Thursday, October 6, 2011

Legislative roundtable in Anacortes to focus on Education

Education leaders from Anacortes are inviting residents to attend a roundtable discussion on the general state of Education in Washington, as well as what to expect from the coming 2012 legislative session.

State Representative Kris Lytton will lead the discussion and provide an update on the budgetary challenges the state faces in its efforts to maintain funding for the state’s K-12 education system despite dwindling state resources. She will also provide a status report on the Teacher/Principal Evaluation Pilot (TPEP) implementation and funding and answer questions regarding the state of all-day kindergarten.

“The budget is going to pose many challenges for schools, school districts and the state. Education is important to me and to our community, and I want to be sure that we have an open line of communication,” said Lytton.

Anacortes is a designated testing ground for an innovative new teacher evaluation system called the Teacher/Principal Evaluation Pilot (TPEP), passed during the 2010 Legislative Session. The program directs significant changes, including:
  • Revising criteria for both teachers and principals; 
  • Creating a four-tier rating system utilizing 8 criteria focused on student achievement ; 
  • Requiring all districts to adopt new evaluation systems in the 2013-14 school year; and 
  • Increasing the length of provisional status for new teachers (moves tenure from 2 to 3 years)
“This roundtable discussion is the idea of many concerned educators, parents, and community leaders who want to participate in the reform process,” said Lytton. “This entire discussion and process is a way to ensure that reforms come from the ground up rather than mandated from above. I encourage everyone interested in shaping the future of our state’s education system to attend.”

Details of the Education Roundtable:
  • Who: Anacortes residents interested in a discussion on education reform 
  • When: Oct. 26 at 5:30pm
  • Where: Anacortes School Board Room  

To read this blog post in Spanish, please go here.

Apture