A preliminary state audit questions the Port of Seattle’s contract with the nonprofit “Port Jobs” program, and Rep. Dave Upthegrove (D – Des Moines) is sponsoring a bill that will make sure the program continues.

Since 1993, the private, nonprofit “Port Jobs” program has successfully matched job seekers with employers, as well as provided continuing education and job training opportunities.

“In the past decade, over 14,000 job seekers in South King County have turned to the services of Port Jobs,” Upthegrove said. “And employers know that when a candidate is referred to them through Port Jobs, that person’s qualifications have been thoroughly vetted.”

Upthegrove is sponsoring House Bill 2651, which specifically authorizes ports to support job placement and training programs that are operated by nonprofit entities. State law already authorizes port districts to contract with nonprofits for economic development. At issue is whether economic development encompasses workforce development.

“Port Jobs has connected thousands of job seekers with employers at Sea-Tac Airport, and to apprenticeships in the skilled construction trades. In this economy, we are doing everything we can to get people to work, and to help them stay employed once they get there,” said Heather Worthley, Executive Director of Port Jobs. “Representative Upthegrove’s bill, if passed, will make it crystal clear that the Port of Seattle has the Legislature’s backing to continue to fund this important work.”

The bill passed out of committee in the House and is awaiting possible action on the House floor. Upthegrove is pushing to ensure that the measure passes the House before the February 16 cutoff deadline for House bills.

“Our focus this year in Olympia is to create jobs and improve our economy, and this bill is all about jobs,” Upthegrove said.

Under the proposed legislation, Port Jobs would be required to submit an annual report to the Port of Seattle detailing the number of successful job placements. In 2009, Port Jobs placed more than 500 people through its Airport Jobs office.

From the Port Jobs website:

Port Jobs is not-for-profit action tank that develops practical programs and supports public policies that increase access to living wage jobs, fostering a more vibrant and equitable economy for residents of and businesses in Seattle and King County. We make good jobs easier to get and good employees easier to find, primarily in the port-related economy.

A 501(c)(3) organization, Port Jobs: engages in innovative research to increase shared knowledge; creates powerful partnerships in key action areas; and develops practical programs that provide important services to jobseekers, employers and our local community.

Rep. Dave Upthegrove (D – Des Moines) filed a bill this week that would allow the Port of Seattle to continue to lease land to the Highline-area Little League organization at a steeply discounted rate for use as Little League baseball fields.

The measure authorizes “airport operators” to make airport property available for public recreation and other community uses at less than market value.

“I grew up playing Highline Little League baseball on these exact ball fields,” Upthegrove said. “Today, south county children continue this tradition only because of the extremely affordable lease rates the Port extends to the City of Burien. With local governments currently strapped for cash, a hike in the lease rates could put the future of these fields at risk.”

The ball fields in question are located in the second runway “buyout area” near SeaTac Airport, a neighborhood dotted with boarded-up residences. Federal law specifies how close a residence can be to an airport runway, and over the years the Port of Seattle has had to “buy out” home and business owners to keep them out of the prohibited zone. The recreational and athletic fields, however, continue to enjoy active use and are permitted within the zone.

“The lease rate has recently been called into question by the State Auditor. My aim is to ensure that our state law is consistent with federal law, which actually permits these kinds of arrangements between airport operators and organizations like Little League,” Upthegrove added.

“Little League sports provide affordable recreation for so many children while teaching the values of teamwork, discipline and sportsmanship.  We need to ensure that these Highline ball fields remain available for the community.”

The bill number is House Bill 3007, and it’s scheduled for a public hearing in the House Local Government and Housing Committee on Monday, Feb. 1st at 1:30 p.m.

UPDATE 9/9/09: The schedule for public input on the city’s response to Initiative No. 1033 has changed: The Burien City Council will hear Pro and Con statements on Sept. 14th, then discuss it on Sept. 28th and consider a resolution on Oct. 5th.

PREVIOUSLY: The City of Burien is seeking public input at 7pm on Monday, Sept. 28th Monday, Sept. 14th considering a resolution regarding Initiative Measure No. 1033, the Tim Eyman-sponsored measure that would “limit growth of certain state, county and city revenue to annual inflation and population growth, not including voter-approved revenue increases. Revenue collected above the limit would reduce property tax levies.”

