Tag Archives: K-12

NEWSLETTER: A victory on property taxes, but higher local levies

Areas outside Seattle will see an increase of nearly 20% next year and 55% over the next six years.

 

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

At the beginning of the week, the news media reported legislative Democrats had again decided to abandon their efforts to increase your property taxes. This was the third consecutive year in which they had proposed to increase the annual rate by which state and local government can increase your property taxes without a vote of the people – which has been capped at 1% since Initiative 747 passed in 2001.

This is a tremendous win for
everyone across our state.

 

Thank you to those who spoke out against making housing more expensive. Your efforts made a big difference.

What was not immediately reported, however, is that Democrats are still pushing to allow significant increases in the school-levy cap, and that levy dollars are collected through property taxes.

 

Read my full statement.

 

This policy opens the door to the same reliance on local-levy funding that led to the Supreme Court ruling in the K-12 funding case McCleary v. State of Washington in 2012.

If it becomes law, this also will be a huge step backward because it creates inequitable funding among school districts. Our state constitution requires the state to provide for the education of all children within its borders; “all” does not mean a child’s educational opportunities should be influenced by his or her ZIP code.

 

Listen to my interview with Brandi Kruse on her Undivided podcast about this issue.

 

This policy will benefit the wealthier areas of our state but will only deepen the education-funding inequities across Washington — particularly in rural areas with larger Latino populations.

When discriminatory policies like this move forward, it’s hard to take Democrats seriously when they claim to be prioritizing equity or considering the real impact of their legislation on low-income communities or people of color.

It’s very likely that if this policy passes, the state will end up back in court because the resulting reliance on local levies will be just as unconstitutional today as it was before.

 

Sincerely,

John Braun

 

 

An assault on women: Cutting postpartum maternity care in half

 

 

One of the truly incomprehensible measures being advanced by Democrats (House Bill 2041) would cut in half the length of time that the state will pay for postpartum care for Medicaid patients who have delivered a baby.

In 2021, through the bipartisan Senate Bill 5068, the Legislature extended that time from six months to a year based on the following statistics quoted in that bill, which was sponsored by a Democrat.

  • 80% of pregnancy-related deaths are preventable, primarily through postpartum follow-up care for women’s health and behavioral-health.
  • More than 50% of pregnancy-related deaths in Washington state are women enrolled in Medicaid.
  • The Center for Disease Control found that pregnancy-related deaths occur up to one year postpartum, and data shows that critical health needs continue through that year.
  • Gaps in postpartum maternity care have been found to contribute to preventable pregnancy-related deaths.

It turns out that 58% of maternal deaths by suicide and 65% of maternal deaths by overdose occur between 43 days and one year postpartum.

 

Providing 12 months of postpartum
maternity care saves lives.

 

Reducing this coverage would put more women, and their babies, at risk, and it will make Washington one of only two states in the country not to provide 12 months of post-partum maternity care.

 

This is a step backward.

And for what?

 

Democrats claim the bill will save the state $11 million over four years, but while they are cutting post-partum care, they have another bill, House Bill 1043, that proposes spending $11 million by continuing a “Commute Trip Reduction Credit” which provides state payments to employers who give their employees financial incentives to use alternatives to cars in their commute.

 

What are their priorities?

 

The Senate Republican “$ave Washington” budget written by Sen. Chris Gildon, R-Puyallup, and Sen. Nikki Torres, R-Pasco, would not cut postpartum maternity care. In fact, it would not cut ANY services at all. It would protect the most vulnerable in our state while still not raising taxes.

 

That’s not just rhetoric. That’s fact. 

 

As for the Democrats who support this bill, they can’t claim they “put people first” when they put low-income mothers and their babies LAST.

 

Listen to me talk about this assault on women during our recent media availability.

 

 

 

CTE will be extended to 6th graders

 

 

 

Currently, 7th- and 8th- graders in middle school get to participate in career technical education (CTE) courses that allow them to explore the different options they have for their future. However, middle schools also include 6th-grade students who, up until now, haven’t been given the opportunity.

This week, my bill to extend CTE to 6th-graders in middle school was signed by the governor and will become law 90 days after this legislative session ends Sunday. It will be in effect for the 2026-27 school year.

I’m very pleased that Senate Bill 5382 will become law, and I’ve heard from many constituents who feel the same.

Read my full news release about the bill. 

 

 

Majority blocks effort to honor girls’ sports

 

 

A very controversial topic lately is whether biological men should be allowed to compete in women’s sports.

Although everyone should be treated with respect and dignity, women fought too hard for Title IX and for the recognition that women’s sports deserve – they should not be forced now to accept biological men into their arena.

My colleague, Sen. Judy Warnick, R-Moses Lake, recently sponsored Senate Resolution 8647 to honor women in sports. Like me, she has daughters who were athletes and simply wanted to recognize the commitment of young women like them.

The Democrat majority refused to let the Senate adopt this resolution during our “floor action,” in the Senate chamber, despite having allowed other somewhat controversial resolutions to come before us this year. While that is their privilege as the majority, it is not equitable, tolerant or fair.

