Why are the Dems losing in the budget and transportation negotiations in Olympia?

Sunday I attended a meeting of the Legislative Action Committee of the King County Democrats.  Representative Tana Senn of the 41st LD spoke, followed by Senator Cyrus Habib of the 48th LD. During discussion of the budget it became clear that there is unlikely to be a capital gains tax. Nor will Governor Inslee get…

The Relationship Between Smaller Class Sizes and Better Student Outcomes

In recent articles, we have pointed out that Washington state is 46th in the nation in school funding as a percent of income. Washington state is also 46th in the nation in class sizes. It would take several billion dollars per year in additional funding to restore Washington state to the national average in school…

State’s sales tax grinds us down – but it doesn’t have to be that way

It’s a good time to talk about money, who has it and who doesn’t, especially with the Legislature at loggerheads about the budget. Why? Because the taxes that fund our state’s budget come largely from the money we all spend. Notice I said “money we all spend,” not “money we all make”? In most other…

School Funding in Washington State is 2 to 3 Billion Dollars Per Year Below the National Average

On June 2, 2015, the US Census released the latest in a series of annual reports called Public Education Finances. These reports are issued about 2 years after the school year they are reporting on. So this latest report is for the 2013 school year. These annual reports can be difficult to find. So at…

The stalemate over Washington state’s budget

The stalemate in Olympia over Washington state’s budget represents an ideological divide that won’t be overcome by negotiators sitting long enough in a room together. And unfortunately, neither side has proposed a budget and revenue package that would actually fully fund the educational opportunity and services families need in today’s economy. Republicans who control the…