Dear neighbors,
The budget we passed out of the House last week aligns with our shared values and makes real investments in the future of our economy and the well-being of our children, families, and communities. With this budget, we are supporting an economy that works for everyone, not just the wealthy few.
Education
The first thing on everyone’s mind this year has been funding education. One of the best tools we have to give all Washingtonians the opportunity to succeed is by providing quality education that takes young people from their cradles all the way to the launch of their careers.
Early Learning
Providing high quality early learning is one of the best ways to close the opportunity gap and make sure all our kids have a fair shot at success. We are improving the quality of early learning opportunities through programs like Early Achievers and the Early Start Act. We are also making sure that families can access early learning opportunities by expanding funding for programs like Early Intervention, Working Connections Child Care and Early Childhood Education Assistance Program (ECEAP).
K-12
Our budget increases funding for K-12 education by 21 percent. With these investments we are meeting our constitutional obligation as well as the Supreme Court’s mandate to fully fund our schools, but we are doing more than that: We’re expanding full-day kindergarten, funding class size reductions for students in grades K-3 and providing funding for textbooks, classroom supplies, and school operating costs. We are also investing in college and career readiness programs so that students graduate from high school ready to take on their next step. And our hard-working school employees, from teachers to bus drivers, are getting a long overdue cost-of-living increase.
Higher Education
Our budget freezes tuition for the next two years by increasing funding for colleges and universities so they can continue providing students with quality education programs and services. We are also putting money into financial aid programs so more students have the opportunity to get a college degree. Investing in our future workforce in high-demand areas like computer science, engineering, and cybersecurity, will enable many students to take on the 23,000 high-paying jobs in computer science that are currently open in Washington.
Mental Health
We are investing $100 million to repair our broken mental health system. Our communities are safer and stronger when we make sure people can get the services they need. New tools, like Joel’s Law, will help us help our family members who are in crisis. Funding for mental health intervention and treatment will give law enforcement, emergency responders and mental health service providers the tools needed to better address people who are experiencing a mental health crisis.
Our current mental health system is leaving too many people with mental illnesses in prisons or emergency rooms because there is no room at our mental health facilities. This has been a concern across the state, including in Snohomish, but by funding more beds in community mental health facilities and hospitals, we can make sure that people are getting the treatment they need.
Our Safety Net
Throughout the great recession we made deep cuts to programs that not only hurt the people who depend on them, but are also detrimental to the economic and social well-being of our entire state.
No matter how much money we invest in K-12 education, hungry kids can’t learn and homeless kids can’t do homework. We can’t just provide opportunity in the classroom, we need to give every kid the best chance to take advantage of that opportunity.
Our budget restores funding to the State Food Assistance Program to help feed hungry kids, families and seniors and puts more state funds in to local food banks through the Emergency Food Assistance Program.
We are also reinstating the child support pass through, so many families will be able to get about $100 more per month in child support, and are giving families who are working to get back on the path to success a little help by not taking away assistance immediately when their income goes up.
Capital Budget
We passed the Capital budget out of the House last week. Below are the projects funded in the 21st Legislative District. You can read about each specific project here.
Dollars in Thousands
Thank you for taking the time to read my newsletter, as always, I welcome your feedback.
Sincerely,
