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Rep.
Schual-Berke's Home Page
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TO UNSUBSCRIBE: Send us your e-mail address. Monday, September 24, 2007 In This Issue National Attorneys General School and College Campus Safety Report Education and the Preliminary "Needs Improvement" List: Congratulations to Mount Rainier High School (Des Moines)! Bridge "Gusset Plate" Information 2007 Washington State Gas Prices Investigation
Health care is one of the most pressing issues facing many of our families. I invite you to share your thoughts on how we as a state should be working to solve this crisis and improve health care in Washington State. Click here to fill out a quick online survey.
Did you know… · 593,000 Washingtonians have no insurance. · The number of uninsured Americans has been rising over the past six years to a record high of 47.0 million in 2006, according a recent U.S. Census Bureau report. · The income group with the most people losing insurance was households making $75,000 or more a year, showing that the issue is not limited to the poor. · Even full-time workers are losing employment-based coverage. The number of full-time workers without health insurance rose from 20.8 million in 2005 to 22.0 million in 2006. · “…more Americans are worried about their health care costs than about losing their job, paying their rent or mortgage, losing money in the stock market, or being the victim of a terrorist attack” according to a poll conducted by The Kaiser Family Foundation. “Among those with health insurance, one-third say they are very worried about losing their coverage, and slightly fewer worry that their health plan is more concerned with saving money than what is best for them.”
Unfortunately, until a national solution is found to our health care crisis, it is up to the states to come up with innovative ways to help people get affordable, quality care. Please take a few moments to fill out my online survey to share your ideas on what policymakers in Washington State should be doing to address this issue. All responses are anonymous and no private information will be shared.
If you have any questions about this survey or would like more information about the efforts taking place in our state to improve access to health care, feel free to contact me at Schual-Berke.Shay@leg.wa.gov or (206) 824-5097. I appreciate hearing from you!
Every quarter, the Economic and Revenue Forecast Council announces a new General Fund-State revenue forecast. The latest one was just released and is $281.5 million higher than expected - $68.8 million is from higher collections that came in for the biennium that just ended (2005-07) and $212.7 million is for the current (2007-09) biennium.
With these revenues, the ending fund balance for the 2007-09 biennium is expected to be as follows:
· $1.09 billion in the unrestricted General Fund · $430.9 million in the Budget Stabilization Account (if ESSJR 8206 is approved by voters in the November election)
This is a total of $1.5 billion in reserves.
The following points were made at the council meeting:
· Washington's economy, unlike the national one, is very strong. · The revenue forecast has already incorporated some caution. For example, the growth rates for GF-S revenues are 2.3 % for FY 2008 and 3.1 % for FY 2009. By comparison, the growth rates for the prior biennium were 10.5% for FY 2006 and 8.4% for FY 2007. · Washington's housing market is more stable than the national one. · Washington has added almost 90,000 new jobs in the last 12 months. Much of that growth is in high wage sectors such as aerospace and software. · The forecast assumes there will be no recession in the 2007-09 biennium. · This week the Federal Reserve is expected to cut the interest rate from 5.25% to 5.0% or possibly 4.75%. By the end of the year it is expected (the firm Global Insight provides economic data to the forecast council) that the interest rate will be 4.5%.
The next revenue forecast will be in November. The Governor will use those numbers in preparing her 2008 supplemental operating budget request which is released the third week of December. The Legislature will have yet another forecast in February 2008.
As your State Representative, I hear often from constituents, young and old, who wish to further their education and are looking for information, particularly regarding financial assistance as well as how to investigate colleges and universities. So with this issue of my newsletter we will start a new feature, "The College Corner" to share relevant information that comes my way, and hope you will feel free to pass it on wherever it may be useful.
Following is great news about money and other supports to help adults with low incomes go to college and get into high-demand jobs.
Opportunity Grants for Low-Income Adults to Pursue College Education Program will award $10.6 million in grants to fill gaps left by traditional financial aid.
The Opportunity Grants program, which I helped pass in the Legislature, helps low-income adults attend college. The program has expanded to all 34 community and technical colleges in Washington.
Opportunity Grants help low-income adults begin – and continue in - long-term career development and fill the gaps left by traditional financial aid. The average household income for participants in the pilot phase was less than $11,500 per year for an average household of three.
The original 2006 legislation created the Opportunity Grant pilot program at 10 community and technical college campuses. Building on the successful pilot year, we expanded the Opportunity Grant program in 2007 to all 34 community and technical colleges for the 2007-2008 academic year.
