By Evan Smith
The two candidates running for the open state Senate seat in the 1st Legislative District recently sent statements about how the legislature should provide full support for basic education to comply with the 2012 McCleary decision by the State Supreme Court.
Republican Miandie Wirth and Democrat Guy Palumbo are running on the Nov. 8 general-election ballot for the position that Democratic State Sen. Rosemary McAuliffe is giving up after six four-year terms.
The two responded to a question about how the state should provide money for full support for schools as ordered by the court.
The 1st Legislative District includes most of Mountlake Terrace, all of Brier and Bothell, north Kirkland, unincorporated areas of King County between Bothell and Kirkland, and unincorporated areas of Snohomish County north and east of Bothell including the Maltby area.
Here are statements from the two candidates in the order their names will appear on the ballot and in the voters’ pamphlet:
Mindie Wirth (Prefers Republican Party) —
In the state legislature, I will prioritize education funding by funding it first, not last. Over the past two budgets, under the leadership of Senate Republicans, we’ve seen a record $4.5 billion invested in K-12 schools, along with historic cuts in tuition at our state universities. The remaining work is complicated and politically charged, but we’ve seen when we commit to funding education first by driving new dollars into our public schools, we see progress. It will also require a collaborative approach, and that is exactly what I will bring to the Senate. The legislature should be open to consider different options, including efforts at the federal level to enforce an online sales tax, which would generate approximately $600 million in revenue that could be put directly towards schools. I do not support new revenue in the form of an income tax, or relying exclusively on a property tax levy swap, which would ultimately reduce education dollars for our schools in the 1st district while raising our property taxes. I will champion solutions that deliver more equitable education funding to support all Washington students.
Guy Palumbo (Prefers Democratic Party) —
After four years of kicking the can down the road, Olympia needs to find a compromise that will fund the education of our children. Any solution needs to meet three tests. First, it needs to be constitutional. Second, it needs to have enough votes to pass. Finally, it needs the support of the voters if Tim Eyman puts it on the ballot.
An income tax fails all three tests and is not a realistic option. Nor is funding education out of our existing budget, which amounts to a $3.5 billion cut from other state spending on higher education, criminal justice, mental health and other human services.
The middle ground approach will need to include several components. It can start with reforms to our state and local levies to equalize funding across school districts. We should also make education the top budget priority and dedicate some of our future economic growth to schools. And we must take a hard look at the 695 tax exemptions we have on the books, and close the ones that aren’t helping our economy. Any one strategy alone won’t be enough to fully fund our schools – we need to work together and look at every option.
Evan Smith can be reached at schsmith@frontier.com.
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