32nd District Democrats

Friends,

Every two years, the Washington state Democrats hold our caucuses.  Here, we select our official Democratic delegates to the state convention and/or we pass resolutions to the State Party and adopt resolutions.  Delegates to the state convention will select the official party nominees for federal office.     Angry about health care?  Concerned about climate change?  Upset with procedural rules in the US Senate?  Want to share your thoughts on shrinking revenues for services that care for our most vulnerable?  Then come to the legislative district caucuses and let your voice be heard!

Our 2010 Legislative District Caucuses will be on Sunday, March 14th at Shorecrest High School (15343 25th Ave NE, Shoreline) Registration starts at 12:00pm, meeting starts at 1:00pm.  Can you join us?

This year will be a little different than 2008 Legislative caucuses.  First, we won't have our precinct level caucuses and we'll jump right up to the legislative level.   

If you'd like to submit a resolution, please submit your resolution as follows: The full text with name, address, and precinct number of the person submitting it shall be electronically transmitted or mailed to 32nd LD Platform and Resolutions Committee Chair, at carin.chase@32democrats.org or mailed to PO Box 65258, Shoreline WA  98155.  Below is a link to a Resolutions Template.

We certainly hope you can make this fun and exciting event. The 2008 caucuses broke all sorts of turnout records and the 36th District topped each legislative district in Washington state.  Will you help us lead the pack again this year and shape our party for 2010 and beyond?  If so, please join your fellow Democratic neighbors and friends on Sunday March 14th at Shorecrest High School for another great caucus event.

Carin Chase, Chair

32nd District Democrats

Bastyr University ,located adjacent to St Edwards Park in the 32nd LD, is receiving honors at the Legislative level.  Recognizing Bastyr University is House Resolution No. 4668  sponsored by  Representatives Roger Goodman 45LD,  Maralyn Chase 32LD, and  Ruth Kagi 32LD.  We commend Representative Roger Goodman for bringing forth this resolution. 

For the complete resolution see: http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/summary.aspx?bill=4668&year=2009#documents

Statement from State Superintendent Randy Dorn on proposed budgets:

Today, the leadership in the state House of Representatives and Senate released their supplemental fiscal year 2010 budgets. In 1994, the state’s per pupil spending was $3,707, adjusted for inflation. The state Senate’s proposed budget for 2010 is $3,815 per student, just $108 per student more than 16 years ago and down $311 from 2007. While both budgets decrease K-12 public education funding, the Senate’s version would cut approximately $650 million for the 2010-11 school year. Below is a statement from State Superintendent Randy Dorn on the impact of the budgets:   Both chambers of the Legislature today made an attempt to lessen the blow to education funding. The Senate budget, however, still makes cuts to education that will have real impacts on real students.  As this legislative session moves into its final days, I will urge the Legislature to support the House’s funding levels for our schools. The Senate budget significantly cuts funding for the K-4 staffing ratio enhancement, reduces the funding districts have to hire classified staff and cuts funding for Initiative 728.  What would these cuts mean to our schools? The elimination of about 2,500 teachers and more than 300 bus drivers, secretaries and other classified staff; the increasing of class sizes in our kindergarten through fourth grade;  and the loss to school districts of more than 450,000 hours districts will have facilities maintenance and cleaning. If I ask myself if today’s students have the same quality of education as their counterparts of three years ago, I would definitely say no. We are moving backward with education funding and putting more of a burden on local school districts. That’s just not right. The bottom line is, we are now more dependent than ever on local levies for funding public education and that creates an alarming equity issue. Even raising revenue doesn’t get us back to our 2007 funding levels, and those are the figures a King County Superior Court judge recently ruled weren’t enough to amply fund basic education. Our education system is much more complex than when we first enacted education reform in 1994, and that’s about where the Senate’s proposed funding puts us. We have nearly 10 percent more low-income students and double the number of English-language learners (with 202 languages spoken by K-12 students). We have got to get serious about this. We’re asking educators to do much more with not nearly enough. Let’s be clear, neither of these budgets meets our constitutional requirement to amply fund basic education. When we don’t put education funding first, students suffer. As the state’s education leader, I will let both chambers know their budgets continue to underfund education and do not ensure all our students are provided a meaningful, equitable education.

Nathan Olson

Communications Manager

Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction

(360) 725-6015

(360) 584-8967 (c)

Wondering what the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act -- President Obama's stimulus bill -- has accomplished? Look at this:

Please remember to mail in your ballots today for the local school bonds and levies. Election Day is February 9. We encourage everyone to vote for the Edmonds, Northshore and Shoreline School bonds and levies, as well as the King County Library levy. For more information, please check out the links: Edmonds, Lake Washington, Northshore, Shoreline. In Shoreline, you can find volunteer opportunities, including cell phone parties and "rah rah" locations at http://voteyesforshorelineschools.org.