Washington Secretary of State Kim Wyman, who is serving her first term in office, recently embarked on a 14-campus College Civics tour which included visits yesterday to University of Washington Tacoma and the Seattle campus.
During her stop at UW’s Seattle campus, Secretary Wyman talked with students about her background, the importance of voting and being involved in campus life and the community.
The University of Washington in collaboration with Washington State University is developing an “academic redshirt” program that will bring dozens of low-income Washington state high school graduates to the two universities to study engineering in a five-year bachelor’s program.
The cabinet-level agency was formed last year to oversee the state’s higher education system, provide strategic planning and advocacy for increased student success and to align pre-K-12 and postsecondary education opportunities.
According to the Governor’s news release, the four new appointees are:
Jeff Charbonneau is a teacher at Zillah High School. He was Washington state’s teacher of the year and was recently honored by President Barack Obama as National Teacher of the Year because of his innovative focus and teaching success in math and science. He is a National Board Certified STEM teacher and created a statewide robotics competition in which nearly 1,000 students have participated.
Maud Daudon is president and CEO of the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and former president and CEO of Seattle-Northwest Securities. She serves on the boards for a range of organizations including the Bullitt Foundation and Seattle Biomedical Research Institution. She served as deputy mayor and chief of staff for the City of Seattle from 1998 to 2001 and spent six years serving as the chief financial officer for the Port of Seattle. She served on Inslee’s transition team and former Governor Chris Gregoire’s Higher Education Funding Task Force.
Karen Lee is the CEO of Pioneer Human Services, a social enterprise organization recognized as a national model for providing employment services, job training, counseling and services for people overcoming chemical dependency, mental illness and criminal histories. Lee was appointed to Western Washington University’s Board of Trustees in 2010 and served five years as Commissioner of the Washington State Employment Security Department.
Dr. Susana Reyes has served as Assistant Superintendent in the Pullman School District since 2006, providing leadership and oversight for district-wide instruction, curriculum development and assessment. She also administers all state and federal programs including Special Education, Title I/LAP, Title II, Title III, ELL and Highly Capable. She will be joining the Mead School District on July 1, 2013 as the Assistant Superintendent of Special Programs. Dr. Reyes is a first generation college graduate, earning her B.A., Ed.M. and Ed.D. at Washington State University.
After a 105-days of work, the Washington State Legislature officially adjourned its Regular Session on Sunday (April 28).
Late yesterday, Governor Inslee announced a Special Session will begin on May 13th at 9:00AM. State budget writers will meet in Olympia for the next two weeks in an attempt to work out a budget agreement.
On its final day in the Regular Session, the State Legislature did manage to pass a transportation budget, but a wider transportation package is among the issues Governor Inslee wants lawmakers to consider in the Special Session.
In other legislative news, House Republicans elected State Rep. Dan Kristiansen (R-39th Legislative District) as their new Minority Leader on Saturday (April 27). Kristiansen replaces Rep. Richard DeBolt (R-20th Legislative District) who recently stepped down due to health concerns.
This is the sixth installment in our “Huskies on the Hill” series featuring UW Alumni serving in state government.
Today’s Q&A features State Senator Paull Shin M.A. ’72, Ph.D. ’80, who represents the 21st Legislative District. After 31 years of teaching at the college level, he retired, only to embrace public service.
Sen. Shin was elected to the Washington State Senate in 1999. Prior to that, he served in the House of Representatives from 1993-1994. He is Vice President Pro Tempore which presides over floor action in the absence of the Lieutenant Governor and President Pro Tempore.
1. What motivated you to run for office?
Having received so many blessings in this country, I decided to give back through public service. I was born in Korea and adopted by an American GI during the Korean War. After coming to the U.S., with the support of my adoptive family, I was able to learn English, receive a GED, and eventually earn a PhD from the University of Washington. I worked for 31 years as a college professor before my election to the Washington State Legislature. I have served for 19 years now. I’m still motivated by the people of Washington State and the many blessings I have received in the U.S.
2. What are your legislative priorities this session?
As a former chair of the Senate Higher Education Committee and longtime college professor, education has always been one of my main priorities. This session I have been focused on improving access to higher education for students with disabilities. My colleagues and I have passed a bill that will improve communication, establish best practices and help coordinate the transition process.
3. What has been the biggest surprise and biggest disappointment for you so far this session?
The biggest surprise and disappointment, for me, was the inability of the Senate to pass the DREAM Act. The DREAM Act would make state need grants available for qualified students who are Washington residents but do not have citizenship status. As an immigrant myself, one of the greatest equalizers has been access to education. Without going to college I would not have been able to accomplish what I have today. I want to make sure the hardworking students of Washington have a chance to succeed and pursue their potential.
