A simple but crucial to-do list for the state

Less than a month away from Election Day and three months out from the start of the legislative session, it’s not too early to start jotting down the to-do list for state senators and representatives. You can do this on a post-it note:

No. 1. Fully fund education.

No. 2. Fund and pass a transportation package.

No. 3. See Nos. 1 and 2.

Just in case the threat of a contempt-of-court charge from the state Supreme Court isn’t enough motivation, the Washington Roundtable, a public policy organization focused on the state’s business environment, recently published its annual report, Benchmarks for a Better Washington. The benchmarks are a list of measurements that address education, transportation and business, ranking the state against the other 49.

It’s a mixed report card.

In terms of business climate, Washington ranks first in the nation for lowest commercial and industrial electricity rates, up from No. 3 a year ago. And it’s 13th in terms of private sector job creation. The next few steps are a bit of a doozy: It ranks 33rd for business tax burden, 44th for unemployment insurance taxes and 50th for workers’ compensation costs.

Likewise, education and innovation have their highs and lows: The state ranks fifth for number of patents generated, sixth in student math achievement and 18th for student science achievement. But we rank in the bottom half of states for our high school graduation rate (32nd) and the number of bachelor’s degrees awarded per capita (38th).

Washington can’t count itself among leading states in transportation: It’s 36th for road conditions, dropping from 29th last year; 38th for average commute time and 41st for bridge conditions. The last one shouldn’t surprise anyone after the May 23, 2013, collapse of I-5’s bridge over the Skagit River, which was classified as functionally obsolete prior to its collapse. A full 21 percent of all bridges in the state are considered functionally obsolete.

Steven Mullin, Washington Roundtable president, said he’d like to see some legislative action on the other business climate benchmarks, but the real urgency is on education and transportation.

Which brings us back to that post-it note.

The Legislature must find an estimated $2 billion, presumably a mixture of savings and new revenue, to satisfy the state’s chief mandate to fully fund education as outlined in the Supreme Court’s McCleary decision.

The Legislature was unable in its 2014 session — truthfully, the Senate was unable — to pass an $8 billion transportation package that included a gas tax and motor vehicle taxes that would have funded major highway improvements and maintenance and transit projects.

Getting both done will require compromise, a willingness by Democrats and Republicans, House and Senate, to give on this to get that.

Checking education and transportation off that to-do list should do a lot to start budging those benchmark numbers up and making the state more attractive to businesses that can create and keep jobs here.

Now, after the election, take that post-it note and hand it to the nearest legislator.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Opinion

toon
Editorial cartoons for Saturday, Feb. 8

A sketechy look at the news of the day.… Continue reading

toon
Editorial cartoons for Friday, Feb. 7

A sketchy look at the news of the day.… Continue reading

Curtains act as doors for a handful of classrooms at Glenwood Elementary on Monday, Sept. 9, 2024 in Lake Stevens, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Editorial: Schools’ building needs point to election reform

Construction funding requests in Arlington and Lake Stevens show need for a change to bond elections.

Schwab: Trump proves not as bad as feared; it’s worse

Taking food and medicine from kids; surrendering control to Musk; is this what you voted for?

Keep necessary homeless service program at its Everett location

Regarding The Herald’s front-page coverage of the Hope ‘N Wellness community services… Continue reading

We can’t afford the rich not paying their fair share

In a recent column, Todd Welch claims that a wealth tax on… Continue reading

Can we find a politically moderate path, please?

I was just wondering what happened to the moderates. I am a… Continue reading

FILE- In this Nov. 14, 2017, file photo Jaìme Ceja operates a forklift while loading boxes of Red Delicious apples on to a trailer during his shift in an orchard in Tieton, Wash. Cherry and apple growers in Washington state are worried their exports to China will be hurt by a trade war that escalated on Monday when that country raised import duties on a $3 billion list of products. (Shawn Gust/Yakima Herald-Republic via AP, File)
Editorial: Trade war would harm state’s consumers, jobs

Trump’s threat of tariffs to win non-trade concessions complicates talks, says a state trade advocate.

A press operator grabs a Herald newspaper to check over as the papers roll off the press in March 2022 in Everett. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald file photo)
Editorial: Push back news desert with journalism support

A bill in the state Senate would tax big tech to support a hiring fund for local news outlets.

Jayden Hill, 15, an incoming sophomore at Monroe High School is reflected in the screen of a cellphone on Wednesday, July 10, 2024 in Monroe, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Editorial: Students need limits on cellphones in school

School districts needn’t wait for legislation to start work on policies to limit phones in class.

Kristof: World’s richest men take on world’s poorest people

Trump says the USAID is run by ‘radical lunitics.’ Is saving countless lives now lunacy.

toon
Editorial cartoons for Thursday, Feb. 6

A sketchy look at the news of the day.… Continue reading

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.