Student awards will be between $2,800 and $3,800 and may cover tuition and fees, books, supplies, tools and equipment. Transportation and childcare may also be funded on an emergency basis. Each college’s direct costs for infrastructure and support services – such as counseling and advising, mentoring, tutoring, outside-of-the-classroom support services, campus project coordinator – are also supported by the grants.
Opportunity Partnership Program Builds Connections Between Students and Employers
The Opportunity Partnership program will pair a recipient student with a mentor in order to help them gain workplace experience through job shadowing or an internship. The mentoring program is a new element of the grants and will be evaluated a pilot study year.
Opportunity Grant awards for 2007-2008:
District/College Name Award Bates 250,000 Bellevue 350,000 Bellingham* 344,000 Big Bend* 399,000 Cascadia 250,000 Centralia 340,000 Clark 250,000 Clover Park* 419,000 Columbia Basin 250,000 Edmonds* 432,000 Everett 290,000 Grays Harbor 270,000 Green River 325,000 Highline* 432,000 Lake Washington 250,000 Lower Columbia 277,000 Olympic* 305,000 Peninsula* 370,000 Pierce Ft. Steilacoom 340,000 Pierce Puyallup 290,000 Renton 250,000 Seattle Central 350,000 Seattle North 300,000 Seattle South 290,000 Shoreline* 416,000 Skagit Valley 250,000 South Puget Sound 250,000 Spokane CC 290,000 Spokane Falls 250,000 Tacoma 250,000 Walla Walla* 432,000 Wenatchee Valley 250,000 Whatcom* 250,000 Yakima Valley* 363,000 $10,624,000
*Indicates one of the ten 2006-2007 pilot program colleges
Here’s a wonderful project to help our college bound high school students:
The Portfolio Project Enrolling High School Student Participants
United Negro College Fund in partnership with the YMCA Black Achievers Program and the Thurston Group of Washington State invites high school juniors and seniors to participate in a 9 week Saturday program beginning Saturday, September 29 at 12:30PM-3:00PM at Seattle University to help them develop a college academic portfolio to respond to college and scholarship applications. The project is designed for students qualified to attend college but who need help presenting adequate, accurate and timely information for review and consideration by college recruiters and scholarship donors. It presents a systemic approach, utilizing strong mentor support through all phases of the application process.
During the course of the program students:
Upon successful completion of the project, participants will have:
Interested students should contact Mr. Shomari Jones at the Meredith Mathews East Madison YMCA at 206-322-6969 to receive an application or e-mail sjones@seattleymca.org.
This program is made possible with the generous support of: The Paul G. Allen Family Foundation The Verizon Foundation Northwest Education Loan Association (NELA) Education Access Network The Russell Group LLC
National Attorneys General School and College Campus Safety Report
The National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) Task Force on School and Campus Safety has just released a report recommending changes in laws and policies to help address some of the shortcomings identified during the Virginia Tech tragedy. Our state has been a leader in school mapping and funding for emergency preparedness. I will be examining the recommendations and supporting legislation to improve our efforts at keeping students safe.
New recommendations for school and college campus safety A 14-page report identifies recommendations for changes in laws and educational policies to give students better protection from violence in their schools and on college campuses. Task force members took a broad federally focused approach and did not conduct an in-depth analysis of individual state laws and policies. Their report includes specific recommendations on threat assessments, protocols for dealing with persons with mentally illnesses, information-sharing among law enforcement agencies and other stakeholders, and crisis response planning and communications. Recommendations from the task force include: • All schools and colleges should establish a system whereby disturbing behavior is reported to an individual or multidisciplinary team with expertise and training in risk assessment. These experts should assess the information received and put into action an appropriate response. Students, parents, faculty and other community stakeholders should be made aware of the reporting mechanism. • State and federal lawmakers should examine privacy laws in an effort to remove barriers to effective information sharing. Appropriate state and federal agencies should clarify how information, including mental health records, can be shared under existing state and federal laws. • Legislators should modify or enhance state laws to ensure that all information that is relevant to federal firearms laws is shared with the National Instant Criminal Background System, especially information about individuals disqualified from purchasing or possessing firearms for mental health reasons. The U.S. Department of Justice should provide clear guidance to jurisdictions on the scope of relevant records. • State legislators should mandate that all schools and colleges that receive state funding create, maintain and update emergency management plans. • Colleges should implement a multi-point, redundant communication system that leverages existing technology and provides information to as many people as possible as quickly as possible. • Every school and college should have mechanisms in place to allow for the anonymous reporting of perceived threats by students or faculty. The system should include educational outreach and effective follow-up by trained professionals. • States should continue to implement and expand bullying prevention measures, including cyber bullying. The entire report is available on the Attorney General’s Web site: http://www.atg.wa.gov/uploadedFiles/Another/Protecting_Youth/School_Safety/FINAL%20REPORT%20090407.pdf SCHOOL PREPAREDNESS: Washington leads the nation in taking steps to make emergency preparedness and response a top priority. The state has already deployed the country’s first statewide, computer-based, interoperable crisis management system in more than 1,200 school campuses. Over the past several sessions, the Legislature has approved more than $5 million to develop a statewide crisis management system and emergency response plans for every public K-12 school in the state. Emergency response plans include on-location planning sessions with local first responders and school stakeholders where campus-specific, emergency response plans are developed for all hazards including acts of terrorism. In addition to schools, other critical infrastructure in Washington has been mapped and catalogued in the system in cooperation with Washington State Patrol, local police, fire and sheriffs departments across the state as well as the US Marshall's office.
