MORT'S MUSINGS

Constitutional Rights #1 Right to Literacy (Cont.) 4.30.20 Recently, I wrote about a case from the Sixth U.S. Court of Appeals that seeks to establish a “right to literacy”. This is part of the Detroit News description of the case. “In the 2016 case, seven Detroit students alleged a lack of books, classrooms without teachers, poor building conditions and extreme temperatures deprived them access to literacy in their public schools. The state of Michigan countered that decreased student enrollment triggered a loss of money to Detroit schools and that the state is not responsible for what happened in the district during two decades of on-again, off-again oversight.” Although the Supreme Court has never decided upon the question of a right to an education or a right to literacy, Judge Eric Clay wrote, “After employing the reasoning of these Supreme Court cases and applying the Court’s substantive due process framework, we recognize that the Constitution provides a fundamental r

On Behalf of WEA’s More Conservative Members #11 How to Become Part of Your Local’s Endorsement Process FINDING COMMON GROUND How does a life long Republican become a leader in the teachers’ union? Many simply don’t bother. And that’s OK, so long as they don’t claim they’re being shut out. But, let’s assume for this discussion that this Republican wants to be involved in professional decisions that will affect his future. How do you find a place? The answer is to find common ground. There are numerous things the local associations, WEA, and NEA do that are worthwhile and not subject to partisan policies. For example, WEA virtually runs the National Board Certification (NBC) program in WA State. If a teacher wishes to become a National Board Certified Educator, he/she needs only to contact WEA and become involved in their program. As I understand it, WA State has the highest per capita number of National Board Certified educators in the country. That’s no small accomplishm

On Behalf of WEA’s More Conservative Members #10 How to Become Part of Your Local’s Endorsement Process LOCAL ELECTIONS 4.28.20 If you wish to become part of your union’s local endorsement process, one of the routine activities you should be sure to participate in is elections. There are two things you can do to become a meaningful part of your local’s elections. 1] You can become a candidate for an office in the local’s elections: Don’t expect to start with the office of president. You will need to build your name familiarity and history in the union before you do that. Start by standing for the office of Building Representative (Bld. Rep.). These are the folks who go to the Representative Council (Rep. Council) meetings and represent your school. If you get elected, make sure you attend every meeting you possibly can. That helps build both name familiarity and a history of your work. If you do not get elected, try again next year. In the meantime, look for ways to help

To: Liv Finne Washington Policy Center #1. 4.26.20 Liv: I hope this message finds you well and thriving in these stressful times. First, thank you for including the citation of the School Board’s decision. It’s always useful to see the entire comment in its full context. Second, the topic of grade inflation is a perennial issue and has been since I became a teacher in 1970. I suspect it was a problem even before that. So, you are on well cultivated ground in seeking to analyze this issue, as it relates to Seattle Public School. Third, I suspect this school board decision has more to do with the fact that any other grade, in the face of the Covid-19/Distance-Online Learning issues, would be rigorously challenged by many parents, who are seeking to improve their child’s GPA. It happens often enough in more ordinary times. If this is to become standard policy, I will very likely be standing beside you in opposition. Fourth, concern with “social justice”, as you

Constitutional Rights #1 Right to Literacy 4.25.20 Do American students have a ‘fundamental right to literacy’? That is a right to access to skills deemed “essential for the basic exercise of other fundamental rights and liberties, most importantly participation in our political system.” According to the Sixth US Circuit Court of Appeals, in a 2-1 opinion handed down on Thursday, Ap. 23rd, they do and they have standing to sue the state to enforce that right. That right to literacy is described as, “... an education sufficient to provide access to a foundational level of literacy — the degree of comprehension needed for participation in our democracy," according to the majority opinion. At issue is the concept of “substantive due process”, as opposed to “procedural due process”. According to Wikipedia, “substantive due process protects individuals against majoritarian policy enactments that exceed the limits of governmental authority: courts may find that a majorit

On Behalf of WEA’s More Conservative Members #9 How to Become Part of Your Local’s Endorsement Process BOTTOM LINE 4.25.20 Though I’m a lifelong Republican, I have been actively involved in WEA’s process of endorsing political candidates for nearly fifty years. The process involves a questionnaire, an interview, possibly a debate by the interview team, and a vote. Over the years, it has been largely a very democratic process, both with a small ‘d’ and a large ‘D’. I happen to believe education policy should be non-partisan. Schools serve both liberal and conservative parents, and should deliver essentially the same services to each. But, the simple truth is, Democratic Party policy tends to be more supportive of educational policy, including unions; while Republican Party policy tends to be more critical of educational policy, including unions. I wish that were not so, but those are the facts. So far this year, WEA has endorsed 26 candidates, with 7 of them being statewide.

On Behalf of WEA’s More Conservative Members #8 Why I’ve Decided to Support Duane Davidson, Despite WEA’s Failure to Endorse Him for a Second Time 4.22.20 As our state treasurer, Duane Davidson led Washington state in receiving a AAA bond rating for the first time in state history. That’s right, the first time in state history. The office also developed the Washington State Fund Directory which allows state agencies and local governments to more easily find resources available for financing projects. While in office, Duane has also expanded investment options for local governments to assist in longer term options at attractive rates. He has also created a financial education outreach division working to educate local communities and families to take control of their personal finances, further bettering our great state. For those three reasons and more, which I will share with you over the next few months, I will be supporting Duane Davidson for Washington State Treasurer. ------

