Office of Governor Gary Locke
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - January 13, 2003
Contact:  Governor's Communications Office, 360-902-4136

Gov. Gary Locke Unveils Proposed Education Legislation for 2003 Legislative Session

OLYMPIA – Jan. 13, 2003 – As the 58th Washington State Legislature convened today, Gov. Gary Locke announced legislation he plans to present to the Legislature this session to improve education.

“Education remains my top priority,” Locke said. “We had to make difficult decisions and painful cuts to balance the $2.4 billion budget deficit, but we are still moving forward with education improvements. I am proposing more than $10 billion be spent on public education during the next two years. That is more than we spent in the current biennium.”

Locke today discussed the key education bills that he will present to the Legislature this session. His proposed legislation would:

·Delay further increases in Initiative 728 funding for class size reduction, but retain class-size reductions that have been achieved so far. I-728 has already increased the level of funding for public schools by $220 per student, or $210 million per school year. I-728 is scheduled to increase to $450 per student in the 2004-05 school year. Locke’s legislation would keep the current funding level in place and begin phasing-in funding increases in the 2005-06 school year.

·Suspend Initiative-732’s automatic, annual cost-of-living increases for educational employees for the next two years. The suspension will not affect annual “step” increases some teachers receive for acquiring education credits and additional years of experience. Locke is calling for the automatic cost-of-living adjustment to resume in 2005-06.

·Refine and clarify the Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL), particularly regarding the Certificate of Mastery, which students will be required to complete for graduation starting in 2008. Locke is working with legislative education leaders, the Superintendent of Public Instruction and the education community on this issue. His proposed legislation would establish reading, writing and mathematics as the assessment areas for the Certificate of Mastery; set 2008 as the year the Certificate of Mastery becomes mandatory for graduation; and provide for appropriate alternative assessments and WASL retake opportunities.

·Strengthen the state’s Learning Assistance Program, or LAP. Currently, the LAP funding system punishes school districts when their students’ achievement improves. Locke’s proposal would stabilize allocations to school districts that need the most help. The governor also wants to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the program to better support students who do not meet the state standards in reading, writing and mathematics.

·Raise the public school levy lid. Locke’s legislation would allow school districts the opportunity to ask their local voters for levies up to 36 percent of their levy base. Voters in school districts that have been restrained by lower levy limits would be able to invest as much in their schools as other neighboring districts, thereby creating more parity. Currently, state law limits school districts’ ability to raise local levies to supplement state funding. But 91 school districts are grandfathered with 79 different local levy limits above the base state limit. School districts use levy funding for a variety of local priorities.

·Change the super majority that is now required to pass local educational levies to a simple majority. This would come in the form of a proposed constitutional amendment that would change the 60 percent voter approval now required, to 50 percent, plus one vote.

·Reward teachers for achieving national board certification. Locke’s legislation would give teachers an annual bonus of $3,500 for every year they maintain certification from the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards.

Under Locke’s proposed budget, public schools, colleges and universities would receive 56 percent of the general fund budget. To balance the $2.4 billion budget deficit, Locke and his staff used an innovative approach that clearly defined the priorities of state government.

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