Don Hansler
Campaign Statement By Don Hansler
Candidate for Superintendent of Public Instruction of the State of Washington in the 2008 Election
Five generations of my family have lived in this state, and we have all loved it. I have been a life-long resident of Washington. I was born in Tacoma, and graduated from Lincoln High School there. I graduated from the University of Washington, with a bachelor's degree in Fisheries. I subsequently worked on a master's degree in Fisheries, and received that degree after serving in the U.S. Army during the Korean war. After being honorably discharged from the army, I received a teaching certificate from the University of Washington.
Subsequently, I worked as a teacher and administrator in the Bellevue School District for the next 25 years. For twelve of those years, I was the Science Coordinator, supervising the science program for 32 schools. During two of those years, I served as the Administrative Representative on the Representative Council of the Bellevue Education Association, an arm of the Washington Education Assocition.
After retiring, I spent the next three years conducting research on methods of teaching thinking skills. That research resulted in my publishing a college textbook on methods of teaching thinking skills. Using that book as my course text, I have been presenting a teacher-inservice course on thinking skills since 1986.
I currently present a program entitled 'Thinking With Science' to twelve classes per week during the school year, on a volunteer basis, in the Eatonville and Orting school districts.
I have been happily married to my wife, Marge Keister Hansler, since 1958. We have 3 daughters and 6 grandchildren.
I have the characteristics that are required to be a Superintendent of Public Instruction who can lead this state into becoming a place where everyone has the opportunity for a good education. I will base my decisions
on clearly defined principles. I have the ability to analyze information, and to use that information to make decisions that are logical, objective and ethical. I am willing to listen to all points of view on an issue before I make a decision about how to act on that issue.
I believe that every person in this state knows something that I do not know. I believe that relatively unknown people from obscure places in this state could generate valuable ideas for improving our state educational system. Therefore, I will personally read every handwritten letter that is sent to me by a registered voter, if it proposes a feasible way to improve our state educational system.
Although I do not currently know many of the facts and figures about operations and budgets in the department of education that some other candidates might know, I consider it to be more important to the voters of the state that their SPI be able to use the available facts and figures to make decisions that are logical, objective and ethical! I can quickly learn the necessary facts and figures if I am elected SPI. They can be supplied to me by the talented staff that I intend to appoint.
During the campaign, I am willing to travel anywhere in the state in order to conduct a personal question-and-answer session with any group of twenty or more registered voters.
Some of the major concepts that I will pursue during my term in office are the following:
1. Bonuses for teachers who are rated to be outstanding by parents of students.
2. Full state funding of K-12 education, accompanied by a ban on special levies for maintenance and operations.
3. Establishment of a two-level high school diploma system: basic and advanced.
4. Revision of the WASL program, in order to eliminate some important flaws that it has.
5. Promotion of the application of methods of teaching that will improve students' thinking skills.
Details of the proposals on the foregoing list are included in the following paragraphs.
On the topic of bonuses for outstanding teachers, I have proposed a program which would provide extra bonuses above and beyond the salary schedule of each district. The awarding of the bonuses would be dependent on ratings that teachers received on a relatively simple questionnsaire to be filled out by parents at the end of each school year. I have filed an initiative to the people and to the legislature directed at this topic. If you want to read the full text of the current initiative on this topic, do the following:
1. Go to web address: "www.secstate.wa.gov".
2. Click on "Elections and Voting".
3. Click on "Initiatives".
4. Click on "Current Initiatives".
5. Scroll down the list of Initiatives to the
People, until you find the one sponsored
by Donald D. Hansler.
I believe that our state educational system would be more suitable for a populace having a wide range of interests and abilities if we established a two-level high school diploma system. Currently, all senior high school students have to pass the 10th grade WASL in order to graduate. Under current conditions, that test is, in my opinion, too difficult for those students who do not have the ability to succeed in our four-year colleges and universities. Therefore, I would like to establish a policy that would set two levels of satisfaction of this requirement for graduation. The same test would be administered to all senior high school students, but a lower score would qualify a student for a "basic diploma', and a higher score would have to be attained in order to qualify for an "advanced diploma". The basic diploma would serve the purpose that the general high school diploma now serves. The advanced diploma would have to be attained in order to enter any state supported four-year college or university. The section of the test which would be aimed at the basic diploma would cover basic essential skills like those needed to balance a checkbook, read a newspaper, and fill out a job application. The section of the test which would be aimed at the advanced diploma would cover more advanced skills, including those customarily required for entry into most four-year colleges and universities. Having seen sample tests, and knowing the scores needed for passing at the basic level and advanced level, the students and their parents could decide, at a relatively early age of the students, which level of diploma the students were going to strive for. Not only that, if, after a year or more in high school, the students who had previously decided that they wanted to work only for a basic diploma decided that they wanted to upgrade their goal to an advanced diploma, they could do that, and retake the test.
On a related topic, I feel that a passing WASL score should not be the only criterion for earning a high school diploma. We should accept as alternatives to that a relatively high Grade Point Average, or convincing teacher recommendations.
In regard to the WASL program, I feel that it is very good in theory, but that there are a few flaws in it that should be corrected if it is going to have the maximum positive impact on our educational system. It is helpful because it provides relatively new and valuable guidelines for those designing the curriculum in our school districts. That, alone, should result in an unprecedented standardization of curricula across the state, thus making it much easier for students who transfer from one school to another. It will also enhance curriculum inservice efforts.
I believe that the Superintendent of Public Instruction should promote the application of methods of teaching that improve students' thinking skills. Simply having students memorize information does not improve their thinking skills. Showing them how to use information to formulate logical conclusions does help to improve their thinking skills.
If you want to assist my campaign by distributing copies of this statement to voters, please let me know how many copies to send to you. You could also assist my campaign by scheduling a question-and-answer session for me in your area.
If you want to contact me by e-mail in order to ask any questions or to provide me with additional information about our state educational system, use the following e-mail address: DonHansler1@aol.com
