The “Other Washington” Republicans

On Behalf of WEA’s More Conservative Members #29 The “Other Washington” Republicans Since I am an educator, the principle about education is closest to my heart. This principle was revised before Washington State passed its Charter Schools Initiative or resolved the McCleary case. “We value public education - Public-funded public education is a fundamental obligation of our society; it provides the civilizing glue that bonds together the large, diverse segments of our society and the skills necessary to realize its opportunities.” I find the statement about bonding “together the large, diverse segments of our society” particularly important, as it recognizes the existence of that great diversity. For me, however, the most important words are the first two: “Public-funded”. Actually, the motion that was made used the words “Publicly-funded”, which seems more grammatically correct. Since charter schools were not yet underway, the focus was public schools v. private schools. Without meeting the requirement for public funds, a school could not be considered a public school. It was also an effort to reinforce the fact that we were underfunding schools. 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 Board.