Dear Whittier Parents!

Washington's school funding falls short, and our community feels it every day. At Whittier and across Seattle Public Schools, crowded classrooms, stretched special education, highly capable, and multilingual learner (MLL) support, and teachers and administrators being asked to do more with less affect every student.

Legislators are setting their priorities for the coming session right now, and they pay attention to what constituents tell them. The state constitution calls education the state's "paramount duty." Please take a few minutes to ask our District 36 delegation to treat it that way:

• Rep Liz Berry: Position 2 - Email Liz

• Rep Julia Reed: Position 1 - Email Julia

• Sen Noel Frame - Email Noel

Two points that hit Whittier especially hard:

• Districts are especially underfunded when it comes to special education and we have a higher than typical student population in need of those services. The money the district receives from the state is far from adequate to meet the costs of providing those services.

• Our class sizes are much higher than the prototypical funding model recommends for 2nd-5th grades. The state doesn't fund enough for us to come close, which directly limits how much individual attention each child gets and how well teachers can meet each student's needs.

Make it your own

Legislators hear from many people, and personal stories are what stand out. Please add your own experience to whatever you send. Here are two from our board members:

• We noticed a big drop-off in our kid’s academic performance between 1st and 2nd grade at Whittier, when they went from a classroom of 18 kids to a classroom of 30 kids. This is just one example of how the state not living up to its duty is failing schools and failing our kids. 

• As an MLL student, my kid was struggling her first year at SPS, trying to connect with her classmates and understand the material. Because of the size of the class, the classroom teacher could only provide limited support to my kid, without it impacting the rest of the class. Having MLL support staff was critical to her progress, and within 3 semesters she tested out of the MLL program. Because of the number of MLL students at our school relative to other schools in the district, the district is considering eliminating the MLL support position and putting that burden on the classroom teachers. This will have a significant impact on both MLL students and their classmates, as well as teacher retention.

Your advocacy benefits our Wildcats along with students across the state. Paws up!