Please share this info with your friends, neighbors, and Legislators
"There is no greater return to an economy or to a society than an educational system second to none." John F. Kennedy
Sacrificing the best solution we have to secure a better future for the state is not acceptable."
WEA President Mary Lindquist
Our State Constitution is one of the best in the nation: Washington State Constitution, Article IX:
It is the paramount duty of the state to make ample provision for the education of all children residing within its borders, without distinction or preference on account of race, color, caste, or sex.
And yet:
*Class Size: Washington state class sizes are 46th in the nation. (Four states are worse.)
*Investment: Washington state ranks 45th in per pupil expenditures.
*Spending Decreases: Washington state spends about 40% of the state budget on K-12 education (07-09). In the early 80's (82-83), the State spent 50% of the budget on K-12.
*Compensation: Washington state teacher salaries are dead last on the West Coast (including California, Oregon, Hawaii, and Alaska). Educational support employee salaries have fallen in comparison to average salaries in Washington.
*Curriculum: The state provides $42 per year per student for curriculum materials, enabling school districts to replace curriculum every 18 years.
WASHINGTON CAN AFFORD A GREAT EDUCATION SYSTEM:
*Washington ranks 12th in per capita income.
*Washington is one of 6 states without an income tax. (Others: Florida, Tennessee, South
Dakota, Texas, and Nevada.
*Because Washington relies on the sales tax, we have the most regressive tax system in the
nation. Low and middle income people pay a higher percentage of their income in state and local taxes, while the highest income pay a lower percentage than in any other state.
*Washington state has billions of dollars of tax loopholes on its books that need re-evaluation to determine their value to the economy.
