Here in Massachusetts, I have been reading the local papers only to find that school "overrides," what levies are called here, are failing all around this area.

Here in Franklin, this will result in the dismissal of 45 teachers.

As the district is about 1/4th the size of Federal Way, this would be the equivalent of dismissing about 180 teachers in Federal Way!

Alarmed at this the Franklin City Council offered to contribute $1 million to help defray the layoffs.

The School Board, in what I would consider a surprising move, went to the City Council and begged them not to do this, as this would require the city to dip into its reserve funds.

It was also mentioned that the "citizens knew full well the impact that a defeat of the override would mean and this contribution from the city would be contrary to the citizens intentions!"

Can anyone in Federal Way believe that any part of this story would happen in Federal Way?

Massachusetts also allows school districts to charge fees for various services such as all athletics, student parking, transportation and a general fee.

Athletic fees of $300 per sport are not uncommon, parking fees of $360 per year are also common.

The general high school fee in Franklin is $72.50 for a planner and other sundries.

Clearly while educational focus is much higher in Massachusetts, there are more colleges and universities in one county than Washington and Oregon combined, they also are watching their dollars more closely than we might be in Federal Way.

Federal Way this year will spend over $200 million on the education of its students and not achieve the level of academic scholarship that is noted in most of Massachusetts.

Why the difference? It could be that admission to colleges in Massachusetts is a far more competitive issue than it is in Washington.

Massachusetts has a very significant number of students from out of state trying to come to the state for an education.

Perhaps there is a message here. Could it be that the quality of education that is offered in our state isn't regarded as highly as that of Massachusetts?

It could also be that more parents in Massachusetts have some very clear ideas about the future of their children than what I have seen in Federal Way.

Some of this concern is developed by the school systems here that are focused on parent engagement and helping parents develop and accomplish their goals for their children.

If this is the case why isn't there more movement towards better education in Washington?

If you were to take a look at the agendas of the local school district's school board meetings, you are not likely to see any serious deliberations about any changes that might make our children's education more like that of places where education seems to excel.

Once you get past the WASL pass rates there doesn't seem to be any space on the agenda for how to get more kids to take Advanced Placement Exams, have more kids score better on the SAT exam, take more intensive interventions in the education of kids that aren't doing well such as extended days, etc.

School Boards are, according to the laws of Washington, responsible for the education of all children in their districts.

The reality is that they have not taken this charge very seriously if the measurement of this is academic achievement.

When less than 1 in 6 of our 10th graders can exceed 8th grade competency in mathematics, it would seem that School Board's focus must be somewhere else!

Could it be that they are rejoicing the continued success of the "hip-hop" squad?

The hip-hop squad's school has about a 1 in 8 record!

The Mariners are doing more than twice as well, and we consider that a failure!

Why? Most of these ideas would "disturb" the current climate of schools, particularly secondary schools.

Just look at the howls caused by interventions in the schedule for remediation of those who couldn't meet the minimum standards of this state's "WASL!"

Many felt that it was better to offer these kids electives that they would "like" instead of requiring them to exhibit 8th grade skill levels in the 10th grade!

Are our schools in a "crisis?" The story about frogs in hot water comes to mind. If you put a frog in a pot of hot water they jump right out. However if you put him in a pot of cold water, then slowly heat it you can boil the frog as he will not notice the temperature rise and leap to his safety.

I think we have some very warm frogs!

Much of the rest of the world has seen the power of quality education and has embarked upon a very focused, serious, approach to making sure that their children are equipped to deal with the "knowledge revolution."

Meantime we are rejoicing the successes of our hip-hop squad.

Frog's legs may be on the menu!