Dorn tells governor why he didn't send her budget cutting ideas

State schools chief Randy Dorn says he couldn't in good conscience answer Gov. Chris Gregoire's call for ways to pare $97.3 million in education spending.

Doing so would have gone against his oath of office and violated his constitutional responsibility to ensure basic education of the state's school children is fully funded, Dorn said in a two-page letter received by the governor Wednesday.

A copy of the letter is attached.

Earlier this summer, Gregoire directed leaders of state agencies to send her ways of reducing their allotment of general fund dollars by up to 10 percent. She's using the information to propose spending cuts to fill a projected $2 billion hole in the current two-year state budget.

Gregoire also requested other elected statewide officials send her ideas for a similar 10 percent cut in the budgets they oversee. Dorn didn't do so.

“We have had many conversations during the past few years regarding education funding, and the reason for this letter will likely come as no surprise to you,” begins his letter.

He said submitting a budget that cuts 10 percent “would be a violation of my constitutional responsibilities and inconsistent with my oath of office.”

In his letter, he says he objected to cuts in basic education funding in the last legislative session and sees that she and lawmakers may be on a course to do it again.

“This year, it seems that many other basic education components are being put on the chopping block and I would not be doing my job if I stood idly by as our basic education system was dismantled,” he wrote.

He contends cuts are targeted in programs the governor's budget office is incorrectly identifying as non basic education. He cites full-day kindergarten, class-size reduction in high poverty schools and levy equalization as three examples and offers reasons why he views each one to part of basic education and immune from cuts.

“For the above reasons, I have directed staff not to submit a list of options to you that would cut the State's payments for basic education by $97.3 million as requested.

“I fully recognize that my office will be subject to similar reduction proposals as other state agencies. As has been the case in the past, we will be fiscally responsible and make necessary reductions asked of us in areas where they will be least likely to impact direct support to schools or system accountability."