how important it is to protect basic education funding with a simple veto. Please make time today, beginning right now, to ask friends to help send the message to Governor Gregoire. No doubt dozens, hundreds, thousands of hotlines and email messages would make an impression! Messages delivered after tomorrow won't matter. It has to be done now!
Background, if you want it?
Section 9 of ESHB 2065 is the section of law that directs OSPI (Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction) to cut 10% to 20% of the basic education funding for all students enrolled in ALE programs, including our children. The budget writers are counting on $41 million in "savings" from ALE programs.
We are proposing that they get those savings by restoring one hour/week of face-to-face teacher-student contact time for non-online ALE programs. Before 2005, students in all ALE programs were required to spend five hours/week contact time. In 2005 highly accountable online programs were funded. Online programs are now mandated to be individually approved and accountable to OSPI. As you know, there are many additional layers of accountability for every student enrolled in an online public school program.
If the governor vetoes Section 9, OSPI can make a rule change to re-establish limited contact time for non-online programs. Some ALE programs reaching part-time home-school students from outside their school districts may not be able to provide time with a teacher for out-of-district students. If a certain percentage of families return to full-time home-school education for their children, OSPI reported that the savings to the state could restore full basic education funding to students in all ALE programs. They budgeted for other students to enroll in traditional programs, if they wish.
Note: It's truly a sad day when any student in a public school program has funding for their basic education threatened to be cut, yet the reality is here. Tens of millions of dollars WILL be cut from the basic education funding for ALE students unless Governor Gregoire vetoes Section 9 of ESHB 2065 Wed.
We need to have our voices heard to preserve basic education funding for our online students while re-establishing teacher contact time for all other ALE programs. The governor has announced she will "be taking action" on ESHB 2065 on Wed at 2:30 in her office in Olympia. You message needs to be sent today to be read before she makes a final decision to sign or veto the legislation. She can't know what we're thinking, if we don't tell her - NOW! Please ask your friends to join you in sending messages to her TODAY!
Love to know what you are thinking about this whole thing. Just email me at: info@waonlinefamilies.org That's AFTER you've sent the messages to the governor. THANK YOU!
