Snohomish Times Newspaper: Local News | 924.5 First Street Snohomish Washington 98290

Published: Thursday, February 02, 2012
Hope supports K-12 education budget

By Stephanie Davenport - House Republicans released their K-12 education budget today. Rep. Mike Hope, who serves on the House Education Appropriations and Oversight Committee, is in strong support of this budget and funding education first.

“It is a relief to finally see some action that addresses what should be the priority of government. Funding education is clearly the most important thing we should be focusing on, but to date that hasn’t been on the agenda. This could be done within existing funds and it’s our paramount duty,” said Hope, R-Lake Stevens.

This education budget is just part of the “Fund Education First” concept that House Republicans have proposed since 2006. House Bill 2533, which was heard in committee this week, is also part of the plan. The bill, which would require budget writers to pass a K-12 education budget before any other government program received funding, has strong bipartisan support.

“Not only would this bill take the politics out of funding education, it could be model legislation nationally. No other state has done this yet,” said Hope.

So far, House Bill 2533 seems likely to advance; and due to the support of this legislation, House Republicans are optimistic that the majority party will also support the K-12 education budget. Hope believes that funding education isn’t only step that should be taken.

“The court said it best in McCleary v. the State of Washington. They told us that fundamental reforms are needed and pouring more money into an outmoded system will not make it successful. So, not only do we need to focus on funding education, but we also need to make changes that ensure our children are getting the best education possible,” Hope said.

Reforms like those encouraged by Hope are also included in the budget. These reforms include changes that would allow school districts to waive unfunded state mandates, implement revised evaluation systems, address underperforming teachers, and new professional development requirements for educators.

(Photo at right: Rep. Mike Hope with Snohomish high school students Chelsea Valerie Rea, Karissa Lamphere and Ashley Turner.)

Wednesday, February 01, 2012

Colleen Raney to play in Snohomish
Celtic singer, and recording artist Colleen Raney brings her band to Tim Noahs Thumbnail Theatre for a very special concert to celebrate the release of her third album, Cuan.

Sunday, January 29, 2012

GroundFrog predicts good weather ahead
Snohomish Chamber of Commerce held its annual GroundFrog Day festivities in downtown Snohomish this weekend.

Friday, January 27, 2012

Snohomish to give nearly 6 million dollars to School District
Mayor Guzak finds a way to get the school district pool project moving again after a disappointing city council meeting on Monday.

Sunday, January 22, 2012

Snohomish Bank Robbery Investigation
Preliminary investigation indicates a lone suspect entered the bank, approached a teller and demanded money. No weapon was displayed during the incident.

Thursday, January 19, 2012

Falling trees close roads in central Puget Sound
Tree limbs loaded with snow are snapping and falling onto state highways all across King, Snohomish and Pierce counties. Many roads are closed due to downed trees. It appears it will get worse before it gets better.

Thursday, January 19, 2012

Snohomish Armed Robbery UPDATE
A search warrant was obtained for the residence and the Sheriffs Office SWAT team was called out to serve the warrant.

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Small Town Snohomish Armed Robbery
Suspect #1 (armed with the handgun) is described as male, 507, about 150 pounds, wearing all black clothing. Suspect #2 is also described as a male, wearing all dark clothing and a black ski mask.

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

No Fire at Snohomish Police Department
We inquired as to the reason for the alarm being triggered. Chief Flood said that he had no idea why it went off.

Monday, January 16, 2012

Snohomish City Plow Making Slow Progress
With temperatures below freezing and more winter weather in the forecast several residents are wondering why the city plow is parked.

Saturday, January 14, 2012

Three-Alarm Fire Caused by Candle
Just before 1 p.m. on Jan. 12 Snohomish County Fire District 7 was dispatched to a commercial fire at a storage facility in the in 21600 block of Bostian Rd. Crews encountered dense smoke and extremely dangerous conditions when they tried to enter the building and had to quickly back out.

SNOHOMISH TIMES LOCAL AREA NEWS AND REPORT