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AESD Executive Services

Legislative Agenda Defined

At their October 3 meeting, the AESD Executive Board approved the legislative agenda for the upcoming 2008 Supplemental Session.  The following five actions were named as priorities:

  1. Core Funding – ESD Staff Allocation Formula:  Develop and promote a budget request to define an adequately funded staff allocation formula for the FTE’s allocated to the ESDs in the 2007 legislative session.  The intent is to adequately fund existing allocations as was done for the math specialists.
  2. Fiscal Technical Assistance: Develop and promote a plan for additional resources and an expanded role for ESDs to provide proactive fiscal assistance to school districts.  This would define the capacity within core funding for provision of assistance to districts in maintaining strong fiscal positions.
  3. Dropout Prevention / Intervention: Develop and promote a plan for a regional based system from dropout prevention and intervention operated by each ESD in collaboration with local school districts.  A component of this proposal will address ESDs awarding high school graduation credits for dropout retrieval programs with the approval of the school districts within their region.
  4. Capital Funding Study:  Cause action to be taken to fund a study which would  consider public funding for ESD facilities.  This action follows comments in the Performance Audit.
  5. Statutory Change Certification Fee:  Seek change to RCW 410.060 language to allow a portion of certification fees to cover expenses of operating ESD certification offices.

The Executive Board also identified several items of interest that will be monitored during the session.  These items of interest include: possible legislative action in response to the Performance Audit (district boundary disputes and code of conduct investigations), bills involving the tiered intervention model promoted by the State Board last session, support for the ESD school improvement efforts using the tiered model and use of the K – 20 system for program delivery.

The AESD legislative team of Jim Shoemake and Tom Kelly are now engaged in efforts laying the ground work pursuing these agenda items.  Since this is a supplemental session, major initiatives are not likely but, nonetheless, it remains important to keep ESD concerns and priorities known to the legislature.

Partnership Activities with OSPI Proceeding Well

The AE SD is well integrated and actively participating with OSPI in establishing an inclusive state-wide Professional Development Council (PDC).  The AESD team consisting of Superintendents Bill Keim and Monty Bridges, ESD Assistant Superintendents Ian Grabenhorst (105) and Dana Anderson (113), as well as the AESD Liaison Tom Kelly, is actively engaged in this effort.  The result of this work is envisioned to be a powerful, collaborative, and coherent system that will align and guide mathematics and science instruction and learning for all students and teachers in the state of Washington.

Membership of the Council includes AESD, staff from each of the ESDs, OSPI, representatives of higher education, private sector representatives, education associations, other state agencies and other stake holders.  The full Council has conducted two full day meetings which have established good communications and begun pursuit of an agreed important agenda.

Each PDC meeting is preceded by multiple meetings of the PDC Liaison Team which is charged by Terry Bergeson and the ESD Superintendents to guide the PDC process.  The AESD team (defined above) participates with Kathy Davidson, OSPI Chief of Staff, and her key administrators in this steering committee.  These meetings have been very productive in establishing good working relationships between OSPI and the ESDs.