WHY WEA PAC?

Washington Legislature 2011

Washington voters•Rejected an income tax initiative that would have

raised billions for public education.

• Overturned new taxes on soda, candy and bottled water. • Passed Tim Eyman’s I-1053, which requires a two-thirds vote of the Legislature to pass new taxes or close existing tax loopholes.

• Defeated four incumbent pro-education state senators.

• Re-elected several anti-union Democrats to the state Senate.

Groups opposed to Collective Bargaining

Stand for Children or STAND

League of Education Voters

Partnership for Learning

Legislation HB 1609, Representative Pettigrew

(37th L.D.) SB 5399, sponsored by Senator

Rodney Tom (48th L.D.). Tied teacher lay-offs to unsatisfactory

evaluations. SB 6696 Merit pay, sponsored and

supported by Washington PTA

Pro-Education Proponents

Representative Sharon Tomiko-Santos (37th L.D.)

Speaker of the House, Frank Chopp (43rd L.D.)

House Majority Leader Pat Sullivan (47th L.D.)

Senator Rosemary McAuliffe (1st L.D.),

Budget Reductions (non-compensation)

Suspend I-728 class size reduction funding – ($861 million).

Eliminate K-4 class size reduction – ($215 million).

$6 million from a reduction in Running Start funding

$4.8 million cut to Summer Vocational Skills Program

$1.9 million elimination of funding for math and science coaches

K-12 Compensation

Suspend I-732 COLA – ($265 million)

Across-the-Board Salary Reduction – ($179 million)

National Board Bonus Changes – ($61.1 million)

Repeal of the Plan 1 Uniform COLA – ($275 million)

Budget Additions

$ to Explore a State Takeover of K-12 health benefits - $1.2 million

Wisconsin’s Governor Walker

Changes to Collective bargaining Contracts limited to one year and wages

frozen

Collective bargaining units are required to take annual votes to maintain certification as a union.

Employers are prohibited from collecting union dues and members of collective bargaining units are not required to pay dues.

The Ohio Public Employee Collective Bargaining Law

School districts

Prohibits a a school district from entering into a collective bargaining agreement that does specified things, such as establishing a maximum number of students who may be assigned to a classroom or teacher.

Requires collective bargaining agreements between such an education-related public employer and public employees to comply with all applicable state or local laws or ordinances regarding wages, hours, and terms and conditions of employment, unless the conflicting provision establishes benefits that are less than provided in the law or ordinance..

Public employee pay

Requires merit-based pay for most public employees, including teachers and nonteaching school employees

Generally eliminates statutory salary schedules and steps.

Public employee benefits

Limits public employer contributions toward health insurance premiums to 80%.

Abolishes continuing contracts for teachers, except for those continuing contracts in existence prior to the effective date of the bill.

Prohibits a public employer from paying employee contributions to certain retirement systems.

Reduction in the public sector work force

Removes consideration of seniority and of length of service, by itself, from decisions regarding a reduction in work force of certain public employees.

WHAT’S AT STAKE?Cuts to K-12 Education in the 2011 Session

$2.5 billion total cut in K-12 and higher education funding over the next two years

More students this fall, and fewer education support professionals and teachers

Repeal of the age 66 COLA for Plan 1 retirees

Reduce school year by one week- from 180 to 175 days

WHAT’S AT STAKE?Potential Cuts during the Special Session and Beyond

all-day kindergarten for poor children

Levy Equalization money that property-poor districts get to supplement their levies

National Board Certified Teacher incentive pay bonuses reduced to $4,000

Teacher pay, which already took a 1.9 percent cut

Reductions in health care funding or a state takeover of K-12 health benefit plans by 2013-14

An end to collective bargaining rights

Possible Issues

Base funding on daily- not monthly attendance Salary/Compensation Collective Bargaining Merit Pay NBCT Vouchers and Charter Schools Retirement and Pensions Certification Testing/MSP Health Care/Benefits

Why give your $2.25?

700 Washington educators traveled to Olympia last year to give face-to-face testimony to our elected representatives

WEAPAC supports any candidate who supports education

If we don’t speak up for education… who will??