6th of January 2016
30th of September 2015
24th of September 2015
Taxes: The grass is always greener…
With the first meeting today of Gov. Inslee’s legislative McCleary workgroup, we’re likely to see another round of calls for new taxes – specifically, an income tax and/or a capital gains tax – to fund the rest of the state’s K-12 obligations. Arguments in favor of new forms of taxation include: Washington’s tax system is unfair and regressive, […]
16th of September 2015
29th of December 2014
Reframing the education funding debate: Time to move the goalposts?
Give former state Sen. Jim Kastama credit for his op-ed in today’s Seattle Times. Kastama says what few others have said publicly. He takes a look at the legislative history of ESHB 2261, the legislation setting school funding goals that have become the state Supreme Court’s standard for full funding of basic education in the […]
1st of December 2014
Battle over education waivers continues here; Oklahoma waiver reinstated. Higher education fighting back.
The Associated Press reports that the coming legislative session will likely feature a continuation of the No Child Left Behind battles that cost districts control of some $38 million in federal funding. Here’s the crux: At issue during the 2014 legislative session was whether to require that student scores on statewide tests be used as one […]
26th of November 2014
Making the most of education investment: maintain standards, target early learning, scrap 1351
The headline summarizes some recent editorial observations. And nicely comports with budget realities. The News Tribune takes a strong editorial stand in support of academic accountability. At a time when the world is demanding more of high school graduates, Washington’s public schools shouldn’t be demanding less. Washington and many other states are phasing in the […]
13th of November 2014
Clarifying the 2015 budget picture
Kriss posted yesterday on the improved revenue picture. As Brad Shannon reports, the higher revenue collections are accompanied by higher caseload and enrollment numbers. State budget director David Schumacher told the Caseload Forecast Council meeting in Olympia that an expected increase in K-12 school enrollments alone may add $380 million to the state’s costs through June 2017, which […]
Voters delivered a sensible message: What it means for 2015
In my column yesterday I assessed last week’s election, finding parallels between the national and Washington state outcomes. Using national trends to interpret our state elections can be risky. We’re different out here and proud of it. But last week showed some unmistakable signs that the wave sweeping most of the country splashed us as […]