Voters will choose to approve or deny this initiative on Tuesday, Nov. 3rd.

Opponents call 1033 the “Jobs Killing” Initiative because they allege it will cause thousands of public servants to be laid off from their jobs.

The City of Burien wants to know what its citizens think of this, pro or con, and are inviting all to come speak up at a public meeting on Monday, Sept. 14 28th, at 7pm. The meeting will be held at Burien City Hall, 400 SW 152nd Street, 1st Floor.

According to the description prepared by the Washington Secretary of State:

This measure would limit growth in state revenues deposited in funds subject to the state expenditure limit, and limit growth in county and city revenues deposited into the county and city current expense funds. The limit would be adjusted based on annual growth in inflation and population. The limit also would apply to revenues transferred out of these funds. The limit would exclude voter-approved revenue increases. Revenues above the limit would reduce property tax levies.

The “Voters Want More Choices” website argues “For” I-1033 with these arguments:

• In the state of Washington, “property taxes are completely out-of-control” wiht “huge levy increases, skyrocketing valuation increases, massive rate hikes. It’s obscene and unsustainable. Struggling working families and fixed-income senior citizens are being taxed out of their homes.”
• “We don’t want Washington to be a state where only rich people can afford to buy and own a home.”
• “Citizens desperately need property tax relief, especially during these tough economic times.”
• “The overall tax burden imposed by state government, counties, and cities is growing exponentially.”
• Currently, “there is no cap, no ceiling, no lid, no maximum, no limit on how much they can take from us. There’s simply no way that citizens can afford to have government continue to grow at an uncontrolled rate.”
• “The Lower Property Taxes Initiative I-1033 puts a reasonable cap on our overall tax burden, requiring excess tax revenues collected about the cap used to substantially reduce property tax bills.”

Arguments made “Against” I-1033 by its opponents include:

• The concern that it could reduce critical public services at the state and local levels.
• Arguing that the historical cost increase of public spending in areas such as health care and education has exceeded the consumer price index, opponents of I-1033 say that if I-1033 passes, spending in these areas will not be able to grow at the levels they have historically grown at.
• The belief that government services will be reduced each year from the previous year.
• It is problematic because “The initiative is designed to lock in all the budget cuts that state and municipal governments are currently making, thus potentially killing thousands of jobs in the years to come.”
• “[T]his initiative is exact opposite of real reform. Instead of fixing what’s broken, it would make all of our lives worse. Much worse. We need real tax reform that improves stability and fairness in our tax system”.
• “Property taxes already have strict limitations on growth and levels. The result of these has been particularly hard on local governments, who have limited ability to raise other taxes.”
• “Shifting from the property tax to other tax sources makes our tax system less stable because property taxes are one of the least volatile revenue sources we have.”
• “The reality is that the whole concept of contrived, artificial limits on revenue is completely unreasonable to begin with. In practice such limits have been utterly unworkable. Other states, like Colorado, have imposed them and seen their quality of life suffer drastically as a result.”

Here’s the official release from the Burien cityfolk:

CITIZENS INVITED TO SPEAK FOR OR AGAINST INITIATIVE MEASURE NO. 1033 CONCERNS STATE, COUNTY AND CITY REVENUE

The Burien City Council will be considering a resolution regarding Initiative Measure No. 1033 concerns state, county and city revenue, on September 28, 2009. All interested parties who are for or against the ballot measure are invited to speak at the Council Meeting on Monday, September 14, 2009, at 7:00 pm. The meeting will be held at Burien City Hall, 400 SW 152nd Street, 1st Floor.

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The City of Burien strives to provide alternate communication opportunities. Please contact the City Clerk’s office, 206/248-5504, twenty-four hours prior to the meeting for assistance.

This is a great opportunity to come share your thoughts with your elected officials, so be sure to mark you calendars for what will surely be a lively discussion.

To read I-1033 in its entirety, click here for a PDF.

Nearly $12 million dollars will soon flow into White Center for schools, courtesy of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the public-private partnership Thrive by Five.

The long-awaited investment was announced Wednesdday.

The Gates Foundation alone will spend $9 million this year — $7 million on a new early learning center and another $2 million on services. The initiative is one of the newest and biggest anti-poverty programs to hit the Seattle area in recent years, based on the idea of narrowing the skills gap between kindergartners from low-income and higher-income families.

