Category Archives: Uncategorized

Thank you, Eden Mack, for your Dedicated Service to Seattle’s Public Schools & Families — SPS Dysfunction Must be Addressed

The Seattle School Board has lost one of its most dedicated and best directors, with the announcement of the resignation of District IV Director Eden Mack last week. (Her full statement can be found in the report by KUOW.)

Today at 3:30 pm, at their regular board meeting, the remaining members of the Seattle School Board will address this new vacancy. I sincerely hope they take the time tonight to both recognize and applaud Director Mack’s service and begin to address the serious issues that compelled her to leave 10 months shy of the end of her term.

I agree with Eden’s sentiments that the dysfunction that plagues the Seattle School District, the largest in the state, is deeply entrenched and must be addressed if this district is ever to properly serve the 50,000-plus students in its care. Until that happens, Seattle Public Schools will continue to lose dedicated directors like Eden Mack, and students and families will continue to suffer or endure rather than thrive.

I thank Eden for her intelligence, grace and integrity in a very difficult, underappreciated and under-resourced job, and wish her well in her next endeavor. I knew she would be a wonderful addition to the board when she took over my seat in 2017, and I know she will be hard to replace.

https://i0.wp.com/nwasianweekly.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/ETHNIC-Eden-Mick_DSC9105.jpg?resize=1024%2C680

I agree with her sentiments in her resignation letter that the problems that plagued SPS are deep and urgently need to be addressed if this, the largest district in the state, is ever to fulfill its obligation to truly serve the 50,000-plus students in Seattle’s public schools.

Top 10 Reasons to Vote for Maralyn Chase for State Senate!

 

Top 10 Reasons to Vote for Maralyn Chase for State Senate!

