School Principals Honor Rep. Pat Sullivan

'Relentless focus' earns Sullivan Torch of Leadership Award

OLYMPIA—State Representative Pat Sullivan is the recipient of the 2010 Torch of Leadership Award, the Association of Washington School Principals (AWSP) announced today. The award, administered by AWSP, honors a state-level public servant who has demonstrated support of principals and the principalship in the education of all students.
 
Sullivan, who represents the 47th district, is being recognized for his consistent leadership on education-related legislation and his dedication to K-12 funding issues.
 
Over the past two years, Sullivan has been the prime sponsor of more than 20 education-related bills. One of those bills, HB 2776, introduced specifics regarding a new funding distribution formula for basic education.
 
“With Representative Sullivan comes a relentless focus on strengthening K-12 education in Washington state,” explained AWSP Director of Governmental Relations Jerry Bender. “In his efforts to implement and support education reform, he has been mindful of the impact on school principals and their leadership role.”  
 
Elected to the Washington State House of Representatives in 2004, Sullivan currently serves as vice chair of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Education and as a member of the House Education and Appropriations Committees. Active in his own local education community, Sullivan has served on the Covington Elementary PTA, the Learning Improvement Team and the Kent Communities in Schools board.
 
“Our school principals are really on the front lines — taking care of our students, supporting our teachers and working with parents to make sure we all play our part in helping our children succeed,” said  Sullivan, upon learning of the award. “They know what it takes to create excellent schools and it’s because of their ongoing feedback and help that we’ve been able to make such bold progress on key funding and education reforms these past few sessions.”
 
To school principals in the 47th district and beyond, Sullivan’s hard work is making a difference.
 
“Rep. Sullivan has been a key influence in advancing the efforts to reform the school finance model in Washington state, helping chart the legislative course for schools to be more accountable in relevant and appropriate ways,” remarked Ben Talbert, principal of Rainier Middle School (Auburn School District) and member of the AWSP Legislation Committee. “He supported legislation to reduce the occurrence of unfunded mandates and limit the impact of underfunded compliance components for schools.”
 
Sullivan will be honored at AWSP’s October Legislation Committee with a formal recognition and award presentation.
 
The Torch of Leadership Award is administered by AWSP. Nominations for the award are submitted by members of AWSP’s Legislation Committee, and final selection is made by a panel of staff and committee members.
  
About the Association of Washington School Principals (AWSP)
The Association of Washington School Principals is a professional association serving principals, assistant principals and principals in training. Formed in 1972, the Association now includes more than 3,400 members from public and private elementary, middle and high schools statewide. It is governed by a board of practicing principals composed of members drawn from three grade-specific boards representing the elementary, middle and high school levels. The mission of AWSP is to support principals and assistant principals and the principalship in the education of all students. For more information on the Association, visit the AWSP Web site at www.awsp.org.

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