Office of Governor Gary Locke
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - March 12, 1998
Contact:  Governor's Communications Office, 360-902-4136

Locke calls Reading Corps main highlight in session of 'baby steps'

OLYMPIA - Gov. Gary Locke today said help is on the way for students who need extra support learning to read, despite Republican efforts to shortchange public education and other statewide priorities during the 1998 Legislative Session.

Locke called approval of his Washington Reading Corps one of the few highlights of a 60-day legislative session marked by "baby steps and missed opportunities" in the Republican-controlled legislature, which adjourned Thursday.

The governor said the budget approved by the Legislature today will allow school districts throughout the state to provide tutoring and individual instruction for an estimated 27,000 grade-school students over the next year, while also supporting additional training for teachers.

"My number-one goal throughout the session has been to mobilize teachers, volunteers and whole communities to improve student reading skills," said Locke, noting that nearly half of all fourth-grade students tested last fall failed to meet the state's new reading standards. "I'm pleased that the Legislature recognized that improving student reading skills is one issue that just can't wait until next year."

Locke said he was disappointed that the Legislature did not provide sufficient funding to serve all students needing help. Locke pledged to help recruit volunteers throughout the state to make the new Reading Corps a success. In all, the Legislature agreed to provide $17 million for the reading initiative and teacher training, but failed to support other improvements the governor had sought in public education. The governor proposed extra pay for highly qualified teachers, scholarships to attract promising college students to the teaching profession, additional support for reading resource centers, higher enrollments at community colleges in job training and retraining, and more financial aid for students of middle-class families.

Those were not the only areas in which the Republican-controlled Legislature fell short during the 1998 session, Locke said. The governor said the Legislature:

Provided no support for his comprehensive strategy to improve the economy in rural communities, despite a recent study showing that Washington has greatest economic disparity between rural and urban counties of any state in the nation.

Ignored an opportunity to extend health coverage to 10,000 children over the next three years, using $47 million in federal funds recently made available by Congress.

Abdicated responsibility for addressing the long-term needs of Washington's transportation system by sending a debt-heavy transportation plan to the voters next fall. That plan would incur 25 years of debt for five years of roadwork, require changes to Initiative 601, and reduce the state's future ability to fund education and other priorities.

"I set an ambitious agenda for this session designed to prepare Washington for the 21st century, but the Republicans didn't look beyond next year's election-year politics," Locke said. "We were successful in convincing them that some issues just couldn't wait until next year, but overall this session was marked by missed opportunities."

Locke did credit the Legislature for making a good start toward long-term salmon-recovery, and for supporting his initiatives to crack down on drunken drivers and methamphetamine labs. However, he noted that the Legislature provided support for mounting local criminal-justice costs for just one year, leaving future funding dependent on next fall's referendum.

"Watching this Legislature has been a lot like watching my daughter Emily - they're both taking baby steps," Locke said. "To achieve our vision for the next century, we need to make bold strides. We made some limited progress this year, but the 1998 legislature left a lot of important work undone."

» Return to this month's News Releases

» View News Release Archive