Education and the Preliminary "Needs Improvement" List
We hear all too often about the shortcomings in our public schools so it is important to celebrate their successes as well. An outstanding example is Mount Rainier High School, one of only six schools in our state to have shown such improvement that they have been removed from the federal "needs improvement" list. This year the list of schools and districts identified as “needing improvement” under the No Child Left Behind Act includes more than 2,000 schools and almost 300 school districts in Washington State. For the 2007 school year, 281 schools and 30 districts are in improvement status. This year marks the first time that WASL scores from grades three, five, six and eight were required for the annual calculations. In 2006, 250 schools were reported in improvement status, up from 185 schools in 2005. Congratulations to the six schools that have exited from improvement status: Mount Rainier High School (Highline School District), Heritage School (Marysville), Alternative School (Methow Valley), Sentinel Tech Alternative School (Wahluke), Weston High School (Arlington) and Edmonds Woodway High School (Edmonds). These schools have met their yearly improvement goals for two years in a row, and should be very proud of their accomplishments. Highline voters passed capital construction bonds in 2002 and 2006, allowing the Highline School District to replace many aging school buildings with new state-of-the-art schools. Mount Rainier High School is one of our schools that have been rebuilt. MRHS was housed in an interim site for the past two years while the new high school was being built. The new building was finished in time for the start of school on September 5th. Every year I have worked to
provide matching money from
the state for Highline School District noise mitigation (and have
succeeded, having brought home $5 million for each of the past two
biennial budgets). I secured $3.5 million in the 2007-09
Capital Budget. A school or district is in improvement status after it misses its annual goals for two consecutive years in the same subject, either in reading or mathematics. Schools on the improvement list that receive federal Title I funds are subject to a series of consequences for not making AYP. In order to exit the improvement status, schools must meet AYP goals for two consecutive years. All states must provide the public with annual school and district improvement lists. In addition, schools and districts must notify parents of their improvement status at the beginning of each school year. How do they decide which schools are on the list? Schools are evaluated in up to 37 distinct categories, while districts are evaluated in as many as 111 categories. If a school or district does not meet the annual goal in a single category, it fails to make AYP. What is the school
improvement process? Schools in Step 5 are required to institute “school restructuring” which is defined by the school district. Possible restructuring efforts include replacing staff members or entering into a contract with another entity for academic improvement.
About 13 percent of Washington schools are in improvement status at this time and about 10 percent of our school districts are in improvement status.
This list of schools and districts in improvement status is considered to be preliminary. OSPI will issue a final report detailing the AYP status of all schools and districts later this fall. To see which schools and districts are in improvement status, download the lists from the OSPI Web site.
What are we doing to help our schools be successful? This past legislative session we worked hard to make sure that our schools, educators, and students have the support and resources they need to meet the higher standards that have been set for them. Our efforts focused on three main areas:
Basic education funding · Created a Joint Task Force on Basic Education to develop a new definition of basic education, a new funding structure, and all necessary funding formulas. · Approved a resolution to submit to the voters a proposed amendment to the state Constitution so that excess property tax levies for school districts can be authorized by a simple majority of voters voting in a levy election. · Provided additional resources to school districts for pupil transportation programs. · Funded higher levels of support for special education programs. · Began to phase-in a full day kindergarten program beginning in the state's highest poverty schools. · Provided funding to allow school districts to update and improve their technology capacity. · Increased the per student allocation for the Learning Assistance program (LAP) by approximately 10 percent.
