The situation the state faces even without this new budget proposal is dire:
- The state only pays districts enough to replace curricula every 18 years.
- The state pays only 47 percent of the cost of heat, lights, insurance and all other basic costs.
- Nearly 70 percent of local levy funds subsidize basic education costs that the state is constitutionally obligated to fund.
- Five districts are on “binding conditions,” which means they have overspent their available revenue and their budgets are being overseen by the state.

The proposed budget is historic. It cuts away at the heart of what we consider basic education. As many as 5,000 teachers could be laid off. Added to the 1,300 teachers we lost this year, and the cuts will even further increase class size. We have world-class standards, but fewer teachers and larger class sizes will make teaching those standards extremely difficult. How can we expect our teachers, already stretched thin in their jobs, to teach standards to a class of 30 or 35 students?

The cuts will have terrible consequences beyond class size. To balance their budgets, many districts have already reduced their investments in facilities maintenance, which could compromise the health and safety of teachers and students. Many districts will also have to cut their reserves to impossibly low levels. A small emergency could bankrupt many of them. We also need to look beyond next year. This school year, many districts were kept afloat by federal stimulus funding. But that money won’t be available in 2011-12. In that school year, the contribution rates that districts pay into the teachers and staff retirement systems will increase dramatically because of legislative action and depressed investment earnings. Those contributions will need to be replaced.

The triple-whammy of lost federal resources, increased pension contributions and reduced state funding will mean that the education system we have enjoyed for three decades will be devastated. Earlier this year, the Legislature passed a crucial education bill. Engrossed Substitute House Bill 2261 follows decades of increased costs without proportional funding. It is the first step to begin to fully address school funding, and requires a new funding system to be in place by 2018.

The underlying message of ESHB 2261 is that Washington hasn’t fulfilled its obligation to fully fund education. While the key goal of ESHB 2261 is to set the future of education, the proposed budget is a giant step backward. And it comes at a time when calls to move forward are being made from everywhere, including our federal government. The education we’ve known for decades is being threatened. I know this is the first step in a long budget process for the Governor and Legislature. I will work to ensure that all parties understand the gravity of the problem. Today’s students won’t get educated tomorrow. And if they don’t get educated today, our entire society will suffer far into the future.

Randy Dorn
State Superintendent, Office of Public Instruction

Announcements include:
- Media release (radio, tv, newspaper)
- Telephone automated message (staff and parents)
- Web posting (www.wwps.org)
- Staff e-mail (GroupWise)
- E-news message (sign up on the district web site)
- Twitter message (twitter.com/wwschools)
- Orange signs posted in front of schools

School buses decorated with student-made signs were parked at Albertsons, both Safeway locations, SuperOne Foods and Loney’s Harvest Foods Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Staff, students and parents volunteered their time collecting food items and promoting the event.

Students greeted shoppers at store entrances and encouraged them to support the food drive. They made thank you stickers, passed out candy canes and helped load the food items on the school buses for delivery to the food bank.

Volunteer school bus drivers then drove the school buses to the Blue Mountain Action Council Food Bank to unload the items. Finn introduced the “Fill the School Bus” idea to Walla Walla this year after being involved in a similar activity in Spokane years ago as a Parent Teacher Association (PTA) mom. Finn says she wanted to take it to another level and involve all the schools in the district and get students from K-12 together.

“Our goal was to teach kids that “Every ONE can make a difference,” Finn said. “It was wonderful to see students from all age groups, working with staff members and administrators on a project. This drive will have a huge impact on our community. Not only every person, but every CAN, will make a difference this year.”

Lincoln Alternative High School teacher Lori Finn and Green Park teacher Michelle Carpenter are coordinating this year’s Holiday Food Drive which continues through December 18. Collection bins are at each district school and the district office at 364 S. Park St. For more information on the Holiday Food Drive contact Carpenter at: mcarpenter@wwps.org or Finn at: lfinn@wwps.org.

The Walla Walla County Health Department will also vaccinate staff during the school clinics for those who wish to receive them . Staff will also need completed consent and VIS forms. All former restrictions for receiving the H1N1 vaccinations have been lifted due to additional availability of the vaccine. For more information, contact Health Services Director Jennifer Douglas at 526.8507.

School Vaccination Schedule
Berney Elementary (includes Homelink students)
January 15

Blue Ridge Elementary (includes Head Start/ECEAP students)
January 13

Edison Elementary
January 22

Green Park Elementary
January 14

Prospect Point Elementary
January 21

Sharpstein Elementary
January 20

Garrison Middle School
January 28

Pioneer Middle School
January 25

Lincoln Alternative High School
TBD

Walla Walla High School
January 29

Students take responsibility for lifting and counting the heavy cans to ensure everyone is being helped with their donations. Many children who bring extra cans are seen sharing their hot chocolate with fellow students.

The Berney lobby is also the site of another positive activity. Just a few feet away, a group of student council members are selling holiday cards to Berney students. For $1, students can buy a card to send to their friends. The card has a personal message as well as a candy cane attached to it. All of the money collected from the sales will go to the Blue Mountain Humane Society. This holiday season our students are not only learning about compassion, but also putting it into practice.

Girls Basketball vs. Southridge
Saturday, Dec. 12
7:30 p.m.
Location: Southridge

Boys Swimming
Saturday, Dec. 12
12:00 noon
Whitman College Pool

The space is small, so they are taking reservations for 30-minute time slots. There are openings at 9, 9:30, 10:30 and 11:30. The cost is $7 per person, which includes hot cocoa and fresh-baked goodies from WW Bread Co., and a professional photo either by digital image to your email or a 4x6 print you can pick up at Tallman’s next week. Kids under 2 are free. Call the Foundation office if you’d like to make a reservation, 529-8755.

*Wa-Hi Auditorium, 7 p.m.; Suggested Admission - $2/adults, $1/students, $5 family

For more information, contact:
Curtis Schafer, Walla Walla High School German & Spanish Teacher
509-527-3020 ext 4703
Classroom: L-3
cschafer@wwps.org

Who: Food donations support the Blue Mountain Action Council Food Bank (cash donations also accepted)

What: Holiday Food Drive — Project Goal: Help replenish local food bank supplies

When: Now to December 18, 2009

Where: Collection sites at Walla Walla Public Schools and Walla Walla General Hospital through December 18.

Types of food needed: Non-perishable items — tuna, macaroni & cheese, peanut butter, canned fruits and vegetables, pasta, granola bars, etc.)

Why: This year’s focus will teach students the importance of helping others.

For more information:
Michelle Carpenter
Green Park Teacher
509.527.3077 or e-mail: mcarpenter@wwps.org

Lori Finn
Lincoln Alternative High School Teacher
509.527.3083 or e-mail: lfinn@wwps.org

A public service announcement radio spot featuring Calzaretta is now playing on regional stations.