In a recent statement, Senator Warnick said, “This is not a fringe issue, it is a mainstream concern shared by athletes, coaches and families across Washington and the country. Washington should be leading the way in supporting women’s sports, not silencing efforts to recognize and protect them.”

Listen to Sen. Warnick speak out about this issue during our latest media availability.

Braun bill aimed at getting chronically absent students to re-engage with classes, resume path to graduation

OLYMPIA… Chronic absenteeism is among the major obstacles preventing Washington children from recovering from pandemic-related learning loss. Senate Republican Leader John Braun, R-Centralia, has introduced legislation to help school administrators, teachers and parents get students to show up to school and take part in class.

Senate Bill 5850 would provide support for students who are at risk for not graduating high school due to chronic absenteeism. Sen. Lisa Wellman, D-Mercer Island and chair of the Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education Committee, is co-sponsoring Braun’s bill. It’s based on a pilot program underway in the state’s Educational Service District 112, which serves southwest Washington.

“Nothing good happens when kids either don’t show up at all or do show up but wander the school halls without attending class,” said Braun. “The students who are already struggling to work at grade level risk falling so far behind that they may not graduate, which jeopardizes their future earning potential and quality of life. School administrators are frustrated because they feel ill-equipped to enforce attendance policies. And no matter how many billions of dollars go into K-12, some of that investment is effectively lost when desks sit empty day after day.

“Many students who chronically skip school or become ‘hall walkers’ are dealing with family issues, substance-abuse disorder, or mental-health issues. Others just don’t care to show up or they wander around as if school attendance policies mean nothing. This can’t continue,” Braun added. “Fortunately, it’s not a partisan issue, as no one opposes the idea of getting students back on track. This legislation is about improving the safety net in ways that will help school-age children to become students again – to reengage and resume their path to a high-school diploma.”

SB 5850, filed Dec. 15, will receive a formal referral to Sen. Wellman’s committee when the 2024 legislative session convenes Jan. 8. People who want to testify in support of this bill once it is scheduled for a committee hearing may do so in person or remotely.

Background:

Under Washington’s current compulsory attendance law, parents of students who are between 8 and 18 years of age must enroll them in a public school or private school, or they must provide the child with home-based instruction. If a child does not attend, the school district must designate and identify to the local juvenile court and to the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) someone to coordinate school district efforts to address excessive absenteeism and truancy,

Under state law and OSPI rules, a student may be eligible to enroll in a statewide dropout-reengagement program if the student meets certain criteria including:

  • Has not met the high-school graduation requirements,
  • Is significantly behind in credits,
  • Has been recommended by a case manager, and
  • Is not currently enrolled in any high-school classes that receive state basic-education funding.

Summary of SB 5850:

  • Defines “students who are chronically absent” as students who miss 10% or more school days for any reason including excused and unexcused absences and suspensions.
  • Requires Washington’s nine educational service districts (ESDs) to develop and maintain the capacity to offer training and coaching for educators and other school district staff, including those designated under current state law, on the development of robust early-warning systems to identify and locate students who are chronically absent and connect them with necessary supports, subject to appropriations.
  • Directs OSPI to establish a grant program for community-based organizations and tribes to support students who are chronically absent, subject to appropriations.
  • Requires OSPI to allocate funding, subject to appropriations, to ESDs, school districts, and public schools to help eliminate barriers to high school completion for students who are:
    1. 16 to 21 years of age,
    2. are severely deficient in academic credits,
    3. unable to graduate high school with their peer group, and
    4. enrolled in a statewide dropout-reengagement program.
  • Specifies that OSPI must allocate funding on a per-student basis based on enrollment in a statewide reengagement program and that the funding be differentiated and include a base amount of funding for small and/or rural school districts.
  • Continues the grant program and per-student funding through December 31, 2026.

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Follow the Washington State Senate Republican Caucus
at www.src.wastateleg.org and @washingtonsrc.

Senate approves Braun bill to bring timber money back to schools

The state Senate today approved Sen. John Braun’s legislation that would make permanent a state policy that returns money from federal timber sales to local schools. Senate Bill 6292 would eliminate the reduction of state school funding to districts based on what they receive in federal forest revenues. The measure cleared the Senate by a vote of 35-14 and moves to the House of Representatives for consideration.

“This bill makes a small but needed change to restore resources for many of our school districts, especially in rural areas,” said Braun. “The state has been reducing its basic education funding to districts that received federal timber revenues, and that places extra burdens on the districts that are least able to handle them.”

Currently, 21 percent of property in Washington is designated as national forest, which is exempt from property tax. These federal funds are designated to go to the school districts in those areas to make up for lost property tax revenue. However, the state has been deducting that same amount from their basic education funding, effectively negating the goal of the program. Braun’s bill would eliminate the reduction in state basic-education funding to school districts that receive federal forest revenue, restoring the original intent of Congress.

“I’ve worked over the past several years to keep these funds available through the budget to the 215 school districts that receive federal forest revenues and this legislation provides a permanent solution,” Braun said.