Governor Gregoire's Budget for K-12:
Elementary, Middle and High Schools
"Education is the single most important investment we can make for our children, our state, our economy and our future."
Our students deserve better training, and we need to provide the tools and opportunities that prepare them for good jobs in the new economy. Governor Gregoire knows that we need to change the system, fix the curriculum and establish international standards. With Governor Gregoire’s leadership, we will redesign our education system, beginning with math and science, so that our students can successfully compete with students in other states and nations.
Improves math and science
Increases student achievement in math and science. Reduces class size to 25 students for each teacher. Recruits 750 more math and science teachers. Provides additional time for teacher training and coaching assistance. Aligns curriculum and testing to international standards. Provides loan forgiveness programs and specialized preparation programs for professionals with math and science expertise. This high-quality, rigorous, consistent math and science program will ensure that we teach to an internationally recognized curriculum, test to the concepts that we teach, and prepare students to succeed. $107.4 million GF-State, $46.8 million Education Legacy Trust Account-State
Expands hands-on science learning. Expands the Leadership and Assistance for Science Education Reform (LASER) program into 1,000 additional K-8 classrooms across the state. LASER is a public-private partnership that provides complete toolkits for hands-on science projects, with teacher training, research-based models for learning and community support. $12.1 million GF-State
Continues to reduce class sizes. Reaches the intended $450 per student funding for Initiative 728 in the 2007-08 school year and increases per student funding by inflation in subsequent years. School districts are expected to prioritize this funding for class size reductions in grades K-3. $139.0 million Student Achievement Fund-State
Focuses on learners
Personalizes learning in the early years. Demonstration projects will use best practices based on developmental research to provide students in kindergarten through third grade with varied experiences to develop their learning skills in reading, math, science, art, social studies and foreign languages. Students will be grouped based on their abilities and interests rather than their age, and smaller learning groups will allow more individualized instruction and attention. $9.5 million Education Legacy Trust Account-State
Expands all-day kindergarten. Phases in voluntary all-day kindergarten, focusing first on schools with high-poverty levels in order to serve the students who will benefit most from additional learning time and attention. Students who attend all-day kindergarten are more likely to read at grade level, have good attendance and do well in school. $41.6 million GF-State
Supports special education. Offers more opportunities for students with special needs, applying learning experiences informed by data and best practices and delivered by skilled teachers and paraprofessionals. $63.4 million GF-State
Helps struggling students pass the WASL. Provides a variety of intensive learning options, test preparation and tutoring to students who have been unsuccessful on one or more of the 10th grade WASL tests in reading, writing and math. Extends assistance through 12th grade. $50 million GF-State
Coordinates instruction for English-language learners. Creates pilot programs to evaluate emerging best practices and provide time for bilingual education teachers and classroom teachers to coordinate. Identifies essential competencies that all teachers need to assist English-language learners. $880,000 GF-State, $1.3 million Education Legacy Trust Fund
Keeps students healthy. Expands the reduced-price student breakfast program to include more low-income students. Nutritious breakfasts improve students’ overall health and their ability to succeed in school. $1.5 million GF-State
Provides world-class teachers and leaders
Rewards outstanding teachers. Develops a new performance-based professional educator salary system. As an initial step toward this new system, teachers who earn certification from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards will receive a 10 percent raise for achieving this high standard, plus another salary increase for teaching in schools with students needing the most help, and an additional increase if they are certified in math or science. $7.5 million GF-State
Raises teacher pay and provides more equity between school districts. Increases salaries for teachers and other K-12 staff increases by 3.4 percent in the 2007-08 school year and 2.6 percent in the 2008-09 school year, consistent with Initiative 732. Reduces inequities between school districts by providing salary increases to those districts that are far below the top state salary allocations for teachers, administrators and classified K-12 staff. $409.6 million GF-State
Creates professional licensure and development systems. Designs a single teacher assessment to assure that teachers meet preparation expectations. Recognizes that top teachers and school leaders play a vital role in school success with a public-private partnership for a new principal and superintendent leadership development program. $1.7 million GF-State
Holds schools accountable
Tracks educational accomplishment and financial security. Develops an accountability system for K-12 that measures progress and provides assistance to school districts to meet high expectations. Collects data for better review of budget and program implementation, and monitors the long-term financial health of school districts. $1.8 million GF-State
Develops a new transportation funding formula. Follows the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Committee’s recommendation with an evaluation by the Office of Financial Management to develop a new transportation funding formula. $280,000 GF-State
Benchmarks progress toward world-class education. Uses the Global Challenge States, the eight states ranked highest for their potential to compete in the global economy, as a benchmark for competitive compensation for teachers and faculty, per-student funding and student achievement outcomes.