On Behalf of WEA’s More Conservative Members #7 Why I’ve Decided to Support Duane Davidson, Training & Experience 4.20.20 It would seem Kim Wyman is not the only statewide candidate being challenged by a Democrat who lacks the qualifications for the job. State Treasurer Duane Davidson is being challenged by a Democratic legislator, who is a lawyer by profession. Davidson has other things in common with Wyman. He, too, was endorsed by WEA in 2016 and was not endorsed in 2020. He has extensive experience in managing public funds, having served as Treasurer for Benton County for four terms and for WA State for one term. It seems puzzling that WEA would once again opt for an untrained & inexperienced candidate, instead of endorsing the experienced and trained candidate they endorsed in 2016. Davidson has had a long career as a public treasurer and government finance professional both as a four-term county treasurer and previous chief accountant, both in Benton County. Pri

On Behalf of WEA’s More Conservative Members #5 Why I’ve Decided to Support Kim Wyman, Despite WEA’s Failure to Endorse Her for a Third Time. 4.16.20 In 2016, Wyman’s opponent, Tina Podlodowski, called for her to cancel the Presidential Primary. It was a strange thing to demand, since that action would not have been authorized under state law. It would also have silenced the voices of 1.4 million people who cast ballots in that election. The Legislature could have passed a law that cancelled the election, but it did not. The Secretary of State is charged with executing the law, not doing whatever she wants to do. That has been a hallmark of Kim Wyman’s work as WA’s Secretary of State and will continue to be, if she is re-elected. And that’s another reason I will be supporting Kim Wyman. ---------------- Ken Mortland is a member of WEA-Retired, continuing a long career of activism in WEA/NEA. He is also a lifelong Republican and a member of Mainstream Republicans of WA B

On Behalf of WEA’s More Conservative Members #6 Why I’ve Decided to Support Kim Wyman, Despite WEA’s Failure to Endorse Her for a Third Time. 4.17.20 What does a political candidate do when he or she has no qualifications for the job she or he is seeking? That’s easy! Simply try to tie the incumbent to some nefarious individual and then demonize him or her. It is called an ad hominem attack, though I tend to think of it as character assassination. It has been a popular tool in the campaign tool box of thousands of candidates. When Tina Podlodowski refers to Secretary of State Kim Wyman as a “Trump ally”, that’s exactly what she is trying to do, tie Wyman to Trump. Kim Wyman is on record stating that WA State has not experienced the voter fraud to which Pres. Trump constantly refers. When Pres. Trump’s Voter Fraud Commission demanded extensive data on every WA State voter, Wyman told him he could only have what the law requires her to give and nothing more. Wyman has an env

On Behalf of WEA’s More Conservative Members #4 Why I’ve Decided to Support Kim Wyman, Despite WEA’s Failure to Endorse Her for a Third Time. 4.13.20 “The Secretary of State takes an oath of office to uphold the (US) Constitution and the Constitution and Laws of the State of Washington to the best of her ability. It is imperative that the Secretary follow those laws without regard to personal preference or party affiliation, as adherence to the law is not optional.” Kim Wyman Kim Wyman has 26 years of experience as an election administrator and has overseen well over 100 elections. During those years, her administration has been known for its nonpartisanship in running elections and managing the offices. She does not take a stand on public issues, such as choice, gun control, same-sex marriage, taxation, minimum wage, or charter schools, that may or will come up for a vote. For that reason, voters see her and the office as being impartial. When Pres. Trump’s Elections Fraud Co

On Behalf of WEA’s More Conservative Members #3 Why I’ve Decided to Support Kim Wyman, Despite WEA’s Failure to Endorse Her for a Third Time. 4.10.20 As a WEA member, I look carefully at a candidate’s activities in support of public education. For example, Sec. of State Kim Wyman has co-chaired the North Thurston Public School District Levy Campaign. I know from personal experience the importance of levy campaign work and I look for that in a candidate. Other activities include: •Continuing the Student Mock Election program over the last eight years, providing teachers with grade appropriate curriculum to teach students about the election process with an election where students vote on the statewide measures. These are the same measures on the actual General Election ballot. •The Legacy Program, where Wyman’s team work with teachers from across the state to create K-12 curriculum based upon the content created by the Legacy team. •Working with OSPI, teachers across the state

On Behalf of WEA’s More Conservative Members #2 Why I’ve Decided to Support Kim Wyman, Despite WEA’s Failure to Endorse Her for a Third Time. 4.8.20 The recent decision of WEA’s PAC Board not to endorse Kim Wyman for re-election as WA’s Secretary of State has led me to another crossroads in my political action journey. The decision is surprising, since WEA had endorsed Wyman in 2012 & 2016. As an active member of WEA’s political action efforts for the last 48 years and a member of Mainstream Republicans of WA for over 30 years, you might think I’d be used to such developments. But this one took me by surprise and is a serious mistake. As professionals, WEA members understand the need to be qualified for a job and the importance of experience. We are held to specific and rigorous certification requirements /qualifications and we are expected to use our experience to lead and be mentors to our rookies. So, we should understand the need for candidates for political office to

On Behalf of WEA’s More Conservative Members #1 Why I’ve Decided to Support Kim Wyman, Despite WEA’s Failure to Endorse Her for a Third Time. 4.6.20 I have spent the last 30 years working to bring WEA & Mainstream Republicans of WA (MRW) closer together. Beginning in 1972, I served on the Northshore Education Association’s Rep Council or Executive Committee in one capacity or another for two decades; everything from building rep to vice president. WEA Pres. C. T. Purdom asked me to lead an effort to create a WEA Republican Educator’s Caucus. It was a joint effort of NEA & the RNC and WEA & WSRP. and lasted for three years. It was moderately successful in the first two. Eventually, the momentum died and the caucus atrophied. As a WEA delegate, I became a charter member of the NEA Republican Leaders Conference in 2007 and attended five conferences. The project had its origin in the 2006 NEA RA. In recent discussions with the new WEA leadership, there was talk abou