I would encourage all ALE programs to work with local administration to participate in this endeavor.

 Employees: This is to inform you that the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI), in cooperation with the State Board of Education (SBE), has posted a draft of the Washington State ESEA Flexibility Request (Waiver) for public comment. That document and an accompanying survey can be found online at www.k12.wa.us/ESEA/PublicNotice.aspx. Please refer to the attached document for the complete notice to LEAs regarding the draft Washington State ESEA Flexibility Request (Waiver).

 In addition, OSPI and the SBE are co-sponsoring two webinars that will review the main elements of the draft ESEA Flexibility Request (Waiver). Both are scheduled on Thursday, January 26th—the first at 12-noon and the second at 6 p.m. They will cover the same material and will allow questions to be submitted electronically for responses. A video transcript of the webinar will then be posted so that those who cannot attend either of the January 26th webinar events will have access to the information provided.

 If you would like to participate in one of the webinars, please register by using the links below. ESEA Flexibility Request (Waiver) Webinars: Thursday, January 26, 2012, 12:00PM–2:00PM PST Thursday, January 26, 2012, 6:00PM–8:00PM PST OSPI and the SBE encourage interested parties to analyze the first DRAFT of the Washington State ESEA Flexibility Request (Waiver) and complete the accompanying survey. The public comment period ends on February 3, after which Superintendent Randy Dorn will decide whether or not to submit an ESEA Flexibility Request (Waiver). The ESEA Flexibility Request (Waiver) is due to the U.S. Department of Education on February 21, 2012.

 Questions pertaining to this LEA notice should be directed to Bob Harmon, Assistant Superintendent, Special Programs, Secondary Education, School Improvement, and Federal Accountability, at (360) 725-6170 or email bob.harmon@k12.wa.us.

Thank you. Alan Burke, Ed.D., Deputy SuperintendentK–12 Education Bob Harmon, Assistant SuperintendentSpecial Programs, Secondary Education, School Improvement, and Federal Programs Sarah Rich, Research DirectorState Board of Education