Supporting student achievement · Created an English Language Learner pilot project and several Kindergarten through third grade demonstration projects. · Established the Washington Learning Center Program which provides grants for high-quality before and after school care. · Made improvements to the state assessment system by increasing the number of alternative assessments, reviewing the current assessment (WASL) and considering end-of-course exams for math and science in high school. Also, diagnostic tests are added to the assessment system, and math and science as graduation requirements are delayed until 2013. · Created the Building Bridges for Drop Out program that establishes a grant program for school districts to implement comprehensive dropout prevention and retrieval programs. · Fully funded the increase in Initiative 728, which is distributed to school districts to use for class size reduction, extended learning opportunities for students, professional development for educators, early childhood programs, and necessary building improvements to support class size reductions or extended learning opportunities. · Provided resources to assist high school students who have not passed the WASL.
Educator preparations and professional development · Provided Funding for 750 new math and science teachers. · Funded additional elementary and secondary math/science professional development. · Created the Math & Science Instruct Coaches program. · Created the School District Leadership Academy. · Provided a regional professional development program to support math and science instructional practices. · Creates the Recruiting Diverse Teachers program that will encourage multicultural and multilingual high school students to become teachers. · Provided increased salary bonuses for individuals certified by the national board for professional teaching standards with an additional bonus for teaching in high poverty schools.
Bridge "Gusset Plate" Information
Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) has provided the following information on bridge "gusset plates" in Washington, given some recent reports that gusset plates may have played a role in the Minnesota bridge collapse.
With the National Transportation Safety Board looking at the possible failure of the Minnesota bridge, I want to share with you how those issues relate to Washington State's bridges and construction practices. The two issues: gusset plates and weights and loads on the bridges during construction.
The focus of the federal review is narrowing to the gusset plates that join steel truss members and the weight of construction equipment and materials on the bridge during construction.
Gusset Plates
This is the next installment in information I want to share with you about our efforts to ensure bridge safety here in Washington State.
Gusset plates are used to connect two or more structural members at a joint in a steel truss. These plates are primary load carrying members in steel truss bridges. Plates can be as large as 6 ft. x 6 ft. and need to be strong enough to accommodate the loads and stresses that the bridge will experience throughout its lifetime.
WSDOT has 26 steel deck truss bridges. Typical steel truss bridges like the Aurora Avenue Bridge or the I-5 Lake Washington Ship Canal bridges have hundreds of these plates.
WSDOT has never had a gusset plate failure in its history. Our inspections have not revealed any potential problems with any of these plates.
With preliminary information about the cause of the Minnesota Bridge collapse, and the request by FHWA to review reports or re-inspect bridges, WSDOT’s bridge inspection team is reviewing reports and looking at gusset plates in particular.
WSDOT is complying with FHWA’s request to take a look at our steel deck truss bridges. We’re in the initial phases of this process, reviewing and going back through inspection reports looking for any deficiencies or flaws like cracking, or corrosion. The team will dispatch inspection crews to bridges that may have reported suspect gusset plates. The team will produce a report when the review process is complete.
Bridge Construction Projects
During construction or rehab work, if a contractor wants to take a load on the bridge that is heavier than the legal load limit, the construction contract allows him to temporarily exceed that limit an additional 35 percent. This equipment might be a crane or an industrial sized water truck. Any equipment exceeding that level requires prior approval by the WSDOT Bridge design office.
Contractors submit their plans in advance for how they will stage equipment like cranes or concrete trucks. The WSDOT bridge design office reviews recent inspection reports to find out the current bridge rating and condition and assesses how much weight and stress the bridge is able to currently handle.
Bridge plans set weight limits to accommodate any structural change to the bridge during construction phases. Construction teams are required to place cranes on adjacent spans or under bridges when those loads would exceed safe levels. The contractor is also required to remove debris, rocks, and dirt from the structure to avoid unnecessary stresses on the structure.