  1. SENATOR MARALYN CHASE is the only candidate in the race with over 16 years of distinguished, award-winning experience in state government as both a representative and senator.
  2. CHASE is the only candidate with firsthand knowledge of the state’s legislative processes. And as the legislature’s delegate to the Pacific Northwest Economic Region (PNWER), Chase draws on her extensive knowledge about international and domestic trade. She also works closely with Washington State tribes and rural populations in her work as chair of the Economic Development and International Trade.
  3. MARALYN CHASE is a proven progressive legislative leader. In the 2018 session, as a member of the Rules Committee, Chase was instrumental in moving a record number of Democratic bills to passage by Senate Democrats. They passed: the 2017 Capital Construction Budget, investments in education to satisfy McCleary, a statewide property tax cut, gun safety measures, equal pay for women, protections against sexual harassment, the Net Neutrality Act, the Reproductive Parity Act to require employer insurance to allow women to make their own reproductive choices and for preventive healthcare, protections for college students from predatory loans, a ban on conversion therapy, an expansion of the Breakfast After the Bell Program, the phasing out of salmon net farms, expansion of higher education for Dreamers, reforms for juvenile justice to reduce recidivism and racial disproportionality, prohibition of housing discrimination for renters using Section 8 vouchers, and also Ban the Box, for equal employment. In this session, Chase also co-sponsored or supported the passage of other key bills on gun safety, school funding, and lowering taxes. Chase helped to pass a groundbreaking ban on bump stocks on guns. She and her colleagues passed multiple bills on housing, and provided $107 million for the Housing Trust Fund in the Biennial Capitol Budget, which preserves and builds affordable housing for those at the lowest income levels. Chase supported the allocation of funds to recommend a plan to create a state’s public bank to save $4 billion a year in debt service to Wall Street banks. Senator Chase introduced the “Healthy Washington” bill, modeled on the California’s single-payer healthcare bill that passed in their state senate.
  4. You can count on MARALYN CHASE to defend your civil rights. In 2018 Chase worked with Representative Sharon Tomiko Santos to introduce the first bill in the Senate to reinstate Affirmative Action. She also promoted passage of the revision to the 1943 Equal Pay Act, requiring employers to provide equal pay and opportunities to their employees regardless of gender.  She and her colleagues passed three bills ensuring voting rights, same-day registration and prohibiting racially based gerrymandering. Chase has always been far ahead on LGBTQ2 rights and helped pass the 2018 bill prohibiting conversion therapy. Chase is a vocal supporter of I-940 to de-escalate police violence, and demand accountability in police involved shootings. Her strong civil rights and human rights record is one of the reasons she has earned the sole endorsement of State Attorney General, Bob Ferguson.
  5. CHASE has always been a champion for the environment and for education. In 2011, she wrote the bill to shut down TransAlta, the state’s dirtiest coal plant. In 2015, she chaired the committee for Initiative 522, to require labeling of genetically modified foods. It lost by a narrow margin after large corporations spent $22 million to oppose it, setting a state record for money spent on a ballot measure. Chase is now facing retaliation by Monsanto, which now funds her opponent, Jesse Salomon. Chase works hard to protect the Puget Sound, wild salmon runs, works with local tribes and family fishing businesses to promote sustainable and local business operations. This includes co-sponsoring the 2018 bill to phase out toxic salmon pen farming. In 2004, Chase helped lead the effort to overturn a charter school bill passed by the legislature. Her position was affirmed by the voters who passed a referendum to reject charter schools. (In contrast, her current opponent, Jesse Salomon, has received over $40,000 in financial support and an endorsement from pro-charter-school privatizers, Stand for Children.) Senator Chase organized a bipartisan hearing on Common Core standards in 2017 to ask the difficult questions about a costly and undemocratically imposed initiative on K-12 education.
  6. CHASE has been recognized for her legislative advocacy by numerous organizations. In 2015, the Northwest Center for Alternatives to Pesticides awarded Chase the Rachel Carson Award for her work in reducing cancer-causing pesticides in the food chain, such as Roundup.  The National Minority Business Advisory Council named Chase their “2017 Legislator of the Year” for her role in the unanimous passage of SB 5734. This legislation guarantees equal opportunity in bidding for small works contracts with state and federal agencies. According to the Shoreline Area News, “Chase, D-Edmonds, was chosen for her work on the Small Business Bonding Relief bill, which brought Washington state’s government contracting provisions into compliance with federal law governing small works bonding requirements.” Said Chase, “As a former small business owner, I understand the challenges these companies face on a daily basis. I’m proud to accept this award, and will continue to work hard for small, minority businesses statewide.”
  7. MARALYN CHASE brings a wealth of experience to the legislature. After she earned her BA and MA degrees from the University of Washington in political science, she organized for women’s reproductive rights and was a labor advocate. Chase built a successful family business in the construction trades and knows what it takes to run a business and a family. Her policies come from knowing that in order to have a good life, people need a good education, a good job, a good home and a healthy environment. Her policies are people-focused. When evaluating the merits of a proposal, Chase always asks, “How will this policy affect people?“
  8. MARALYN is committed to engaging in dialogue with constituents and organizations to shape her policies. She has been a strong progressive voice and a people’s representative. She has a history of courageously defending people from the agendas of powerful interests.
  9. MARALYN CHASE’S commitment to democracy is the reason she is endorsed by a broad and diverse coalition that includes: the 32ndDistrict Democrats, Snohomish and King County Democrats, the Metropolitan Democrats, the National Women’s Political Caucus of Washington, Washington State Labor Council, State Attorney General Bob Ferguson, Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, Washington Education Association (WEA), Congressman Rick Larsen, State Sen. Manka Dhingra, State Sen. Sharon Nelson, State Sen. John McCoy, State Sen. Bob Hasegawa, King County Councilmember Larry Gossett, Seattle City Attorney Pete Holmes, Seattle City Council Member Teresa Mosqueda, City Councilmembers from Shoreline, Lynnwood, Edmonds, Mountlake Terrace, Washington State Federation of Democratic Women, Young Democrats of Washington, Snohomish County Young Democrats, Washington State Progressive Caucus, Environment and Climate Caucus of the Washington State Democratic Party, Alliance for Gun Responsibility Victory Fund, National Women’s Political Caucus, Our Revolution, WA State, and National, Planned Parenthood Votes, SEAMEC, Sierra Club, Swinomish Tribal Community, Washington Council of Police and Sheriffs (WACOPS), Win With Women PAC, Washington Conservation Voters, The Cannabis Alliance, Carbon Washington, Tree PAC, Equal Rights Washington, Washington State Council of Firefighters, Aerospace Machinists Industrial District Lodge 751 (IAM 751), AFSCME Council 28/Washington Federation of State Employees, American Federation of Teachers (AFT) Washington, Amalgamated Transit Union Local 587, IBEW Local 77, Inlandboatmen’s Union of the Pacific (IBU), International Union of Operating Engineers Local 609 (IUOE Local 609), Washington State Nurses Association-PAC 5/22, Washington Housing Alliance Action Fund, Washington Interior Systems Local Union No. 41, Central Puget Sound Carpenters Local 30, and many others.
  10. MARALYN CHASE has not accepted campaign money or support from multinational pharmaceutical, oil and chemical corporations like Chevron, Merck, Phrma and Monsanto, or anti-union, education privatizers, Stand for Childrenunlike her opponent, Jesse Salomon, who has.
  11. *BONUS REASON* SENATOR MARALYN CHASE has not resorted to negative campaigning or smear tactics, unlike her opponent, Jesse Salomon and his wealthy backers, Stand for Children PAC, WA REALTORS PAC and the deceptively named “Democratic Friends,” which is funded by Friends of Cindy Ryu, Elect Jesse Salomon, and Elect Lauren Davis. At a recent forum, when asked if he would denounce the many deceitful mailers attacking Chase which have bombarded the 32ndLegislative District on his behalf, Salomon refused. (As did Ryu and Davis.)

