Watch the live action on TVW, right now beginning at 1:30, as the Senate Ways & Means Committee will be deciding on the future of your child's online learning program. ESHB2065 was just added to their agenda. The committee begins their meeting at 1:30. The meeting is likely to begin with a staff briefing and then move behind closed doors for "caucus" since even the senators on the committee don't know what changes will be proposed. Hopefully all your calls and emails will be part of the discussion that will determine their votes and protect our children's educational futures.

When they come back into the committee room, the senators will likely begin voting on the proposed changes, known as amendments. You can listen and watch to see which senators are standing up to protect the educational opportunities of our children... and who won't. Then, likely on Monday, the bill will go to the "floor" of the Senate where all 49 Senators will take a stand. We'll need to be flooding the Senate with our messages over the weekend.

You may want to tune in, right now on Friday beginning at 1:30, to the live action on TVW (on your tv or your computer athttp://www.tvw.org/index.cfm?bhcp=1 ).Tonight, after the votes to change 2065 have been taken in committee, we will know whether their committee changes will hurt or help our online programs. Then we'll email another update to all our families hoping/expecting that you and every parent will set aside time to send a personal, powerful message to your own Senator over the weekend.

This is all likely (notice nothing is predictable) to end by Thursday when they pass the final budget and leave town. We know we are being heard. It's coming down to the wire. Two hours, then two days from now, we'll be either elated or devastated. Your connection with your senator could, literally, influence a senator's vote that could determine the future of online learning in our state. Please don't wait for another family to do it. From the beginning of this budget battle, I've been convinced we that we could win it if we stayed together. We're together. Schedule time to send that powerful email this weekend.

Families:. If you haven't read the bill, it's available at http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/ . Type in 2065. Then scroll down to May 10. 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!