Welcome to Outlook

Welcome to the Washington Education Association's Legislative Outlook, a regular update on what's happening in Olympia. The paper version of Outlook is mailed to every WEA building representative in the state. (If you are a rep, please post Outlook on your WEA bulletin board.) You can subscribe to the e-mail version of Outlook by sending an e-mail to Lyris. Include the words "subscribe weaoutlook" in the body of the message. A printable version of Outlook is available online (Adobe PDF file). Questions? Contact Rich Wood in the WEA Communications Department.

Hasse meets with Gregoire,
emphasizes compensation

WEA President Charles Hasse and WEA lobbyists met with Gov. Chris Gregoire this week and emphasized the need to fully fund educator COLAs and other compensation priorities.

Gregoire is expected to release her budget proposal on Monday, March 21. On the campaign trail and since, she has pledged to fund the cost-of-living adjustments mandated by voter-approved Initiative 732. It's unclear whether Gregoire's budget will include funding for other important compensation needs.

WEA's other compensation priorities include:

• Making up the COLAs that were suspended two years ago.
• Insurance funding that keeps pace with increased premium costs.
• Pension improvements recommended by the Select Committee on Pension Policy, including lowering the retirement age for educators in Plans 2 and 3.

To send a message to your legislators in support of professional compensation for educators, visit WEA's Legislative Action Center or call the Legislative Hotline at 800-562-6000.

State revenue forecast is up

The latest state revenue forecast shows additional increases of $58.2 million in the current biennium and $163.5 million in 2005-07. Overall state revenue is expected to increase by about 7 percent. Still, state expenditures are expected to exceed revenues unless the Legislature cuts spending or increases revenue.

State must fund pensions … now

Before he left office, Gov. Gary Locke proposed a budget that postponed state payments into employee pensions.

That's a bad idea, and one that WEA opposes.

Locke and previous Legislatures delayed pension payments in the past. Postponing payments simply shifts the costs on to future taxpayers -- and increases the cost. Locke's plan also makes it more difficult to negotiate improvements in educators' pensions.

WEA members urge Gov. Chris Gregoire to fully fund the state's pension obligations in the budget she releases next week.

WEA backs House Bill 1324 and Senate Bill 5246, the package of pension changes proposed by the Select Committee on Pension Policy. The proposed changes are reasonable, save the state money and include much-needed improvements in the three retirement plans for school employees.

If we want to continue attracting and keeping the best teachers and school employees for our students, we must offer our state's educators an attractive, professional compensation package that includes an adequate pension.

Pro Cert improvements pass

The State Board of Education made important changes to the cumbersome professional certification system for teachers, and two Pro Cert bills remain alive in the Legislature.

John Hong (Everett EA) at a recent WEA Pro Cert Road Show

WEA supports the Board's Pro Cert changes, which will:

• Start the Pro Cert time clock after a teacher has received a continuing contract;
• Clarify some basic renewal processes;
• Streamline and clarify competency criteria and descriptions of practice after OSPI and WEA field tested the descriptors.
• Implement a renewal/fine process for lapsed certificates so that teachers are held to the same standards as many other professions.

HB 2212 and SB 5983 include other Pro Cert improvements. The bills remain alive in the Senate and House, respectively. WEA supports both bills, including a provision that gives the Professional Educator Standards Board responsibility for teacher licensure.

EFF opposes I-732 and I-728

Funded by the Walton Family Foundation and other out-of-state groups, the rabidly anti-union Evergreen Freedom Foundation often claims to support teachers.

In reality, EFF is fighting against us, our profession and our students.

EFF is urging Gov. Chris Gregoire and legislators to eliminate both I-732 and I-728. Simply put, EFF opposes funding smaller class sizes for our students, and it opposes our cost-of-living adjustments.

Fortunately, EFF is out of touch with voters and our state's elected leaders. Washington voters overwhelmingly passed both initiatives. Gregoire has pledged to fund I-732, and lawmakers are likely to continue funding existing I-728 programs.

Two higher ed compensation bills pass the Senate

Two important higher education bills backed by WEA have passed the Senate. SB 5087 calls for a review and update of the best practices for compensating part-time faculty. SB 5802 calls for equal pay for equal work among community college faculty.