4. What do you think the long-term outlook is for Higher Education in our state?
While I am concerned about the direction higher education has been heading for the past few years I think there is a recognition among my fellow legislators that continued underfunding and tuition increases will price students out of the classroom and undermine the quality of higher education in Washington State. I believe that, with proper funding and attention, we can ensure the highest quality education at an affordable price.
5. How do you spend your time when the legislature is not in session?
When I’m not meeting with constituents in the district or traveling to other countries to promote positive relations with Washington State, I spend a lot of time with my wife and family. I have two children and five grandchildren who are the joy of my life. This summer I look forward to celebrating my 50th wedding anniversary with my wonderful wife, Donna.
President Michael K. Young stops for a photo with our state’s namesake in the Capitol Building.
President Michael K. Young was in Olympia again today to meet with budget and Higher Education leaders.
Discussion centered on the needs of Higher Education in general, and the University of Washington in particular. Now that both chambers have passed budgets, negotiators have to address the differences between proposals — and find common ground to pass a final budget.
Today (April 17) is the last day for the State House and Senate to consider opposite house bills.
Regular session is slated to end in just over two weeks on April 28.
After today, the main business left to accomplish is negotiating the state budget. Both the House and Senate have passed operating budgets (read President Young’s statement’s here and here).
For more analysis of both budget proposals and how they affect UW, read the OPB blog.
Elected in 2012, Rep. Farrell previously worked as the Executive Director of Transportation Choices Coalition, an organization dedicated to expanding bus, rail, bicycle and pedestrian transportation options. As a mother of two young children, she is passionate about Washington’s education system.
I believe more moms need to be involved in the political process. We make major policy decisions on a daily basis that affect children and families. It’s important to have the perspective of those who are on the front lines of trying to make a living, taking care of kids, and giving them the very best. I ran for the state legislature to provide that voice and that perspective.
2. What are your legislative priorities this session?
In addition to meeting the Supreme Court mandate to fully funding K-12 education and keeping public university education more accessible, my own bills include efforts to: reform and improve the Working Connections Child Care Program that helps low-income families work or find work by subsidizing child care; provide local funding options to save King County Metro service; and make it easier to construct affordable housing and promote transit-oriented development.
3. What has been the biggest surprise and biggest disappointment for you so far this session?
The most significant surprise so far this session has been how cool it is to vote on all sorts of issues! There are policy areas that I’m very passionate about, and working to pass legislation on those issues has been very rewarding. It has also been fascinating to learn about all the other things that our legislature works on.
The biggest disappointment was the defeat of commonsense legislation to close gun background check loopholes. We have a lot of work to do in the coming months to move this legislation forward.
4. What do you think the long-term outlook is for Higher Education in our state?
Reinvesting in our higher education institutions is one of my top priorities as a legislator. When I attended the University of Washington, the state contribution to higher education was 70 percent, with families paying the remaining 30 percent. In the past few years those numbers have been flipped on their head, with the burden now falling heavily on students and parents. We need to reverse that trend.
I believe there is bipartisan consensus around the need to restore higher education funding and reinvigorate our universities. Agreeing on where that money will come from – particularly in the shadow of McCleary – will be challenging, and it may not happen this year. But I believe over the next few years we will see a renewed commitment in Olympia to funding higher education.
5. How do you spend your time when the legislature is not in session?
I spend my time with my two kids and husband, swimming in Lake Washington, hiking in the mountains and enjoying city parks – can you tell I’m looking forward to summer? I will also return to my regular work as an attorney and mediator.
In Olympia for meetings with state lawmakers today, President Michael K. Young also took time out to meet with UW students who are interning in the State Capitol.
“Today’s House budget proposal lacks significant, new state investment in public higher education. Washington ranks second to last in the nation — 49th — in higher education funding per student, with 25,000 jobs in high demand industries awaiting graduates we do not have the funding to educate. If we are to compete in the 21st century economy, we can and must do better.
“In the absence of significant, new state investment, we appreciate this budget allows for modest tuition increases, which will be necessary to preserve student access to a high quality education. If we want to keep tuition increases low, the state must adequately reinvest in our students and public higher education.
“There is much more work to be done as budget negotiations progress, and I look forward to working with the House, Senate, and Governor on getting this right.”
Today (April 17) is the last day for the State House and Senate to consider opposite house bills.