Your state Legislature is in action right now.
Major decisions are being debated and important policies are being considered. I am honored to be one of your elected representatives working to ensure the best interests of our district and our state are first and foremost in Olympia.
No doubt, we have a lot of serious work to do, not the least of which is addressing the state’s budget shortfall. Faced with an $8 billion deficit at the current rate of spending, the sooner budget writers put forward a proposal, the more time families have to weigh in on state government spending priorities.
Many of us believe that our priorities should be clear: First, we must fight to save private and public jobs. It’s cheaper and easier to save jobs than create them. Second, we must return to the Priorities of Government budgeting approach. Last, we must ensure education, health care, pensions, safety net programs and public safety are at the top of the budget list.
It’s disappointing that the missing element in today’s budget debate is how we keep businesses in and attract them to Washington. If we don’t have successful businesses, our job base erodes and social service costs rise without the tax structure to pay for them. We need bold leadership and bold solutions now to address the economic challenges we face.
Also this session, I am pleased to report that a landmark education reform measure, House Bill 2261, passed the House of Representatives. The proposal would enact recommendations of the two-year-long Basic Education Finance Task Force. The bill would update the definition of “basic education” and restructure the K-12 education funding formula to better reflect the realities of today’s classrooms.
As one of several members of the bipartisan task force that drafted the bill, I believe the recommendations are solid steps forward. From addressing early education for low-income children to how we pay for essential K-12 education elements, like student bussing, is included in the legislation. Education is the “paramount duty” of the state and we must make sure as we budget, that education is a top priority.
Unfortunately, the governor has said she would not sign House Bill 2261 if it reaches her desk. Those of us who worked on this bill are asking: If we do not act now to address the inequities in our state’s education system, when will we?
The 2009 legislative session is scheduled to end April 26.
Rep. Skip Priest is the Republican leader on the House Education Committee and the Appropriations Subcommittee on Education Finance. He represents the 30th Legislative District, which includes Federal Way, Algona, Pacific, and parts of Milton, Des Moines, Auburn and unincorporated King County. Contact: (360) 786-7830 or priest.skip@leg.wa.gov.