 Experience Matters. Character Matters. Courage Matters.

Vote CHASE!

What others have said about Maralyn Chase:

“State Rep. Maralyn Chase (…) has been a dedicated liberal voice in the legislature for the past 16 years, fighting to double the estate tax to pay for student aid; pushing legislation to give local governments the ability to place a cap on condo conversions; and proposing quixotic (but righteous) environmental legislation, including a ban on petroleum-based plastic water bottles; a carbon tax; a ban on plastic bags, and a ban on gas-powered leaf blowers.

Chase’s unabashed liberalism (she testified in support of impeaching George Bush) will be a nice jolt to the Senate caucus, where proposals such as an effort to end big bank tax loopholes died last session.

(…) People laugh at her for being a crazy lefty, but two years after Chase introduced a global warming bill, Gregoire introduced it herself.”

 — PubliCola endorsement of Chase when she first ran for State Senate in 2010

RE-ELECT Maralyn Chase to State Senate, District 32!

 Thank you to all the community activists who contributed to this list. – Sue Peters

 

 

Come Hear Diane Ravitch Discuss Her New Book, Sept. 26, 7 p.m. at Kane Hall, U.W.

DRav2

Don’t miss Diane Ravitch at U.W.’s Kane Hall tomorrow at 7 p.m!

The former U.S. Undersecretary of Education is currently touring the country with her new book, Reign of Error: The Hoax of the Privatization Movement and the Danger to America’s Public Schools (Knopf, 2013) and will speak in Seattle on Thursday, Sept. 26, 7 p.m., at Kane Hall, Room 130, University of Washington, (206) 634-3400. Free.

Her previous book, The Death and Life of the Great American School System: How Testing and Choice Are Undermining Education (Basic Books, 2011) was a widely acclaimed bestseller.

An education historian and professor at New York University, Ravitch served in the Department Education in both the Bush I and the Clinton Administration.  She has since become a foremost national authority on public education and a powerful critic of controversial “corporate ed reform” policies that emphasize charter schools, high-stakes testing and teacher evaluations based on standardized test scores.

In August, Dr. Ravitch’s national organization, Network for Public Education, strongly endorsed my candidacy. She has also written about my School Board race on her blog (Seattle: Status Quo Crowd Fears Sue Peters) and tweeted: “Help elect Sue Peters to Seattle School Board, a champion of public education.”

