Education funding tops Inslee's list during State of the State address

It’s been four years since Washington’s Supreme Court issued the McCleary decision and ordered the state legislature to fully fund K-12 education. During yesterday’s annual State of the State address, Governor Jay Inslee reaffirmed his commitment to our state’s children.
 
“We’re not going to just fix a few potholes — we’re going to finish the job. That means actually financing these critical investments so our kids and grandkids get the education they deserve,” the Governor declared.
 
Inslee drew attention to Washington’s statewide teacher shortage, citing a need to recruit 7,000 new teachers. The Governor told legislators this could be accomplished by raising the beginning salary for teachers to $40,000.  
 
To improve teacher retention, Inslee said the state should make all teacher salaries more competitive through a minimum 1 percent raise for all other teachers. Additionally, his plan increases funding for the state’s teacher mentoring program, which provides support for teachers in their first or second year on the job.
 
Inslee proposes to pay for these salary increases by eliminating existing tax breaks, whose benefits, he said “simply do not outweigh our obligations to our students, to our teachers and to our schools.”  

The Governor also told legislators they needed to finish developing a framework for future K-12 education investments. Inslee said there was no reason this goal could not be completed on time. 
 
WEA President Kim Mead responded to the Governor’s address, saying, "WEA strongly agrees with the Governor that EVERY child in Washington deserves a great public education. Our children have waited long enough – too long – for the legislature to come through.  It’s time for the state to meet its constitutional obligation and fully fund our schools."