School director Michael Howe, Sequim, was joined by seven superintendents from the greater Spokane area to oppose SB 5982, a bill that would limit the number of late starts and early releases to seven in a 180-day school calendar.
Testifying before the Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education Committee, school leaders emphasized that limiting the number of times a school district can bring its staff together to talk about student achievement and improve instruction could be detrimental to student outcomes.
Riverside School District Superintendent Roberta Kramer compared a high school basketball team that practices together, evaluates team performance, and shares ways to improve for the next game with the way her district approaches the collaborative time associated with late start and early release days.
Jim Kowalkowski, Davenport's superintendent, asked lawmakers whether they would be more likely to send their child who needs brain surgery to a surgeon who has training once a year or a surgeon who talks regularly with peers and is on the cutting edge of the best technology and practices. Kowalkowski said he'd pick the one more current.
Listening to the testimony, Sen. Andy Billig, D-Spokane, asked whether the number of early releases and late starts had increased with the elimination of learning improvement days. The answer, overwhelmingly, was yes.
Chairman Steve Litzow, R-Mercer Island, asked each panelist what was their high school graduation rates and percentage of students eligible for free and reduced price meals. District superintendents shared graduation rates ranging from 90 percent to 98 percent, which received positive feedback from Litzow.
Hearing from local education leaders such as our superintendents and school directors is critical in this short session, and legislators truly appreciate hearing from you.
Updates on the Legislature and state government from the Washington State School Directors' Association.