I am thrilled and honored to have Dr. Ravitch’s support.  I greatly respect the years of experience and research she has dedicated to public education, and I have drawn many of the same conclusions she has. Privatizing public education via charter schools, excessive testing, and blaming teachers are failed policies that have done great damage to our schools and the morale of our students and teachers.

Instead, I support an investment in rich, engaging curriculum for all students, not excessive testing; respect and support for teachers, and keeping public education public.

As a founding member of Parents Across America (PAA), in Feb. 2011, I had the honor of speaking and sharing a panel with Ravitch at the organization’s kickoff event in New York City.  In the fall of 2010, I emceed a forum at Seattle University featuring Ravitch via Skype, educators and public education advocates Dr. Wayne Au, Jesse Hagopian and Dora Taylor, sponsored by the Seattle Education Blog.

PAApanelwithDRavitch

DONATE! VOLUNTEER! VOTE! PASS IT ON!

My Thank You to Diane Ravitch and the Network for Public Education

NPElogo

from Diane Ravitch’s blog:

Sue Peters Says Thank You and Outlines Her Vision for Seattle Education

By dianerav
August 8, 2013 //

Seattle just held its local elections, and Sue Peters won a spot in a run-off election for the Seattle school board. She won 41% of the vote, despite being vastly outspent, and her opponent won 47%.

Sue wrote the following letter, thanking the Network for Public Education for providing its endorsement, which identified her as the real education supporter.

Please send her support if you can. Her website is here.  I just made a contribution via Paypal.

I thought that readers would want to read her description of her vision for the Seattle public schools:

I just wanted to extend my deepest thanks to you and NPE for the timely and meaningful endorsement of my candidacy. It came at a crucial time, right when my opponent’s side chose to go negative (twice!), and as we led up to the primary election.

Diane, thank you for your tweet on my behalf as well.

Locally, people are very impressed by this honor and support, and nationally I have received a constant flow of donations ever since the endorsement and tweet.

And here’s more good news: Last night I qualified for the general election, earning 41 percent of the vote so far (with 50 percent of ballots counted). (My opponent is at 47 percent at the moment.) This is despite being outspent 6-1, without hiring political consultants, and without resorting to smear tactics against my opponent. I am proud of my authentic, community-based campaign which has focused on the issues and maintained its integrity. I am confident that my positive and constructive message, and the value of my nearly decade of knowledge of the Seattle Public School District, will resonate with voters throughout the city as we go forth into the general election.

Here is what I support:

  • Fiscally and academically responsible decisions that prioritize directing resources to the classroom and our kids.
  • An education system that embraces & celebrates the individuality and diversity of our children & helps each child fulfill his/her potential.
  • A rich, engaging curriculum that includes the arts, sciences, math, humanities, music & P.E.
  • Decisions and policies that reflect the needs of our schools and families.
  • More teaching & learning, less testing.
  • Respect for teachers.
  • Keeping public education public.

Thank you all again.

Best,

Sue

“VOTE PETERS” — The Stranger endorses me!

TheStrangerLogo
District No. 4
Sue Peters
(…)  this year, the candidates were thoughtful, intelligent, and for some god-awful reason, engaged in the minutiae that makes up school board work.
Take Sue Peters, for instance. An education buff who started the group Parents Across America and edits the wonky Seattle Education blog, Peters opposes the corporate education reform agenda, including charter schools and Teach for America, and she’s skeptical of the state-mandated Common Core curriculum soon to be rolled out in schools. (…)
Vote Peters.”
For the full details and all their endorsements, see:  The Stranger Endorses McGinn for Mayor: Read All of Our Endorsements and CHEAT SHEET!
Big thanks to the Stranger’s Election Control Board!

LOGOblue

Election Day is August 6. Please remember to VOTE!

(Ballots will arrive in the mail THIS WEEK! )

Campaign contributions are always welcome. Please DONATE!

Donate Button with Credit Cards

Contact our campaign:
suepeters4sps@yahoo.com
2212 Queen Anne Avenue North, #611, Seattle, WA 98109

20110506_like_us_on_facebook