As someone who has lived in Federal Way for over 25 years, maintaining the high quality of our public schools is important to me. That is why I was thrilled to see legislators make important and overdue investments in education this session.

I am concerned that those investments aren’t sustainable, however, because lawmakers failed to address our upside-down tax code. Simple reforms would generate billions of dollars in revenue and allow us to invest in the many critical priorities that were included in either of the state Senate or state House budgets rather than choosing between them.

Unfortunately, the budget passed in Olympia did not make the long-overdue reforms required for a more sustainable and equitable tax code. As a result, many of the priority investments here at home and across our state will go unfunded.

It means foregoing for yet another year investments in early learning and higher education. It means we won’t be able to give some relief to seniors and families in need who are paying too high a cost for their health care. And it means job training and employment opportunities for this year will not be realized.

It is time our legislators in Olympia to make the common sense reforms to our tax code that invests in the people, communities and places that make our state great. It is time to make our tax code work for us!

Lucia Faithfull, Federal Way