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Washington's education system is getting a "C" average when it comes to investing in early learning, focusing enough on math, science and engineering and preparing students for life beyond high school, a new report says.
The state gets even lower marks -- a "D-plus" -- for school funding, according to the "Citizens' Report Card on Washington State Education" that's set to be released today.
"We really are at a crossroads right now," said Kelly Munn, state field director for the Seattle-based League of Education Voters, which puts out the report. "We can't keep this up. We need to get the word out."
Munn spoke to the Tri-City Herald editorial board this week about the report.
It says that some progress has been made since the group's last report card two years ago. But it calls for changes in areas from early learning to college and work force preparation.
The lowest grade was in school funding. The state ranks near the bottom nationally in the amount per student it spends on education, the report says.
More districts also are hurting financially and there's a "widening gap" between what teachers in Washington are paid and the national average, it says.
Finances are poised to get even tighter because of potential cuts to K-12 education across Washington to help with a projected $5.7 billion state revenue shortfall.
"It's a difficult time in the Legislature and state to be talking about money," Munn said. But it's critical to do so because the problems are structural and changes are needed, she said.
The report makes recommendations that include changing the compensation system for K-12 educators and implementing the ideas of a task force that was created by the 2007 state Legislature to examine the funding system and suggest reforms.
The work of the task force is a positive step, the report says. Other improvements also have been made in the past two years, such as the amendment to the state constitution that allows school levies to be passed with a simple majority of 50 percent, it says.
Districts rely on voter-approved tax levies to help cover daily operations costs.
The 2007 grade for school funding was a "D."
The report is intended as a tool for parents, activists and community members interested in the school system, Munn said.
"(It's) an easy way to get fast, reliable information about the state of education in Washington," said Nancy Kerr, president of the Kennewick-based National Children's Reading Foundation.
The only category in the report with a lower grade than in 2007 was preparing students for college or the work force. It dropped from a "C" to a "C-minus."
There's been work in the state to better align high school graduation requirements with college and work force standards, and there also are some more career and technical education programs, the report says.
But there's been an increase in student debt, and businesses have reported more trouble in finding qualified workers, it says. The number of Latino and Native American students attending college also has declined, the report says.
The area of greatest improvement over 2007 was in math and science education, according to the report. The "C" grade is up from a "D" in 2007.
The state has new state math standards for K-8, Algebra II has been added as a graduation requirement starting with the class of 2012 and more students are meeting science standards, the report says.
However, more work needs to be done, it says. There's still an achievement gap when it comes to math, and the number of fourth-graders passing the state math test has dropped since 2005-06, the report says.
The areas of investing in early learning and raising overall expectations for students and educators showed improvement over 2007, the report says. Both earned a "C-plus" for 2009.
* On the Net: www.educationvoters.org
