Education
Education—Fund Education First
It seems every campaign in the country claims our students deserve a quality education. So why would we bet on a tax increase to fund it? Washington State’s Constitution is clear—Education is the primary duty of the state.
Funding education first would take the politics out of the classroom and would deliver financial assurance and peace of mind to concerned parents, teachers and students. The courts have ruled that programs and offerings falling within the legislative definition of basic education are considered non discretionary and must be funded regardless of budgetary constraints. There is precedence for a separate education budget. Washington State currently operates three of them, an Operating Budget, a Capital Budget and a Transportation Budget.
If education is the great equalizer and we know it reduces poverty, the answer in our state is to invest in education first.
Welcome to my Web site! Here you will find information about our district, the legislation that I have sponsored and co-sponsored, news releases, video updates, and much more. I have spent a lot of time with citizens around the district in the last year. They were clear in their message. Businesses and families in Washington cannot survive any more taxation and unsustainable budgets coming out of Olympia. We need to make sure people have jobs, keep our tax rates low, show fiscal responsibility with the state budget, allow businesses to be productive without fighting excessive regulations and provide a quality education for our children. Throughout the session, I encourage you to keep in touch whenever you have questions, comments or an idea to share. Please call, email me, or send a letter. My door is always open, and I appreciate hearing from people in the 17th District. I am grateful and honored the people of our district have sent me to Olympia as their state representative.
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