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. ------...