PROPOSED STATE BUDGET TOUGH ON KIDS – Bill William, WA State PTA

"The latest evidence of the fact that the national recession continues to impact Washington State came Wednesday when Governor Gregoire announced the “current revenue” budget proposal she is required by law to submit to the Legislature each December.  Faced with an ongoing revenue decline, she has proposed cutting another $1.7 billion dollars—including $405 million in K-12 education programs—from the state’s budget for FY 11, which begins in July of 2010.  If this budget were to be adopted, an estimated 3,000 more educational employees would face layoffs on top of the layoffs that occurred this school year.  Other victims of the budget proposal include elimination of (1) levy equalization, which alleviates part of the levy taxes collected from taxpayers in school districts with smaller property tax bases; (2) funding intended to reduce class sizes, especially in the early grades; (3) funding for highly capable students are cut for the 2010-11 school year, along with many other programs.  The Governor stated that in January she will propose a different budget that would generate additional revenues and allow restoration of some of the cuts in this recent proposal.  You can stay informed on this and other legislative issues by signing up for one of WSPTA’s legislative listservs.  To find out more, click here.