OLYMPIA – Gov. Jay Inslee on Tuesday unveiled a plan against incrementalism with a proposal to fully fund basic education for the first time in decades, boost efforts to recruit great teachers and fund proven strategies for helping more students succeed.
And do it all now.
“We face an opportunity — and an obligation — in this upcoming session to not just put more money into the system we already have, but to invest in the kind of education system all our children deserve,” Inslee said.
Overall, the governor is proposing $3.9 billion in new funding for K-12 schools. His proposal would boost overall K-12 spending to 50 percent of the state budget for the first time in more than 30 years.
Inslee’s budget would meet the state Supreme Court’s order to fully fund basic education and end long-standing disparities between property-poor districts and their wealthier counterparts.
It does so without increasing property taxes. In fact, every district would receive more money from the state, and local property taxes would be reduced for more than three-fourths of households and businesses statewide. [Click on the map below to compare funding increases and property tax changes for each school district.]
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