On Thursday, March 17, our three legislators (Sen. Mark Miloscia, Rep. Linda Kochmar and Teri Hickel) held a Town Hall at City Hall.
They gave a legislative report on what had and had not happened during the regular session. Regarding the latter, they did NOT pass a budget and were now in a special session (again) and the Levy Lift Bill (which the school district needs to be passed so we have the funds to pay our teachers) died in the Senate after it had passed the House. Miloscia tried to assure the attendees that it would be passed during the 2017 legislative session.
Before I spoke, I was preceded by Superintendent Dr. Tammy Campbell, Assistant Superintendent Sally McLean and school board member (and legislative liaison) Liz Drake. Campbell advised our legislators that the budget planning process starts the first of the year, and if the Levy Lift Bill does not pass then the district would be looking at laying off 150 teachers and closing eight elementary schools – a drastic measure given the number of students we have, and definitely something we cannot afford to do.
I raised two important issues with the legislators: (1) transportation; namely, the gridlock our drivers face mid-afternoon when I -5 South from Federal Way to Tacoma becomes a “parking lot” and drive times exceed an hour; (2) education; namely, the McCleary Decision that has been around for three or four years but still has not been fully addressed by the legislature. Legislators conducted seven listening meetings last year, and I attended the one in Renton. After more than 60 individuals (including myself) had spent more than three hours testifying, the message was loud and clear: “Whatever you do, do it now and make it fair.” Since the legislature won’t address it until the 2017 session, it is clear they did NOT get the message.
If that wasn’t bad enough, now they have done the same with the Levy Lid Bill.
There is a saying that is very true: “Don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today.” They didn’t get that message either. Putting it off until next year is not a good sign, because we know the legislature only operates at three speeds: slow, slower and slowest. You only have to recall the 2015 legislative session and how many special sessions it took before they finally passed a budget at the end of June.
It is just not fair to push the school district to the edge of the precipice before passing the bill at the last minute.
Gary Robertson, Federal Way
