MORE K-12 CUTS? ENOUGH ALREADY!
TELL THEM TO FIND REVENUE INSTEAD!
In January, the State Legislature will begin meeting, largely to decide what adjustments to make to the State budget in 2010, the second year of the two-year budget. A $2.7 billion budget shortfall is anticipated, due to low spending and sales. Washington State derives most of our revenue from taxes on sales. We are one of a handful of states without an income tax, leaving our schools 45th in the nation in per pupil expenditures. And that was before the $1.5 billion in State K-12 cuts that took effect this year.
Believe it or not, Legislators are considering cutting our schools even further. While most school funding is constitutionally protected as “basic education funding”, Northshore, like other Districts, stands to lose millions of State dollars that are not Constitutionally protected. Last year, Northshore lost about $9 million in such State funding . Fortunately, we received over $5 million in Federal Stimulus funding to offset some of the cuts. (Northshore’s total budget is about $181 million, including the local property tax levy which will local voters will decide in January and February also.)
Further cuts are not acceptable. They would damage our students, our schools, our State’s future, the local and state economies, and our family’s livelihoods. Each of us needs to do our share to prevent the Legislature and the Governor from taking the easy way out, and simply cutting K-12 funding further.
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
Leaders from NESPA, NSEA, and NEOPA (as well as from Edmonds and Shoreline locals) have been meeting with our Legislators*. We’ve explained to them that education is an investment in the future, and eating our seed corn during this economic drought will only produce future droughts. We’ve urged them to raise the revenue needed to protect our schools from further cuts. We’ve suggested that they find it, in part, by eliminating some of the billions of dollars in Washington’s tax exemptions for private interests, exemptions that in many cases were passed years ago, and have not been reviewed since.
Here is a website that can help, and where you’ll find our WEA Legislative Agenda (goals for this Session) and more:
http://www.ourvoicewashingtonea.org
Please contact your Legislators now or during the Winter Break to let them know that further K-12 cuts are unacceptable. Ask them to find the revenue our schools need.
If you live in Northshore, Edmonds, or Shoreline, here are your legislators: http://northshoreea.blogspot.com/2009/01/contact-your-legislators.html If you need a reminder for who your 3 Legislators are, go to http://apps.leg.wa.gov/DistrictFinder/Default.aspx
Please contact them from a home computer and home email. Not from a school computer, or school email.
* We met with Sen. Rosemary McAuliffe, Rep. Ruth Kagi, Sen. Paul Shinn, Sen. Eric Oemig, Rep. Mary Helen Roberts, and Rep. Marko Liias. Rep. Al O’Brien, Rep. Mark Ericks, and Sen. Darlene Fairley would not meet, which speaks volumes of their concern for educators and schools.
