Tag Archives: public schools

Schoesler votes ‘no’ on Democrats’ bill to dismantle parental-rights initiative

State Sen. Mark Schoesler, R-Ritzville, and other Senate Republicans voted against a bill introduced by Senate Democrats that would eliminate important rights from the parental-rights law approved by the Legislature last year.

Senate Bill 5181 was passed today along party lines, 30-19.

“This bill is a slap in the face of the 454,000 Washingtonians who signed the petition sheets allowing the parental rights initiative to be sent to the Legislature last year,” said Schoesler, who serves the 9^th Legislative District.

“Initiative 2081 was passed unanimously by the Senate a year ago, but now my Democratic counterparts want to take a legislative chisel to it and remove parts of it that parents supported most. At a time when parents’ trust in Washington’s public-school system is lower than ever, we should not pass a bill that weakens the parental-rights initiative. But that’s what the Senate majority did today.”

SB 5181 would end or hinder parents’ access to important school-related medical information, including:

Prior notification when medical services are offered (except in emergencies).
Notification when medical services or medication could impact health insurance.
Notification when school-arranged medical treatment results in follow-up care.

It also contains an “emergency clause” that would eliminate the constitutional right of voters to challenge the bill through a referendum. Democrats rejected a Republican amendment to remove the language from the bill.

“There’s no emergency here, so including an emergency clause has no purpose other than to prevent citizens from pushing back through the referendum process. If Democrats are afraid to find out what the voters think of the changes this bill makes, they should have left the law alone.”

SB 5181 now goes to the House of Representatives for further consideration.

Governor signs Schoesler bill helping school districts address maintenance needs

A bill introduced this year by 9^th District Sen. Mark Schoesler that aims to help school districts in Washington address their building-maintenance needs was signed today by Gov. Jay Inslee.

The law created by Senate Bill 5403 will allow school districts to create a “depreciation subfund” that can receive a transfer of up to 2% of a school district’s general fund each fiscal year.

“After introducing it the past three years, it’s good to see this bill finally become law,” said Schoesler, R-Ritzville. “It provides another way for school districts to handle building- or facility-maintenance needs. Sometimes it can be better for a school district to pay cash for a building repair or to set aside money for emergencies when they arise. Establishing this subfund, which is voluntary, is a way to help students learn in a healthy environment since school buildings will be in better condition.”

After passing SB 5403 unanimously in March, the Senate voted late in the regular session to unanimously support the version approved by the House, which makes the subfund option available only to school districts with fewer than 2,000 students.

During the 2021 and 2022 legislative sessions, the Senate twice easily passed an earlier version of Schoesler’s bill. Senate Bill 5202 reached the House Rules Committee and was placed on the House voting calendar in both sessions before stalling.

Legislature OKs Schoesler bill to help school districts address maintenance needs

A bill introduced by 9^th District Sen. Mark Schoesler that aims to help school districts in Washington address their building-maintenance needs is heading to the governor’s desk after being passed by the Legislature.

Senate Bill 5403 would allow school districts to create a “depreciation subfund” that can receive a transfer of up to 2% of a school district’s general fund each fiscal year.

“It’s good to see this bill finally get through the Legislature,” said Schoesler, R-Ritzville. “It provides another way for school districts to handle building- or facility-maintenance needs. Sometimes it can be better for a school district to pay cash for a building repair or to set aside money for emergencies when they arise. Establishing this subfund, which is voluntary, is a way to help students learn in a healthy environment since school buildings would be in better condition.”

The Senate unanimously passed SB 5403 in March. After the House added a floor amendment and then approved the altered proposal on an 89-8 vote on April 12, the Senate today voted 48-0 to concur (or agree) with the House’s amended version. The House floor amendment would make the bill applicable only to school districts with fewer than 2,000 students.

Senate OKs Schoesler bill helping school districts address maintenance needs

The Senate today unanimously approved a measure introduced by 9^th District Sen. Mark Schoesler that aims to help school districts in Washington address their building-maintenance needs.

Senate Bill 5403, passed 48-0, would allow school districts to create a “depreciation subfund” that can receive a transfer of up to 2% of a school district’s general fund each fiscal year.

