You just can’t believe the commercials Dawn McCravey is running and the fliers she is mailing out. Our current senator, Rosemary McAuliffe, is one of our most creative, tireless, effective and tough education reform advocates.

Until she sponsored SB 6696, teachers in Washington were given either a satisfactory or unsatisfactory grade under a two-tier system. Rosemary was instrumental in the creation of a new four-tier system that will rate teachers as unsatisfactory, basic, proficient, or distinguished. This new evaluation system will add more specificity and hold teachers to high standards. It will incorporate student growth data as a substantial factor in evaluations and allow parent input.

It will require that these new, stronger evaluations are one of the factors used in making staffing decisions and will provide a clear process for identifying underperforming teachers and removing them from teaching if they don’t quickly show improvement. It will also help our strong teachers become even more skilled and recognize the accomplishments of our most outstanding teachers.

Most importantly, Rosemary McAuliffe worked collaboratively with the governor, legislators from both parties, parents, teachers, administrators, and school reform advocates to put together an evaluation system that is widely accepted. It was piloted last year in districts across the state and is in the process of being implemented in our local school districts.

Let’s build on the work that has been done and re-elect Senator Rosemary McAuliffe.

Janice Rendahl, Bothell