State Sen.Steve Litzow, R-Mercer Island.
OLYMPIA, Jan. 17.—The first move in this year’s big education-funding drama came Thursday with a letter from Senate Early Learning and K-12 Chairman Steve Litzow, R-Mercer Island – he says it’s time for the players to start talking.
In his letter to Gov. Jay Inslee and House Education Chairwoman Sharon Tomiko Santos, D-Seattle, Litzow proposes that they begin talks on what may be the most pressing issue of the year – the K-12 schools and the court’s demand that lawmakers come up with a $5 billion funding plan for the state’s K-12 schools. Key thing about his entreaty, though, is that it puts the emphasis on reform, reflecting the position of the largely Republican Senate Majority Coalition Caucus that money isn’t everything. Ineffective schools are the issue that got the state into hot water with the court in the first place, he insists, and it is a discussion that could last well beyond the April 30 deadline for the funding plan that has been imposed by the Supreme Court, he says.
“Everybody wants to do the right thing for kids,” he says. “We just all have slightly different ideas about what that right thing is.”
Acknowledging the grumbling about the Supreme Court’s directive to the Legislature – a move some say oversteps the court’s constitutional bounds – Litzow says the Supreme Court has a point. Until lawmakers began ramping up spending on schools last year to comply with the court’s 2012 McCleary decision, $1 billion so far, they hadn’t given the K-12 the priority it deserved. Lawmakers ought to start talking about ways to comply with the court order, he says; it’s just that money isn’t the only thing. “At the end of the day, the problem we have to solve is how we improve our current system so that it educates our kids. Whether the Supreme Court has overstepped its bounds or not — I’m going to let other people worry about that. But my role as chairman of the education committee is to make sure that we are improving our system for all kids.”
In his letter, released late Thursday afternoon, Litzow proposes a bipartisan discussion group he says ought to continue even after the court deadline passes. So far there is no formal word from the governor’s office and the House Democrats, but he says there is a sense among all parties that it is time for the dialogue to begin. “We can’t sit here and continue to fail one out of every three African-American and Hispanic children.”
The letter follows.
Decade of Bad Habits
The letter is addressed to Gov. Jay Inslee and Rep. Tomiko Santos, and copied to Sen. Rosemary McAuliffe, D-Bothell, and Rep. Cathy Dahlquist, ranking minority members on the House and Senate K-12 education panels:
“Over the past 10 years the Legislature has repeatedly deprioritized our K-12 education system, leaving Washington as one of few states in the country with a growing opportunity gap. Ignoring Washington’s most important responsibility has resulted in an education system that fails one of three African American and Hispanic children and one of two Native American children. In 2012, the Washington State Supreme Court ordered the Legislature to stop this 10-year cycle of neglect and fulfill its constitutional responsibility to amply provide for the education of all Washington children.
“Last year, in a bipartisan, bicameral effort, the governor signed into law the single largest increase in K-12 education funding in the last 10 years, coupled with important structural changes to our education system. I believe those funding increases and systemic reforms were an essential start toward providing educational opportunity for all children in the state so they can successfully participate in democracy and earn jobs in our global economy.
“Recently, as part of its continuing jurisdiction, the state Supreme Court issued another order recognizing the significant progress made last year and requesting that the Legislature provide a plan by April 30 detailing how we will continue building on this progress over the next five years. I believe we can all agree that we do not want to fall back into the habits of the past 10 years that led to a Supreme Court order in the first place.
“To that end, I would like to propose bipartisan, bicameral meetings with the governor’s office during the coming months to build consensus for the successful investments and reforms required to ensure every child has the skills to be successful.
“I look forward to working with you for all Washington children.
“Sincerely,
:”Senator Steve Litzow
“41st Legislative District”
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