2007 Washington State Gas Prices Investigation On August 16th, the first phase of the 2007 Washington State Gas Prices Investigation was released. This is just the first phase of this investigation—the fact-finding phase. It covers basic facts such as how Washington compares with other states, how our cities and counties compare with one another, where our gas supply comes from, and what goes into the price of a gallon of gas. The last such comprehensive study into Washington gas prices was published in July 1991 by the state Energy Office (now CTED’s Energy Policy Division). I have heard from many of you about your frustrations with gas prices and our inability to understand them, or know whether they are excessive or not. Key findings in this fact-finding phase of the investigation include: · Retail gas prices in the 1991 study tended to be lower in the Seattle area than in Eastern Washington. This trend has reversed, with the Bellevue and Bellingham reporting the highest average retail prices in recent years. · Crude oil costs increased by more than 76 cents per gallon from December 2003 to May 2007; these costs made up roughly 50 percent of the cost of a gallon of gas in July 2007. · Refinery margins increased by nearly 94 cents per gallon from December 2003 to May 2007, making up roughly 22 percent of the price of a gallon of gas in July 2007. · The current total gas tax in Washington is roughly 54.4 cents per gallon—the highest total gas tax in the nation – in part because Washington relies on its gas tax for most of its highway funding. · Consumption rates have remained stable in Washington since 2000. · Washington refineries routinely produce enough gasoline and diesel to meet Western Washington and Oregon. However, only two to five days worth of gasoline is available to bridge short-term supply interruptions. We'll follow and share all the phases of this investigation with you.
From Times Online August 15, 2007 The world's strangest laws Did you know it's illegal in France to name a pig Napoleon? Or that in Ohio you're not allowed to get a fish drunk? Alex Wade celebrates the spirit of the silly season with a list of the world's most ridiculous laws. (Kham/Reuters) Did you know that in France it is forbidden to call your pig Napoleon? Alex Wade 25. It is illegal for a cab in the City of London to carry rabid dogs or corpses. 24. It is illegal to die in the Houses of Parliament. 23. It is an act of treason to place a postage stamp bearing the British monarch upside down. 22. In France, it is forbidden to call a pig Napoleon. 21. Under the UK’s Tax Avoidance Schemes Regulations 2006, it is illegal not to tell the taxman anything you don’t want him to know, though you don’t have to tell him anything you don’t mind him knowing. 20. In Alabama, it is illegal for a driver to be blindfolded while driving a vehicle. 19. In Ohio, it is against state law to get a fish drunk. 18. Royal Navy ships that enter the Port of London must provide a barrel of rum to the Constable of the Tower of London. 17. In the UK, a pregnant woman can legally relieve herself anywhere she wants – even, if she so requests, in a policeman’s helmet. 16. In Lancashire, no person is permitted after being asked to stop by a constable on the seashore to incite a dog to bark. 15. In Miami, Florida, it is illegal to skateboard in a police station. 14. In Indonesia, the penalty for masturbation is decapitation. 13. In England, all men over the age of 14 must carry out two hours of longbow practice a day. 12. In London, Freemen are allowed to take a flock of sheep across London Bridge without being charged a toll; they are also allowed to drive geese down Cheapside. 11. In San Salvador, drunk drivers can be punished by death before a firing squad. 10. In the UK, a man who feels compelled to urinate in public can do so only if he aims for his rear wheel and keeps his right hand on his vehicle. 9. In Florida, unmarried women who parachute on Sundays can be jailed. 8. In Kentucky, it is illegal to carry a concealed weapon more than six-feet long. 7. In Chester, Welshmen are banned from entering the city before sunrise and from staying after sunset. 6. In the city of York, it is legal to murder a Scotsman within the ancient city walls, but only if he is carrying a bow and arrow. 5. In Boulder, Colorado, it is illegal to kill a bird within the city limits and also to “own” a pet – the town’s citizens, legally speaking, are merely “pet minders”. 4. In Vermont, women must obtain written permission from their husbands to wear false teeth. 3. In London, it is illegal to flag down a taxi if you have the plague. 2. In Bahrain, a male doctor may legally examine a woman’s genitals but is forbidden from looking directly at them during the examination; he may only see their reflection in a mirror. 1. The head of any dead whale found on the British coast is legally the property of the King; the tail, on the other hand, belongs to the Queen - in case she needs the bones for her corset. With thanks to: Donald Stewart at Faegre & Benson; John Barnett at Burges Salmon; Robert Crossley at Walker Morris; James Odds at Matthew Arnold & Baldwin; and Dan Kieran, author of I Fought The Law (Bantam Press).
Contacting Me During Interim My website is http://www1.leg.wa.gov/house/schual-berke. Be sure to check it out for up-to-date information. During interim you can reach me at my district office, 206-824-5097, schual-berke.shay@leg.wa.gov, or my assistant at soderlind.mary@leg.wa.gov. Shay If you received this from someone else and wish to receive this newsletter directly please click subscribe. If you would like to be removed from this mailing list please click unsubscribe.
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Rep. Shay Schual-Berke
33rd Legislative District
