The Buzz on the Streets

The 47th District: Issues, Insight & Interaction

FEDERAL DOLLARS PENDING FOR WASHINGTON STATE EDUCATION

February 23rd, 2010 at Tue, 23rd, 2010 at 8:23 am by lesliehamada

Each of us in the 47th District has the opportunity to be active participants in our children’s education and ultimately the future of  Washington State today. You and I can increase Washington’s chances of winning 250 Million dollars of Federal Education money in President Obama’s : Race to the Top competition.  In case you are not familiar with this Plan here is a little background

information on this issue. This is a competition between states, and the states that make the strongest reforms to education are the ones with the “BEST SHOT” at this additional funding for their State.

How do you fit into this picture—get involved today and call your two Representatives on the Washington State Education Committee:

Representative Pat Sullivan—360-786-7858

and

Representative Tina Orwall—360-786-7834

Tell their assistants or leave a voice message that you strongly support the Priest Amendments to SB 6696

These amendments have been initiated by Representative Skip Priest from Federal Way

They state as follows:

  • Have the State design a new teacher evaluation system, instead of pushing that responsibility onto individual districts,

at a time when our districts (especially here in the KSD area) don’t have the extra money to design a new system.

  • Make student growth one of the metrics in that new evaluation system

We are in critical times in this Nation’s History with our government, schools, infrastructure, and society as a whole. How it all

shakes out is going to be up to us. We have the power to make Differences by getting informed and getting involved.

Take a few minutes today and make those calls to the people we elect to have our voice heard on major education reform.

If we want to stretch our tax dollars even further you and I have to become advocates. Advocates for our Kids Future and Our

Posterity as a whole. Now get going and pick-up those phones and change the future of Education in Washington.

lesliehamada Leslie is a wife, mother, & grandmother. She has worked in marketing, communications, & writing professionally. For the past 17 years she has resided in the Covington area and doing volunteer work in the King County Area. While her children attended University Place Schools she was actively involved in youth activites and PTA. She was in executive leadership in the organization as President in school PTA on all levels. In addition she held a District PTA leadership position. Currently her youngest child Lisa is a teacher and last year was recognized as NASPE 2009 High School Physical Education Teacher of the Nation. Her two sons are employed in Computer and engineer firms. She has two beautiful grandchildren. Leslie's pride & joy is Pee Wee Hamada her stay at home cocker spaniel and her inspiration for her first Children's Book: "Pee Wee's Adventure In the Woods" which addresses boundaries for young children and safety issues through an exciting animal book. Leslie has been actively involved in her Community volunteering for over 40 years. She has mentored in high risk elementary schools since college. Presently she is Director for emergency services for her church Kent United Methodist. She is Chair of the Kent Ecumenical Network Board. It is her sixth year on Catholic Community Advocacy Board. She received an award last year from Governor Gregoire for work with felons. This past year she was recognized for work in social justice and poverty by the South King County Human Service Commission. Last year she received an award from the Southern Sudanese Organization in Seattle. In 2005 she received the SKC Award for the Spirit of Caring. In 2005 she traveled to San Francisco to work at the Soup Kitchen of Glide Memorial and help with immigrant Chinese pre-school students at Gum Moon Community. Her passion is working with kids and social justice issues. Presently she is working to start a Kids Boxing Program in the Kent East Hill area to give the kids a great after school program.

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