Budget cuts make the case to re-define basic education

Children in the Northshore School District and across our state have benefited from past investments in our public schools. Programs such as all-day kindergarten, before- and after-school tutoring, Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate, and technology upgrades were made possible by additional state funding from Olympia.

In today’s tough economy, Washington’s schools, like families, have been tightening their budgets, while doing everything they can to ensure kids continue to grow and thrive. However, last week, state lawmakers passed an education bill that would make it almost impossible for schools not to cut into what’s considered “basic education.” Passing this bill is a first step in assuring that Washington children receive a 21st-century education. It’s a big step, but more work is needed to identify dedicated funding for education.

The state Senate and House released their 2009-2011 budget proposals, which close a $9 billion shortfall with cuts and federal stimulus dollars. While legislators prioritized children and education, budget proposals would cut funding for public schools by more than $600 million or at least 4.5 percent of the entire K-12 budget. Depending on which budget is passed, Northshore will face budget cuts of $5.9 million to $6.9 million.

Although public education is the state’s paramount duty, the constitution only protects a narrow, legalistic definition of “basic education.” Education programs that are considered essential, but are not technically part of basic education, would either be eliminated or deeply cut in the budget proposals, such as:

• Initiative 728, which provides funding for about 70 teachers in Northshore (an average of two teachers per school) and up to 5,000 teachers statewide;

• Professional development and training for teachers; and

• Early childhood education and funding to lower K-4 class sizes, which research shows is important for the success of young children.

If you look at the Northshore School District’s Web site, www.nsd.org, you can see the programs, staff and services they are struggling with prioritizing for cuts. Help for struggling readers and all junior-high sports are on the list to be eliminated. Look at the Web site and contact the school board to let them know what your priorities are for your child or children.

The education budget represents our investment in our children’s future. We have a responsibility to our children to take care of them first because they are counting on us to help them achieve their dreams in life.

Unfortunately, the proposed cuts will mean the future prospects of children across Washington state will be dimmed.

You can help ensure a bright future for children in our state. These budgets are not set in stone. Our legislators need to hear from us that minimizing cuts to public education is a top priority for Washingtonians.

We can also make a long-term impact for schools. We can break this cycle of cutting school budgets during downturns and filling in the holes when our economy improves by taking bold action now.

Now that we have redefined basic education we need to keep the momentum going and adopt systemic reforms and accountability measures and tie them to a responsible implementation schedule. If we do so, we will be able to hold our state lawmakers and ourselves accountable for providing our children the kind of education they need to succeed in good economic times and in bad times.

You can take action today to make a difference by urging your elected representatives to:

1. Protect education programs in the budget that are essential to children and schools; and

2. Contact the school board and voice your priorities schoolboard@nsd.org.

Call your lawmakers via the legislative hotline at (800) 562-6000 or visit www.educationvoters.org for ways you can make a difference.

Thank you for supporting our public schools.

Patsy Treece, Bothell, Lockwood Elementary parent

Giving others a second chance at life

Spring is a time of growth, renewal and new life. For the more than 100,000 people across the U.S. waiting for an organ, eye, tissue donation — including more than 1,600 of your Northwest neighbors — the gift of new life is exactly what they hope spring will bring to them.

During this season, we honor April as National Donate Life Month. Through stories, advertisements, partnerships and events, people everywhere will work to raise awareness of donation and the extraordinary gift that it is. We’ll hope to ask everyone what they are waiting for in making the decision to designate their wishes. And together, we will take notice of those who are waiting, those who have received and especially those who gave others a second chance at life.

In our family, we honor my son, Cole, who was able to save five lives through his gifts of organ donation. It is a sad thing that we lost Cole at the young age of 12, but we have many wonderful memories of fun times spent together and the knowledge that Cole knew how much he was loved. We also have seen first hand what his gifts have done for two of his recipients. Meeting them has made us realize that Cole’s legacy is not only the love and laughter he left with each one of us, but also the gifts of life he gave to people who deserved a second chance to live.

But the wait for a life-saving transplant continues to grow — one person is added to the list every 13 minutes, and tragically 18 people die every day waiting for a transplant. But hope for new life can be found: the life of one registered donor can save or enhance the lives of more than 50 people waiting for a transplant.

What are you waiting for? Register today at www.donatelifetoday.com and bring new hope to those who need it most during this season of renewal and new life.

Marta Baldwin, Bothell

Chiming in on fire-alarm drill

Residents and management of Chateau at Bothell Landing were slightly, well, alarmed when we received a big front-page photo and caption spread titled “Alarming guitar sounds” in the April 8 issue of the Bothell-Kenmore Reporter. As much as we regret the inconvenience caused by fire-alarm drills, we want to supply context to the disruption which occurred during Gary Heimbigner’s lunchtime guitar performance.

We are committed above all else to the safety of our residents. Periodic, legally mandated fire-alarm drills help prepare us to best protect our residents in a real emergency. Yes, as was reported, the fire alarm is unpleasantly “ear-piercing,” but this is by intentional design for obvious reasons. We carefully followed all necessary drill procedures, which includes keeping our residents well informed of the drill process. While we do our best to schedule drills to minimize disruption, some level of disruption is unavoidable.

To close with levity on a pleasant note, we want guitarist Gary Heimbigner to know how much all of us at Chateau appreciate his occasional lunchtime concerts, and the screech of the alarm bell was in no way a comment on the quality of his performance. Our residents look forward to hearing his soothing guitar music in the near future, hopefully unaccompanied by ear-piercing alarm bells!

Adam Conley

Communications director

Chateau Retirement Communities