Labor Day marks start of expanded benefits for many unemployed workers seeking retraining

In 2000, the Legislature established a Training Benefits Program to help workers who have been laid off and unable to find work because of a declining demand for their occupation. The program essentially provides extended unemployment benefits while a worker is going back to school.

This past session, the Legislature approved Rep. Steve Conway's legislation that expanded the program to help more people as they seek retraining and new job skills. Starting Monday, September 7, these benefits will now be available to more people: workers who are disabled due to illness or injury, low-income workers who need training to qualify for a higher-paying job, and current or recently-discharged members of the Washington National Guard.

The additional benefits provide 26 weeks of unemployment benefits while the worker is in training. You can find out more information about the program here.

Rep. Clibborn: State is making progress on transportation issues

The state, as most other states across the country, is facing serious budget challenges.

But in today's Bellingham Herald, Rep. Judy Clibborn, chair of the House Transportation Committee, reminds us that our transportation budget is actually in pretty good shape right now. The Legislature recently approved a record $4.74 billion worth of projects around the state, including $341 million in stimulus funding.

This money is not only helping repair and update our infrastructure, but is also putting hundreds of people to work. According to Clibborn, "WSDOT reports that July payroll hours related to these federal funds totaled $5.4 million and resulted in roughly 834 full-time equivalent jobs. The average salary was a good-paying $38 an hour."

Clibborn does point out there are daunting challenges yet to tackle. Of critical concern? "As people drive less and insist on more fuel-efficient vehicles, how do we maintain revenue for a system so reliant on fuel-tax receipts?"

Check out her op-ed in today's Bellingham Herald for more.

UW to receive $126 million dollar federal grant

Thanks to a $126 million grant from the National Science Foundation's Ocean Observatories Initiative, the University of Washington is going to be gettin' down, waaaaay down, on the seafloor of the Pacific Ocean.

According to the UW, this is the largest federal award the University of Washington has ever earned and "is the culmination of a two-decade quest to transform the manner in which science in ocean basins can be conducted."

The UW will use the money to install nearly 500 miles of fiber-optic and power cable and seven science nodes on the seafloor off the Pacific Northwest.

What's a science node and why all the fuss?

From what our unscientific eye can tell from all the fun stuff posted on UW's website, a node is like an underwater satellite, providing an amazing glimpse into what's happening along the ocean floor and deep in our ocean waters. The nodes will collect all kinds of data that researchers and scientists can use for things like monitoring seismic activity, researching climate change, and more. And regular folks like us will have access to stunning real-time seafloor footage, a great tool for teaching and learning about our oceans.

The project also opens up a new pool of jobs. The grant will result in 30 new positions at the University of Washington. And though exact numbers aren't known, UW President Mark Emmert and Mike Kelly who is helping manage the project say there will be a "huge trickle-down effect" for additional local jobs as UW seeks sub-contracts for engineering and other support services.

This is a good reminder that institutions such as the University of Washington play an incredibly important role, not just in educating students, but in keeping Washington state on the global forefront of groundbreaking research and science initiatives.

Congratulations, Huskies!

First meeting tomorow of ed reform group

Remember all the hullabaloo about the big ed reform bill we passed this last session?

Well, tomorrow is the first meeting of the Quality Education Council, the group formally charged with overseeing the implementation of all the reforms.

State Reps. Pat Sullivan and Skip Priest, the two main authors of the legislation, will serve on the council which is tasked with preparing initial recommendations for the Legislature by January 2010.

According to the QEC website:

The Council will submit an initial report by January 1, 2010 with recommendations, including: resolving issues or decisions requiring action during 2010 session, and determining the funding necessary to continue development and implementation of ESHB 2261.

The initial report also addresses:
- Consideration of how to establish a statewide beginning teacher mentoring and support system.
- Recommendations for a Program of Early Learning for at-risk children. - Recommended schedule for concurrent phase-in of changes to the instructional program of Basic Education established by ESHB 2261 and implementation of funding formulas and allocations to support it, with full implementation by September 1, 2018.
- Recommended schedule for phase-in of new pupil transportation funding formula, beginning no later than September 1, 2013.

The all-day meeting starts at 9 so grab some coffee and tune in or log on to TVW to watch the opening rounds of nitty-gritty education reform discussions.

Rep. Dunshee hosting two town halls this Saturday

Residents of the 44th legislative district are invited to meet with State Rep. Hans Dunshee this Saturday.

Lake Stevens Town Hall -- 10 a.m. to noon at the Lake Stevens School District Admin Building, Room A, 12309 22nd Street NE

Everett Town Hall -- 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at the Southeast Family YMCA, 13723 Puget Park Drive

Bicyclists, birders and biodiesel supporters especially welcome (or so we're guessing by this delightful YouTube video).

Rep. White wants to expand hate-crime legislation to protect the homeless

State Rep. Scott White never forgot David Ballenger, a homeless man who was brutally murdered by three teenagers under an I-5 overpass in the Ravenna neighborhood 10 years ago this month.

When the National Coalition for the Homeless released an Aug. 7 report on the growing number of violent hate crimes against the homeless — Hate, Violence, And Death on Main Street USA — White was struck by how closely the murder of Ballenger fit the typical profile of today's growing violence against homeless individuals: the report showed that most (58 percent) of the violent attacks on the homeless are committed by teenagers, and bias is often the only motivation for the attacks.

The new national report also showed that the number of fatal attacks on homeless individuals over the past decade was more than twice the total number of hate-motivated homicides that targeted victims because of their perceived race, ethnicity, religion or sexual orientation.

The ten-year pattern of hate crimes against America's homeless, which has claimed 242 lives, convinced White that homeless people in Washington need the protection of the state's malicious harassment laws.

Seattle added homeless people to the city's malicious harassment statute in December, 2007. White said he is proud that Seattle is a leader in fighting hate crimes against the homeless, but that "now it is time to make our state a national leader."

We have a moral duty to do everything in our power to make sure that what happened to David Ballenger never happens again anywhere in Washington.

It's curtains down on the WASL. Kind of.

In just a short while, the state's Superintendent of Public Instruction, Randy Dorn, will release results from the WASL taken this past spring.

As pointed out by Linda Shaw in the Seattle Times today, this was the last time students had to take the WASL as we know it.

Moving forward, SPI plans to implement a more streamlined test.

Tune in to TVW at 10 to hear what Dorn has to say about the latest WASL scores. We'll post a summary following his press conference.

UPDATE:
Dorn's office just posted the WASL results online. During the press conference he made it pretty clear that he's frustrated with some of the AYP (adequate yearly progress) provisions of the No Child Left Behind Law and its punitive approach towards schools.

Dorn's press release states:

As expected, results were mixed from the spring 2009 administration of the Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL). Scores in grades 3-8 and 10 mirrored 2008 results, increasing in seven subject areas, decreasing in seven and remaining unchanged in six.

Yet, preliminary results from AYP, the accountability arm of the federal No Child Left Behind Act, show that 1,073 schools moved into improvement status, up from 618 last year.

“Our state testing scores are flat, yet the federal system shows an additional 500 schools are failing,” Dorn said. “What is failing is No Child Left Behind. The law is completely unfair. While we know there is certainly room for improvement in our schools, it’s a statistical guarantee in this law that all of our schools will soon be in federal improvement status. That’s unrealistic.”