WEA priority bill passes the House

One of WEA's priority bills passed the House this week and now goes to the Senate

Rep. Ross Hunter, D-Medina

Sponsored by Rep. Ross Hunter, D-Medina, House Bill 1484 would authorize countywide school levies that could be used to fund regional COLA supplements for school employees. It passed the House 50-46 with bipartisan support.

The high cost of housing in many parts of the state makes it extremely difficult for educators to live in the school districts where they teach. Because of high housing costs, many school districts are experiencing dramatic teacher turnover, which affects student learning.

If approved by voters in a particular county, the new funding would be distributed on an equal per-employee basis to all school districts in that county.

HB 1484 would help equalize the salary disparities between high-cost districts and those in less-expensive areas. Statewide, 37 of 39 counties could run countywide school levies under this bill. While HB 1484 would allow some property-rich counties to raise more money per employee, it's those counties' higher property values that make it difficult for school employees to afford housing. Also, school districts where property values are lower receive state equalization funding to help reduce local property taxes -- funding that schools in more expensive districts don't receive.

HB 1484 would allow schools to benefit from the unused portion of the state's property tax authority without affecting junior taxing districts. It is a way to improve school funding without affecting the state budget.

Simple majority for levies still alive

The Senate version of the simple majority for schools and levies failed to pass this week. While Senate Joint Resolution 8202 garnered a majority of votes, it needed a two-thirds supermajority to pass the Senate. The Senate will now consider House Joint Resolution 4205. HJR 4205, which passed the House. The bill only applies to school levies and does not include bonds. If it passes the Senate by at least two-thirds, it will go on the fall ballot for voters to decide.

WEA urges the Senate to pass HJR 4205.

Senate bill strengthens fiscal
responsibility

The Senate this week passed a bill that legislators say would reaffirm Initiative 601's goal of fiscal responsibility.

Senate Bill 6078 would revamp the formula used to limit state spending, basing it on a percentage of personal income growth rather than the current formula of inflation and population growth. It also would allow the Legislature to raise revenue with a simple majority vote rather than the two-thirds approval currently required.

"I-601 is a spending limit, not a revenue limit," said Sen. Debbie Regala, D-Tacoma. "The fact is, current revenues are not tracking with our state's needs. More cuts may help balance the budget now, but won't address the state's recurring problem. We'll just be back at it again next time, facing yet another shortfall, looking at more programs to cut. This will solve nothing, but what it will do is put our entire state at risk."

The bill also is designed to put more money into the state's reserve fund for emergencies.

"If 601 had worked as it was intended, we would have an emergency reserve fund," Regala said. "But that hasn't been the case and the state has no funds in reserve."

WEA supports the bill because it is a more responsible approach to managing revenue and spending and it acknowledges the need for adjustments due to changes in student populations that current law does not.

WEA members urged to attend legislative back-home meetings this Saturday

Legislators across the state have scheduled back-home meetings with their constituents for Saturday, March 19.

Next week, lawmakers are expected to release their budget proposals. State revenue is increasing by an estimated $1.5 billion in the coming biennium. The cost of maintaining current state services is expected to exceed state revenue by about $2.2 billion, however.

That means elected leaders in Olympia are considering raising taxes or cutting services to balance the budget. WEA supports increasing state revenue instead of slashing education and other vital programs.

When lawmakers write the budget in coming weeks, public schools must be a top priority. Education is the state's "paramount duty" according to the state Constitution. Good schools are crucial to a strong economy, and students need a well-rounded education to compete for jobs in the global, high-tech community.

WEA members caution lawmakers against once again balancing the budget on the backs of students and educators. Two years ago, the Legislature cut more than $600 million from the K-12 schools budget. Washington's current per-pupil spending ranks 42nd in the nation, yet our academic standards are among the most stringent in the United States.

Notable quotes

" 'It is very, very difficult to retain experienced teachers ... when they find the cost of living anywhere near where they teach is out of reach,' said Rep. Ross Hunter, D-Medina, who sponsored the bill. The median home value in Medina in 2000 was $789,600." -- The Sun, 3/17/05

"I-732 is simply a way for teachers to keep up with yearly inflation." -- WEA member Jason Call, The Herald, 3/17/05

Please contact Rich Wood if you have questions or comments about the content in Legislative Outlook.

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