Parents and Friends -
We were proud to share with you on Thursday afternoon that the Senate had passed 2261 on Education Reform. Monday morning, April 20th at 10:00am, the House is scheduled to vote on the same Bill. Should they pass the same language as was adopted by the Senate on Thursday, the Bill will go to the Governor for her signature. When that happens, highly capable education will finally be recognized as an essential part of basic education for our gifted students.
When the House passed their original version of 2261 earlier this month, most Puyallup area legislators voted for it. Rep. Dammeier and Rep. Morrell represent most of the Puyallup School District, and both were yes votes the last time around. Representatives in Districts to the North, West, and East were also supportive. Rep. McCune and Rep. Campbell on the Southern boundary of our School District voted in opposition.
Opponents of 2261 have mounted a massive last chance campaign to try to defeat it. We ask that you take a few minutes today or first thing Monday morning to call or e-mail your Representatives and thank them for their past support, and ask for their continued support on this vital piece of legislation for highly capable children. You can make sure you reach your Representative using the “Find Your Legislator” tool on the Legislative website.
This has been a long, hard marathon for advocates of gifted education. It has taken more than 20 years to get this far. Never before have we been this close to legislation that would provide the sort of recognition and stability that this bill will provide. Please, reach out once more and help us cross the finish line.
April 20th, 2009 at 1:25 pm
Well, it’s now a little after 1:00pm, and the previously scheduled 10:00 vote hasn’t happened yet. Looking at the Legislative Calendar, it’s not clear that 2261 is going to get a vote today, and we’re not seeing any public explanation of why. Please, take the extra time we’ve been given to reach out to your legislators. Keep the pressure on them to pass this vital piece of legislation.
April 20th, 2009 at 1:38 pm
I just received word that Rep. Morrell may be considering changing her vote from one of support to one of opposition. Puyallup parents need to contact her now! Her e-mail is morrell.dawn@leg.wa.gov and her office number is (360) 786-7968.Please see the comment below made at 9:45pm.
April 20th, 2009 at 3:25 pm
We’re now nearly two hours after the last update. The House remains in caucus (Democrats and Republicans each meeting separately behind closed doors). We’ve received some indication that the reason for the caucus is 2261 and fears that the compromise that had been reached with the Senate and the Governor may be at risk.
Members of the Washington Coalition for Gifted Education have been working the phones and sending e-mails. Christine Holland, ABC President, and David Berg, ABC Vice President, have each contacted Rep. Morrell to urge her continued support of 2261. If you have not yet done so, please pick up the phone now and give her a call. If you don’t speak for your children, no one else will.
April 20th, 2009 at 4:25 pm
Still no indication of when the House will take up 2261. Your phone calls may be the difference.
We did receive an excellent reply from Rep. Dammeier in response to our pleas for continued support that I’ll include here:
“Thank you for your message.
I understand that a quality education is not simply evaluated by our children’s ability to recall basic facts, but rather by their ability to analyze complex problems and effectively communicate potential solutions. A quality education also motivates our children to learn more and achieve higher, and for highly capable students, gifted education truly is an integral part of a “basic education.” I am very excited to have the opportunity to support HB 2261, which will redefine “basic education” in our state to include highly capable programs. This much needed change will strengthen our system of public education and better prepare our students to succeed. I am proud to support this effort.
Again, thank you for your message. If you have any comments or concerns in the future, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Sincerely,
Bruce Dammeier
Representative
25th Legislative District
Washington State House”
April 20th, 2009 at 5:34 pm
The House is in recess until 6:40pm. Please take advantage of this extra time to contact your legislators on behalf of 2261.
April 20th, 2009 at 8:48 pm
The play by play continues. . .
The House has three bills remaining on the agenda before it takes up 2261. We still expect 2261 to come up tonight, and we will be certain to let you know what happens as soon as the votes are counted.
April 20th, 2009 at 9:46 pm
The Bill is up for debate right now. I just heard directly from Rep. Morrell that she continues to support 2261. I thanked her for that support and expressed relief that the information we’d received earlier was incorrect.
From Rep. Morrell:
“This one is tough but I think it is important. We have many legislators that work on education in our caucus and across the aisle. I respect their work and will vote yes.
Rep. Dawn Morrell”
April 20th, 2009 at 10:10 pm
IT PASSED!
ESHB 2261
State’s education system
House vote on Final Passage as Amended by the Senate
4/20/2009
Yeas: 67 Nays: 31 Absent: 0 Excused: 0
Voting Yea: Representatives Anderson, Angel, Armstrong, Blake, Carlyle, Clibborn, Cody, Condotta, Dammeier, Darneille, Dickerson, Driscoll, Eddy, Ericks, Ericksen, Finn, Flannigan, Goodman, Grant-Herriot, Haigh, Haler, Herrera, Hinkle, Hudgins, Hunter, Hurst, Jacks, Kagi, Kelley, Kenney, Kessler, Kirby, Liias, Linville, Maxwell, McCoy, Miloscia, Moeller, Morrell, Morris, Nelson, O’Brien, Ormsby, Orwall, Parker, Pedersen, Pettigrew, Priest, Probst, Quall, Roach, Roberts, Rodne, Rolfes, Santos, Simpson, Smith, Springer, Sullivan, Takko, Upthegrove, Wallace, Walsh, Warnick, White, Wood, and Mr. Speaker
Voting Nay: Representatives Alexander, Appleton, Bailey, Campbell, Chandler, Chase, Conway, Cox, Crouse, DeBolt, Dunshee, Green, Hasegawa, Hope, Hunt, Johnson, Klippert, Kretz, Kristiansen, McCune, Orcutt, Pearson, Ross, Schmick, Seaquist, Sells, Shea, Short, Taylor, Van De Wege, and Williams