Washington House Democrats

Build schools and create jobs

Construction budget breaks record for school construction

April 5, 2005

OLYMPIA – The House version of the state’s construction budget shatters the old state record for building local schools.

"This budget is about schools and jobs," said Rep. Hans Dunshee (D-Snohomish), chair of the House Capital Budget Committee. "Our kids need real classrooms, not portables with wheels and floors that echo. And our economy needs the good construction jobs created by this budget."

Dunshee said he’s proud to have worked together with Republicans and Democrats alike to write the budget, which invests more than $600 million in local schools.

Gov. Gary Locke and Gov. Christine Gregoire proposed $447 million to build local schools; Senate Democrats proposed $529 million.

The House plan includes three major items for schools not included in the proposals by governors or Senators:

• $92 million to modernize schools;
   
• $6.5 million for high performance schools; and
   
• $3 million for emergency school repairs.

"This budget puts people in hard hats to work building schools, lecture halls and parks," said Dunshee. "And many of these are good professions that pay $30 to $40 an hour."

A UW study estimated that every $1 million in construction spending creates 30.8 jobs in construction, support and retail. That model estimates about 95,000 jobs created by the capital budget ($3.08 billion) and about 37,000 jobs created by local school matching funds ($1.2 billion).

The capital budget committee also oversees the Public Works Trust Fund, which is estimated to create an additional 6,000 construction jobs.

"We have $797 million in unmet school construction needs and as many as 100,000 children trying to learn in portables," said Rep. Larry Springer (D-Kirkland), author of a reform that allowed the capital budget to spend an additional $100 million on building schools. "This bill will address these problems in a big way without increasing people’s tax bills."

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