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Ross disappointed at rejection of 'fund education
first'
Approving bill today would have signaled
legislative priorities
Rep. Charles Ross,
R-Naches, made this statement on today's party-line vote that prevented
the House of Representatives from immediately considering
House Joint Resolution 4220, which would make basic education the
top priority for state funding:
"Article IX of the state
Constitution declares that providing for basic education is the
state's 'paramount duty,' but it doesn't offer any more guidance than
that. This resolution, if the Legislature sends it to the voters, and
they say yes, would amend the Constitution to require that the state's
budget put basic education funding first.
"I know from serving in
local government how much wrangling there can be over a budget. This is
a chance to tell the state's budget writers that basic education is top
priority, so they could appropriate money for our schools right off the
bat, using revenue from existing taxes. What's left could be divided
between other programs, which by definition aren’t the state’s paramount
duty. "Sometime this
session the House and Senate will be asked to put the 'simple majority'
question before the voters. This might be the year when the people are
asked whether to do away with the supermajority requirement for
approving school levies and bond issues in favor of a simple majority
for passage. Why not give the voters an opportunity to weigh in on two
important education funding questions on the same ballot?"
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