Other programs have certainly tackled early learning, but the pilot project is striking for its ambition in such a small area. It will offer families support from the time a mother learns she is pregnant to the final step before kindergarten.

“It is kind of like we are a little fishbowl experiment,” said Jeri Finch, director of the Learning Way School and Day Care in White Center. “What we do will impact education for the whole state.”

That’s because White Center is one of only two neighborhoods that will initially receive millions of dollars under the initiative. The idea is to build two models — the other will be in Yakima — for educating infants, toddlers, preschoolers and prekindergarten students in the rest of the state.

After trailing much of the country in early learning programs, the state has been trying to catch up in recent years, and Wednesday’s announcement represents the most dramatic step of that effort to improve the state’s care and education of its youngest children.

For example, less than two years ago, Gov. Chris Gregoire created the Department of Early Learning and this year she asked the Legislature for $2 million to support Wednesday’s initiative.

With all of this new money and attention, Washington now sits among the more progressive states, according to Libby Doggett, executive director of Washington, D.C.-based Pre-K Now.

“I think people are excited, but there is also some caution,” Doggett added, suggesting the state needs to improve its overall standards for early learning.

Another question is how much money will be consumed by administration and how much will go directly to help families.

Wednesday’s announcement is actually the result of more than a year of meetings among neighborhood groups, providers, nurses, public officials and staff from Thrive by Five and the Gates Foundation.

Later this year, construction crews plan to break ground on the 30,000-square-foot Greenbridge Early Learning Center, which will have two Head Start programs, parenting classrooms, teacher-training rooms, play groups, community dinners and English classes.The center is slated to open next year.

The initiative, though, will also spend money reaching out to families in their homes, paying for prenatal care, doulas who speak Somali, Spanish, Mandarin and Vietnamese to help with childbirth and for home visits by nurses and teachers. “They tell us what will best support them, and we want to give them a menu of choices, not a one size fits all,” said John Bancroft, who oversees the development of the new learning site.

The money won’t stop flowing after this year. Overall, the Gates Foundation has committed to spending $90 million on early education in Washington state over 10 years, and some of that money is sure to land in White Center.

Separately, Thrive by Five plans to use federal and state money, private donations and parenting fees to pay for its future work, with a goal of creating a self-sustaining model for children from infancy to age 5 similar to the existing K-12 school network.

In White Center, though, the greatest need may be the most simple: more spots at quality child care centers.

For example, the founders of the Learning Way School recently bought a neighboring house in the hopes of meeting growing demand. All this new grant money will help the school with staff training, and perhaps support more slots to move families off the waiting list.

In 2008, the initiative will create 32 new slots for babies and toddlers, though at the new learning hub, not at private providers.

“I think it is going to allow some of us a little breathing room” financially, the school’s director Finch said.

In the last few years, research has piled up confirming that preschool and early education matter. Studies have linked top quality child care to lower incarceration rates, higher home ownership and lower drug use.

Basically, the research argues that $1 invested in child care now saves society more than $1 later in that child’s life.

“We know that the first five years are critically important in shaping the rest of the life of this child,” said Graciela Italiano-Thomas, head of Thrive by Five.

Now the hard work begins: building a $13 million center, spreading support to a community that is home to more than 30 languages, getting the 3,000 kids from newborns to 5-year-olds in White Center ready for kindergarten, and proving what works.

Program planners already have asked one critical group what works.

“It is the first time anyone asked our opinion,” said Finch, who has worked in child care for the last quarter century.

SOURCE:

• Seattle P-I

OLYMPIA – A new bill on curtailing the use of handcuffs, pepper spray and Tasers in schools is being considered at an education committee meeting today in Olympia.

Currently the Highline School District, as well as Tacoma and Kent, provides handcuffs to security officers in its schools.

The sponsor, Sen. Claudia Kauffman of Kent, says she’s concerned about the psychological effect of the security measures on students. A similar bill is scheduled for a hearing tomorrow in a state House committee.

Kauffman’s bill was prompted by the actions of security guards in the Kent School District. It has been sued by parents and students over handcuff use on campus.

If the legislation is approved, noncommissioned school security officers would be prohibited from using cuffs and pepper spray in most circumstances.

What do you think – should security guards be allowed to carry these devices in public schools? Please answer our poll to the right or enter a comment below…

SOURCE:

• Seattle P-I