“This bill provides another way for school districts to handle building- or facility-maintenance needs,” said Schoesler, R-Ritzville. “Sometimes it can be better for a school district to pay cash for a building repair or to set aside money for emergencies when they arise. Establishing this subfund, which is voluntary, is a way to help students learn in a healthy environment since school buildings would be in better condition.

“School administrators have recognized the value of this proposal. I’m pleased to see it receive strong support in the Senate and I hope it will receive approval in the House and become law this year.”

SB 5403 likely will be sent to the House Education Committee for further consideration.

Schoesler criticizes Reykdal for wanting to cancel state testing of students

Sen. Mark Schoesler opposes a suggestion by Washington’s highest-ranking elected education official that the state should cancel the testing of student learning levels.

During last week’s Washington State Board of Education meeting in Spokane, state Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal said that using tests to assess the true level of learning students are receiving “means nothing” and that, if he decides he has the authority, he plans to cancel state testing of public K-12 students.

At about the 1:00:57 mark of this TVW video of last week’s meeting, Reykdal said, “I am trying to figure out if I have the authority to exit us (from testing) on my own, or if that needs something else.”

Schoesler, who represents eastern Washington’s 9^th Legislative District and is the father of a public-school teacher, criticized Reykdal for wanting to pull the plug on state testing of students to assess how much they have learned.

“In just over the past two years, student learning in Washington has been severely disrupted due to COVID-19, which caused so many of our students to fall behind,” said Schoesler, R-Ritzville. “And now Superintendent Reykdal, the top elected education official in our state, wants to cancel state testing of students? The Legislature should decide on whether to keep such testing in place. Getting rid of these tests would be a disservice to students and parents. We need student assessment of learning more than ever to see how students are doing and where they need to improve.”

Schoesler said one of Reykdal’s reasons for eliminating state testing of students, that colleges don’t look at them in admitting students, is wrong.

“Contrary to what SPI Reykdal suggests, our state has never implemented assessment tests so that colleges can see how students are doing. These tests have been conducted so that we have objective measures for reading, writing and math. How can we know if Washington students can read, write and do math at their grade level if we don’t assess them? Parents and taxpayers deserve to know if their children can read, write and do math at grade level, as well as how their children and their schools compare with other students and schools. If we eliminate these state tests, how else will we assess how well students are learning?”

This link, provided by the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, shows the state and federal tests that Washington K-12 public school students take.

Schoesler leery of SPI’s new plan to reduce timber revenue for school construction

Schoesler also voiced concerns with Reykdal’s new plan, announced today, to reallocate funding from the state’s K-12 Common School Trust, which is partially funded by timber revenues to help fund construction of public schools in Washington. During a news conference today, Reykdal said timber revenue from timber harvests in rural communities would stay in those communities.

“While I appreciate Superintendent Reykdal’s concern about long-term funding of school construction projects in Washington communities, I’m concerned how it would impact rural school districts, as well as some urban districts” said Schoesler, the Senate Republican leader on the Senate capital budget. “It is important to know that some rural areas, such as Franklin County, have no timber harvests. Pasco, located in Franklin County, has been one of the fastest-growing school districts in the state. Statewide, timber harvests have decreased 50%, which has really hurt small towns.

“What I wanted was for our state’s schools superintendent to show how his agency would spearhead more efficiencies with school construction projects in our state so taxpayers can receive the most value for their tax dollars. Besides efficiencies, we should harvest more timber from state lands. Unfortunately, Superintendent Reykdal once again is not sufficiently addressing our concerns about seismic and tsunami problems facing some school districts,” added Schoesler.

Senate OKs Schoesler bill helping school districts address maintenance needs

The Senate today voted 44-4 to approve a bill introduced by Sen. Mark Schoesler that would help school districts in Washington address their building maintenance needs.

Senate Bill 5202 would allow school districts to create a “depreciation subfund” that can receive a transfer of up to 2 percent of a school district’s general fund each fiscal year.

“This bill would provide another path for school districts to handle building- or facility-maintenance needs,” said Schoesler, R-Ritzville. “Sometimes it can be better for a school district to pay cash for a building repair or to set aside money for emergencies when they arise. Establishing this subfund is a way to help students learn in a healthy environment since school buildings would be in better condition.

“School administrators have recognized the value of this proposal, and I’m pleased the vast majority of my Senate colleagues approved this bill.”

Senate Bill 5202 now goes to the House of Representatives for further consideration.