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Education

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School Funding - Washington State style - February 8, 2012

Join jim as she talks with three Skagit County school superintendents: Laurel Browning, Burlington-Edison School District, Carl Bruner, Mount Vernon School District, and Mark Venn, Sedro-Woolley School District.

During the past few years schools have had state funding cut dramatically; last year a retroactive cut occurred in January, although school budgets are set the spring before the academic year. This January, the Washington State Supreme Court handed down a decision which determined that the state is NOT meeting its state constitutional mandate to adequately fund education.

Join us for this conversation about how all this effects school funding now and in the future. This is all critical information to make an informed decision about the upcoming levy elections - all 3 districts have ballots due on an operating levy by Feb. 14.

Laurel Browning, Superintendent
Burlington-Edison School District, http://www.be.wednet.edu/

Carl Bruner, Superintendent
Mount Vernon School District, http://mountvernonschools.org/

Mark Venn, Superintendent
Sedro-Woolley School District, http://www.swsd.k12.wa.us/

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Education Budget Cuts and Unions - September 7, 2011

A discussion with local teachers and union leaders from the Mount Vernon and Burlington-Edison school districts about recent state and local budget cuts, their effect on our schools, and what teachers and their unions are doing about them. SUSO's guests included John Sadzewicz, President of the Mount Vernon Education Association ( MVEA website: http://mountvernonea.org/ ) and librarian at LaVenture Middle School, Carolyn Anderson, Vice President of MVEA and a 6th grade teacher at Washington Elementary, Richard Glick, President of the Burlington-Edison Education Association ( B-EEA website: http://www.b-eea.org/ ) and a 7th and 8th grade social studies teacher at Allen Elementary, and Joe Werder, a B-EEA member and 6th grade math teacher at Edison Elementary.

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The WA State Funding Crisis for Education, pt. 2 - July 6, 2011

As the second part of our broadcast on the education funding crisis, WA State Representative Kristine Lytton, from the 40th LD, discusses in detail, why - and how we fund education, why the money isn't there, and what all this means in terms of specific cuts to education. Dr. Marsha Riddle Buly and Dr. Carmen Werder discuss just how bad it is.

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The WA State Funding Crisis for Education, pt. 1 - June 22, 2011

In this first of 2 shows on severe funding cuts to Washington State's public education system, Ginny talks with two professors from Western Washington University. Dr. Marsha Riddle Buly, the faculty representative from Western to the state legislature, and Dr. Carmen Werder of the Dept. of Communications and the Teaching Learning Academy discuss what amounts to a crisis, especially in higher education, from their individual perspectives. Pt. 2 airs July 6, 2011.

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Healthy Food in Schools - March 16, 2011

SUSO's Jodie Buller talks with Rita Ordonez, parent and W WA Coordinator of the Fresh Food in Schools grant, Ellen Gray, Executive Director of the Washington Sustainable food and Farming network, and Tim Terpstra, a local organic farmer, about their work to get healthy local food in Skagit cafeterias. Jodie's guests will continue their conversation on March 24th - after the WA premiere screening of the documentary Lunch Line. Lunch Line looks at the history of the school lunch program, and follows a group of students as they learn to cook, and try to satisfy the USDA's budget and guidelines at the same time. Rita Ellen and Tim will be part of a panel including one of the film makers, Ernie Park, and georgia Johnson from the La Connor school District. The Lunch Line screening is part of the Skagit Human Rights Festival, which is free -7pm on Thursday March 24th, at the Lincoln Theatre.

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