Rossi thanks donor; unions back Gregoire

OLYMPIA – Although reportedly trailing Gov. Chris Gregoire in fundraising last month, Republican challenger Dino Rossi recently celebrated a milestone: racking up as many individual campaign contributions as he got during his entire 2004 campaign.

To thank that 30,746th donor this year, Rossi led a videotaped Prize Patrol-type trip to the door of an Auburn woman named Rhonda. (The prize: some balloons and Rossi’s 2005 book.)

Along the way, Rossi tells the video camera: “Sixty two percent of our contributors now are people that are new to the campaign, people that did not participate last time.”

The soundtrack? The Beach Boys’ “Help Me, Rhonda,” of course, but it abruptly cuts out just before the final words of “Help me Rhonda, yeah, get her out of my heart.”

The Washington State Labor Council, meanwhile, surprised no one this week by giving its endorsement to Gregoire. At the group’s annual convention, more than 350 union delegates voted unanimously to back her. They represent more than 400,000 Washington union members.

The WASL: still a lightning rod atop the Capitol dome…

The state’s Parent-Teachers Association held its annual convention in Seatac last week, drawing more than 1,000 people from across the state. Here are some highlights from a panel discussion on a topic that’s sure to dominate the five-way race for state superintendent of public instruction this summer: the controversial Washington Assessment of Student Learning test.

The WASL is now a “high-stakes” test, meaning that the Class of 2008 is supposed to pass parts of it – or otherwise show they know the material – to get a high school diploma. But the test remains a lightning rod, with many educators saying it now overshadows other important aspects of education.

“It’s unfortunate that the test has become the poster child of all the things that maybe aren’t working in this system,” said state Assistant Superintendent Joe Willhoft. Regardless of the test, he said, schools need more resources and tools to improve instruction.

“It’s as if we have taken our temperature and noticed we had a fever, and now we’re trying to blame the thermometer,” said public affairs consultant David Fisher. He argued that the debate over the test shouldn’t eclipse the need for high standards and accountability.

But despite a “menu” of alternative assessments for kids who cannot pass the WASL, “Students do not experience it as a menu,” said Yelm high school teacher Lester Krupp. “They experience it as increasing confusion and pressure … It just adds to the likelihood they’ll be overwhelmed.”

Spokane Education Association president Maureen Ramos cited Spokane’s success bringing up test scores at schools with even very-low-income students. How? By changing the curriculum, training teachers, and forging a coordinated plan to improve. Yes, Ramos said, schools need an accountability system. But it’s a mistake, she feels, to pin so much on the WASL. Kids are exhausted, she said, and the pressure leaves some in tears. It’s unfair to children struggling to learn English, she said, and the high-pressure testing often doesn’t reflect what a child really knows.

“The WASL has overrun its premise,” she said.

Crime’s down, hate’s up …

As reported by my colleague Jody Lawrence-Turner this week, the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs issued a preliminary report on crime last year. The upshot: statewide, major crimes dropped 8 percent compared with 2006. Also dropping: property crime (down 9 percent), particularly car theft (down 18 percent).

What’s going up? Hate crimes, apparently, or at least the reporting of them as such. Nearly 200 incidents of hate- or bias-motivated crimes were reported last year, totaling more than 250 offenses. That’s a 15 percent increase.

Locally the overall picture is a bit bleaker than the statewide figures suggest. Violent crime was up 10 percent in the city of Spokane last year, for example, although it dropped slightly in nearby Spokane Valley. And in areas covered by Spokane County sheriff’s deputies, it was up a striking 30 percent.

Farther afield, violent crime was up slightly in Stevens County, down in Pend Oreille County, and down sharply in Ferry County, although small differences can skew the percentages wildly in sparsely populated areas. The number of reported rapes in Pend Oreille County, for example, dropped a startling 50 percent – meaning 2 in 2006 and 1 last year. Also, property crime was up in Whitman County.

Eyman gets a $30,000 boost …

Within days of announcing last week that he’s taking out a second mortgage to keep his anti-traffic-congestion Initiative 985 signature-gathering on track, Tim Eyman got some good news. The Chicago-based Sam Adams Alliance said it would match $30,000 in contributions this month.

Eyman’s been struggling a bit this year, due to other commitments taken on by political benefactor Mike Dunmire, a Woodinville investor. Eyman hopes that political donations repay the $250,000 second mortgage.

“It’s absolutely desperation,” he said, “and absolutely I’m hoping people step forward to support this thing.”

Saving paper – and paper dollars…

A lawmaker from the Bellingham area has come up with a way to save taxpayers $26,000: He’s not sending out a couple of state-paid newsletters to people in his legislative district this year.

Rep. Doug Ericksen, R- Ferndale, says he’s worried about the projected $2.5 billion shortfall in the 2009-2011 state budget.

“Most state representatives take advantage of sending out newsletters in an election year and I respect this approach,” he said in a state-paid press release. “I’ve made a decision to save the state some money and will focus on communicating with constituents the old-fashion(ed) way – face to face.”

But before the cheering commences, several things are worth noting. For one thing, Ericksen’s been in the Legislature for a decade, so it’s not like he and his views are unknown to local voters. Second, he’s a pretty quotable member of Republican House leadership, so he’s in news stories a lot. And lastly, no one has filed campaign paperwork to run against him.