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Cue the Fireworks!
Break Out the Banners!
ESHB 2261 passed the House Monday night and the Governor has committed to signing it. 2261 is not a perfect bill – it is a work in progress – but for gifted advocates it is what we have long sought.
Beginning September 2011, Highly Capable programs will be mandated as an integral part of basic education. The bill states, “The legislature finds that, for highly capable students, access to accelerated learning and enhanced instruction is access to a basic education.” As we have been telling them all along. Details on what the bill states in full for gifted to follow after the Governor signs it.
If your legislator(s) in either house voted Yes, please send them a thank you message. In Puyallup, thanks should go to Rep. Morrell, Rep. Dammeier, and Sen. Kastama for their important yes votes.
House roll call on the bill was:
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
Senate roll call on the bill was:
State’s education system
Senate vote on Final Passage as Amended by the Senate
4/16/2009
Yeas: 26 Nays: 23 Absent: 0 Excused: 0
Voting Yea: Senators Berkey, Brown, Eide, Fairley, Franklin, Fraser, Hargrove, Hatfield, Haugen, Hobbs, Jarrett, Kastama, Keiser, Kline, Kohl-Welles, McAuliffe, McDermott, Murray, Oemig, Prentice, Ranker, Regala, Roach, Rockefeller, Shin, and Tom
Voting Nay: Senators Becker, Benton, Brandland, Carrell, Delvin, Hewitt, Holmquist, Honeyford, Jacobsen, Kauffman, Kilmer, King, Marr, McCaslin, Morton, Parlette, Pflug, Pridemore, Schoesler, Sheldon, Stevens, Swecker, and Zarelli
During this long enterprise, the Coalition has depended on many, many correspondents and web sites for information and discussion. They are too many to mention by name so a general Thank You and Well Done from us will have to suffice.
Sound the Trumpets For One Last Charge!
Not to rain on our parade BUT we still need to get a 2009-2011 budget allocation for Highly Capable programs. So we ask for one last BIG effort. Please contact your Legislators to support the funding for Highly Capable Programs as set out in Section 511 of the budget proposals. Both houses had included Highly Capable Programs in their proposed budgets, but we need to ensure they’re included in the final versions.
In addition, we need to ask Representatives in the House to amend their proposal to add $170,000 per year for Centrum as provided for in the Senate and Governor’s budget proposals and ask Senators to hold the line for gifted funding. This message should go to all Legislators, not just those we are thanking for the passage of 2261.
Please excuse the triumphalist nature of this message but we couldn’t resist.
A 21 gun salute to you all!
