WASHINGTON STATE

Washington State House Democrats

HOUSE DEMOCRATS

Rep. Mike Sells – Legislative Update for May 20, 2013

Budget negotiations are continuing in Olympia this week. Most legislators are back at home, however, resuming their jobs and a normal family life. Once budget writers reach agreement on most outstanding issues, lawmakers will return to finish work on the 2013-15 operating budget, capital budget, transportation budget and any other issues that can’t wait until next January.


 

Budget negotiations: Do we spend our money for educating our kids or tax exemptions?

That’s one of the choices lawmakers are discussing in the budget negotiations.

The state is expected to get $2 billion more in revenues in the next biennium than we had two years ago. So why are we still struggling to make ends meet?

In the past two years population, expenses, and inflation have all gone up. We have more kids in our schools, more seniors in nursing homes, and more people in prison. The demand for state services has risen at the same time we’ve cut budgets and staff – nearly $12 billion in cuts over the last six years.

On top of that, we must comply with the Supreme Court’s McCleary decision (more about that below), which will cost about $1.2 billion in new education spending for the 2013-15 biennium.

It’s clear that we need more resources to meet our constitutional and moral obligations. The House passed a revenue package last month that would close a small number of tax exemptions – some of which even the recipients say they no longer need – and redirect the money to schools. At this point, the Senate has not agreed with this strategy.

Here is an opinion piece that I and Rep. Hans Dunshee had placed in the Everett Herald recently on why closing tax loopholes is part of the solution to our budget problem.


Speaking of McCleary: what reforms did the Supreme Court mandate?

Teacher Pointing at Map of WorldEducation continues to be a top priority for legislators as negotiations continue during special session. The two chambers have fundamental differences in how to go about improving K-12 schools, however. Senate leaders believe the McCleary decision was a mandate for education reform. That’s simply not the case.

The Supreme Court gave the Legislature a mandate for education finance reform – not policy reform. Our primary focus needs to be on putting an additional $1.2 billion into our K-12 schools. Talking about other policy ideas like giving schools A-F grades and making it easier to fire teachers without due process, shifts the focus away from fulfilling our constitutional obligations.

You can read more about McCleary and education reform on the House Democrats blog: The Advance. 


We did pass meaningful school reforms this session

Only adequate funding combined with a sustained effort to implement meaningful reforms will give students the education they need, and taxpayers the value and accountability they deserve. To that end, a major piece of education reform recently signed into law by Gov. Inslee could be the most significant in years. It’s designed to identify Washington’s failing schools and put them on a path to excellence.

Students Doing HomeworkThe new law directs Superintendent of Public Instruction Randy Dorn and his staff to develop a process to determine which public schools fall into the lowest-performing category, and to write clear, workable guidelines to help them improve. The Legislature will provide funds to help these schools, if needed, and the schools will have three years to make marked improvement. If they don’t make significant, measurable progress, the OSPI will have the authority to intervene with more structured guidance.

The bill doesn’t lead to a “state takeover” of local schools. I’m a strong supporter of local control. But there may be some schools that require the expertise and assistance to get back on track, and it would be a disservice to students, staff, parents, and the school’s community to ignore those problems.

Every child who enters our K-12 system should have a fair chance to receive a good, solid education that prepares them to be successful. The McCleary decision requires the state to invest significant new dollars to improve our schools. Common sense requires continuing efforts to help our education system deliver that good, solid education in the most effective and efficient manner possible.


As always, I thank you for taking the time to read this update and I welcome your comments, ideas and suggestions.

Sincerely,

SellsSig