Gov. Jay
Inslee declared tonight that education must be the top priority for the 2015
Legislature, saying it’s past time for the state to meet its moral and
constitutional obligations to Washington students. The governor said his plan
would strengthen the school system from preschool to higher education so
Washington students can attain diplomas, degrees and job training.
The
governor previewed his plan in an online town hall meeting with parents,
educators and students in Bellevue, Moses Lake, Spokane and Tacoma. Inslee said
he intends to aggressively pursue improvements at all levels of education, from
a significant expansion in early learning and all-day kindergarten to a freeze
on public college tuition and additional financial aid to help keep college
affordable.
The
governor’s education agenda is a key part of his effort to reinvest in
Washington and boost the state’s economy. It would provide state funding for
more than 7,000 additional teachers and prepare students for the jobs of today
and of the future.
Along with
a financing plan that the governor will propose Thursday, the policies outlined
tonight will take a significant step toward addressing the state Supreme
Court’s finding that the state has failed to adequately fund basic education,
which Washington’s Constitution says is the state’s paramount duty. In the
McCleary case, the court earlier this year held the state in contempt after the
Legislature did not make adequate progress on a funding plan.
“This plan
will allow Washington to take important steps toward getting out from under the
court’s unprecedented contempt citation that rightfully shone a spotlight on
the failure to address our lack of adequate K-12 funding,” Inslee said. “But we
have more than a legal obligation. This is the right thing for our students, as
is a continuum of investments in early learning and keeping higher education
affordable.”
“Investments
in K-12 alone won’t cut it. We need to make sure kids are ready to learn before
they enter kindergarten, and prepared to go to work or go to college after they
graduate from high school.”
Inslee’s
$2.3 billion education package would include the largest-ever
state investment in early learning and results in the largest increases in
basic education funding in nearly a quarter century. As recently as 2007,
public schools accounted for less than 39 percent of Near General Fund
spending. Under Inslee’s proposal, public schools’ share of state spending
increases to 47 percent.
- Offer
more opportunities for Washington’s youngest learners.
Inslee proposes $156.3 million in early learning funding that will add
more than 6,300 children in the state’s preschool program for low-income
children, improve child care quality with more provider training, deliver
such supports as physical or speech therapy to children who need them and expand
the state’s highly successful home-visitation services for expectant and
new parents needing support and guidance.
- Increase
basic education funding to reduce class sizes in early
grades, implement full-day kindergarten statewide and adequately cover
school operational costs, including special education. In fact, this $1.3
billion investment would put Washington on track to fully implement House
Bill 2776, the basic education funding reform bill passed in 2010, one
year ahead of schedule.
- Decrease
the opportunity gap and increase high school graduation rates. Today,
only 65 percent of our state’s low-income, African American and Hispanic
high school students graduate on time. For Native American students, that
rate is 52 percent. Graduation rates for foster children and homeless
children are even lower. Inslee proposes $87.4 million in various services
for at-risk children and their families that are proven to help keep
students on track through elementary, middle and high school.
- Support
high-quality teaching and leadership in schools. From
mentoring for 7,200 first-year teachers to more instructional training for
math and science subjects, Inslee proposes $30.4 million to support
teachers and principals in areas they need it most.
- Invest
in educator compensation. Due to the recession, the
Legislature has repeatedly suspended or underfunded cost-of-living
increases under Initiative 732. Inslee fully funds I-732, and an
additional salary increase, providing educators with their first
state-funded pay increase since 2008.
- Maintain
higher education access and affordability. Inslee
proposes continuing the freeze on resident, in-state tuition at all public
higher education institutions. He also adds more than 5,500 new student
slots to the state’s successful College Bound program and 12,000 more
students in the state’s Opportunity Scholarship program, a public-private
partnership for low- and middle-income students pursuing STEM or health
care degrees.
- Boost
higher education attainment and training. Inslee
proposes $30.4 million to expand various STEM and computer science
programs at state universities and colleges, boost job training and basic
education for adults without a high school diploma and more.
The
governor’s budget director said last week that additional revenue of more than
$1 billion will be needed to balance the 2015–17 biennial budget. The governor
will release details of that plan Thursday in Olympia.
“There’s
been considerable discussion these past two years about the need to increase
education funding, to reform the system and to put children first, but there
hasn’t been enough action,” Inslee said. “While we continue to look for every
possible saving and efficiency, the math simply tells us we cannot cut our way
out of this. Education is our top priority but not our only priority. I will
not fund education at the expense of mental health. I will not cut funding for
foster care caseworkers. Today there are 36,000 homeless children in our
schools, and I will not cut programs that are making sure that number decreases
instead of increases.”
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