OLYMPIA, Wash. – Teacher unions have never met a K-12 funding increase that they didn’t absolutely want and need “for the children” – until now.

The Washington Education Association (WEA) is pressuring state lawmakers to “just say no” to a new teacher evaluation plan that links educators’ job reviews to their students’ standardized test scores, even though such a move could cost local school districts control over millions of dollars of  federal funding.

TheOlympian.com reports lawmakers are considering linking test scores to teacher evaluations so the state can (potentially) receive a new waiver from the Obama administration for the “onerous provisions” of the federal government’s No Child Left Behind (NCLB) law.

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Without a NCLB waiver, Washington school districts will lose control of 20 percent of the Title I money they receive annually from the feds. Those funds, by law, must be set aside by school districts “to pay for private tutoring efforts, rather than other Title I programs such as all-day kindergarten, counseling services or preschool for struggling low-income students,” TheOlympian.com reports.

YakimHerald.com adds that without a NCLB waiver, failing districts would have to “cover transportation costs should parents move their children to a school that isn’t failing, (and that) could amount to a sizable chunk of the Title I funds.”

Remarkably, the WEA – the state’s largest teachers union – is telling legislators that schools won’t really lose that 20 percent of Title I money, which last year totaled $38 million. The unionists base this bold assertion on the belief that many parents in failing schools won’t ask for private tutoring services for their children, or for transportation costs to transfer to a neighboring district.

Talk about “pie in the sky” thinking.

If the unionists are correct – and there’s no reason to believe they are – districts could eventually regain control of that 20 percent, but only after jumping through a bunch of federal hoops. As state officials have noted, any leftover money would only be added to a district’s budget well after the school budget has been set for the year.

WEA leaders are untroubled by that. In fact, they’re telling lawmakers that schools have enough Title I money left over from last year to cover any cuts related to not receiving a NCLB waiver. As TheOlympian.com reports, districts are allowed “to carry over 15 percent of their total annual Title I allocation for use during the following year.”

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In other words, the union wants districts to raid the piggy bank.

District officials don’t want to do that because they oftentimes use those extra funds for big purchases – such as technology and curriculum upgrades – and to cover potential fluctuations in year-to-year federal funding, the news site adds.

Taxpayers have to be wondering, “Is this the same union that’s been bellyaching for more K-12 funding since the beginning of time?”

Yes, it is – and that means one of two things is happening here.

Either the WEA’s historical claim of K-12 poverty has been highly exaggerated or the unionists are so selfish and self-centered that they’re willing to see programs for low-income students eliminated just so they won’t have their performance reviews attached to standardized test scores.

YakimHerald.com lists some of the programs and services for low-income students that are in jeopardy: Out-of-class reading interventions with specialists, longer school days, English-language development, and training programs for teacher aides.

One could argue about whether or not it’s appropriate for the federal government to use tax dollars to exert control over schools that – at least in theory – belong to the states and the local communities. That’s an entirely different discussion.

The issue here is whether or not the WEA – and by extension the rest of the nation’s teachers unions – have been lying to Americans about how badly underfunded our schools are.

It’s either that or the unions are just so unbelievably selfish that they’re willing to inflict serious pain on poor and disadvantaged families.

Neither choice leaves the unions looking good.

This situation is far from being resolved in the Evergreen State. Lawmakers are currently considering two bills that would make the state’s teacher evaluations come in line with federal demands. However, neither bill is close to passing, and the legislative session ends on Thursday.

As YakimHearld.com notes, “Even if either bill passes, there is no guarantee the (U.S.) Department of Education will approve the state’s efforts” and grant a NCLB waiver.