In the Everett Herald, Jerry Cornfield writes about Initiative 1351, which would reduce class sizes for kindergarten through 12th grade. Actually, current law already requires class size reduction for K-3. I-1351 would move up some of that spending, but it mostly mandates spending over and above what is already required under current law and McCleary.

The article says that I-1351’s class size numbers are taken from recommendations of the Quality Education Council. In fact, the QEC only recommended reductions for K-3. (They discussed similar reductions for grades 4-12.)

Opponents of the initiative that Cornfield talked to seem to agree that the premise is a good one, if impossible to fund in the current environment. But as we outlined in our policy brief on I-1351, although evidence on the benefits of class size reduction is mixed, reducing class sizes for grades 4-12 in particular is generally shown to be a bad investment.

Bad investment or not, if I-1351 passes, how will it be funded?

Superintendent of Public Instruction Randy Dorn, who backs the initiative, said when it passes it will catalyze the conversation on education funding.

And even if lawmakers try to amend the initiative to delay its costs, they will be forced to consider where they will eventually get the money to pay for it. That might push them to pursue new revenue, which is what Dorn said the public school system desperately needs.

And, from Sen. Rosemary McAuliffe:

“It’s up to the people to decide,” she said. “If they say they want smaller class sizes, they have to help us figure out how to pay for it.”

The decision on I-1351 should be undertaken with a full understanding of the 2015-17 budget picture, which we wrote about in this brief.

As we mention in that budget preview brief, Gov. Inslee has asked state agencies to identify budget cuts that could be made to reduce their maintenance level budgets by 15 percent. Last week, Danny Westneat wrote that Western Washington University has refused to do so:

Shepard said the board of trustees of Western agreed to take the unusual step of refusing on the grounds that, at this point, even a theoretical budget-cutting exercise could damage the school. He said the other presidents agree.

The perception that all we do is hack away at our colleges has become its own problem.

Higher education has seen significant cuts over the last several years: