Locke Signs Education Measures Bills Focus On Science, Reading Skills And Dealing With Disruptive Students
Gov. Gary Locke, who calls education “the great equalizer,” on Tuesday signed a package of bills aimed at improving public schools and providing some hard cash for school construction and technology.
Locke, making a sentimental homecoming to his old high school, Franklin in Seattle, honored three of his old teachers and signed seven education bills at a school assembly he organized.
The new laws deal with science education, reading skills, expanded use of special levies, discipline of disruptive students and gang members, and related topics.
The governor, a 1968 graduate of Franklin, went on to Yale and Boston University Law School before beginning a political career. The child of Chinese immigrants, Locke credits education with lifting him from poverty and paving the way for a successful career.
During the assembly, he honored three of his teachers: Daniel Grefton, a sixth-grade teacher who surprised him by picking him as student leader for an overnight field trip; Mary Stech, a seventh-grade math teacher who taught him the love of problem-solving; and Charles Richards, a high school civics teacher who got him interested in government and public affairs.
The bills signed by the governor deal with:
Science. Expanding the work of the board that is implementing the Education Reform Act of 1993, SB6072 will require the Commission on Student Learning to raise the standards for science education and to develop tests.
The panel already has developed tests for reading, writing, communication and math for fourth-grade students. It is now developing seventh- and 10th-grade tests for these subjects.
“Raising expectations of our children is the single most important step we can take to help them achieve new heights in learning,” Locke said.
Reading. Locke also signed into law a plan, HB2042, to test reading skills in second grade, instead of third grade, so teachers can spot problems earlier. The measure also establishes a grant program to train teachers and assist students as they begin to read.
Construction. The governor signed the measure he proposed as a way to help pay for school construction and classroom technology. The Savings Incentive Plan authorized under SB6045 will allow state agencies to keep half of their efficiency savings for training, technology and other uses. The other half will go to the education system.
In the upcoming budget, that’s expected to produce $12 million or school construction and $39 million for school technology.
Levies. Locke signed HB2069, authorizing school districts to continue asking local voters to approve levies equivalent to an additional 4 percent of their current state and federal funding - for a grand total of up to 24 percent.
The additional levy authority is phased in over two years and permanently restores the temporary authority that was allowed to lapse by the previous Legislature. The measure will allow districts statewide to collect $34 million already authorized, including $3.4 million for Seattle schools, $3 million for Spokane, $2.1 million for Tacoma and $1 million for Bellevue schools.
Disruptive students. Locke signed HB1581 to help schools deal with disruptive students and open up more options for placing students into alternative programs. A second bill, HB1841, allows for stricter dress codes and for the expulsion of gang members.