We are devastated. The members of the Senate Ways and Means Committee just voted to support ESHB 2065 to subject the basic education of our children to annual budget battles. It also adds a "seat time" requirement to online programs.  The last chance to fix the bill will could be as soon as later today, Sat, or Monday at the latest. Today is the day to write your most personal, powerful, polite, persuasive email ever to save our online schools. Here's some info.

Tell your senator to OPPOSE ESHB 2065 UNLESS IT GETS FIXED.
Two easy fixes. One would remove four words, "one hour per week".  Current accountability already exceeds that of any other public school in the state. Our children and their teachers are already accountable for direct personal contact based on each student's individual learning plan. A requirement that there has to be one hour per week with each student will force teachers to have to spend time with students who have reached their learning goals at the expense of those who need that extra time with the teacher.  Many legislators are not aware that current state policy mandates that state funding for online students who are not making satisfactory progress on their learning plan can be cut back or eliminated.

Senators also need to continue supporting one FTE (full time equivalent) for students enrolled in state-approved online programs. These programs typically don't get levy funds, federal funds, transportation and/or building funds. Online programs already cost the taxpayers often about half of what other students cost.  Were the state budget to cut ALE online program funding below basic education or were the budget to increase unfunded mandates; many, if not most, high-quality online public school programs in the state would end.  The needed change would assure funding for basic education for students in online programs by providing funding at the same FTE level as other students enrolled in their district's high schools. This would cut state enhancement funding for students in grades K-8, yet assure basic education funding for all online students.

Today, for this final all-out effort to maintain funding for our students' online programs, please email your senator asking if he, or she, is willing to go on record to support maintaining your child's online public school program. We need to know who our friends are in this battle. Fortunately it looks like there are savings within ALE programs that will make it possible to maintain funding for one year ? but programs like this can't just come and go from year to year. A hundred teachers received pink slips this year because of the unpredictable budget. This kind of disruption leaves a lasting trail of trauma.

So, right now, please write and send an email to your own three legislators, starting with your senator, who may be voting on this today.Feel free to cut and paste anything from this eblast. If you don't know how to reach your legislators,  go to  http://www.leg.wa.gov/pages/home.aspx
  • Type in your address.
  • Then click on the Senator and then their email.
  • You'll be asked to type in your address again to confirm that you are connecting with the right Senator and two State Representatives.
  • Your personal, professional, polite, persuasive and powerful email can be exactly  the same message (except the names) for all three of your legislators. We'd love to be cc'd at info@waonlinefamilies.org, if you're willing.
  • We're out of time. It's now or never. Please make this the one letter you write to save your child's, and mine's, online education.

Families:. If you haven't read the bill, you could go to http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/ and type in 2065. Then scroll down to May 20. There are two HUGE problems with HB 2065: segregating our students to subject their funding to budget battles every year and adding mandatory "seat time" requirements to online students. The problems could be fixed with a couple amendments. That's why we continue to ask for legislators to OPPOSE HB205 unless it's fixed.  Thank you!