Everyone wants the best education

Teachers around the state are voicing concerns about the Legislature's commitment to fund education. I hear those concerns.

We all want the best education for our children and to provide teachers with the resources they need to be successful. That is why the Senate's budget is great news for our state's education system.

For decades, state budgets put increasing priority on funding general-government services even though providing for basic education is state government's number-one constitutional duty. Since our majority began leading the Senate in 2013, we have worked to reverse that trend.

The Senate budget fully funds basic education while holding to our principles that state government should live within its means. New taxes aren't needed when Olympia is already expecting $3 billion in additional revenue under current tax rates.

The budget passed more than a month ago by the Senate prioritizes the available revenue by spending three dollars on education for every dollar on non-education services. It increases education spending by $2.7 billion.

Education will comprise over 47 percent of the state's operating budget. That is something that hasn't happened in over 30 years.

If teachers knew all of this, would they still be questioning the Legislature's commitment to education? I am pleased how, in a short amount of time, the Senate has turned the ship around and put public resources where the state constitution says they should be: in the classroom.

In addition to improving how the state funds education, the Senate's commitment to a first-rate education includes investing in teachers. Attracting and retaining talented classroom teachers is vital to the success of our students.

As historian Henry Adams noted, "A teacher affects eternity; they can never tell where their influence stops." Who doesn't recall the positive influence a teacher has had on their life?

This issue is near to me, as I have grandchildren in public schools and teachers in my family. I understand the challenges they face.

During the Great Recession there was a great deal of belt-tightening by everyone in our state. The state asked all public servants to sacrifice while friends and neighbors lost jobs and homes.

Now that our state has begun a slow and fragile economic recovery we are working to provide the kinds of financial incentives that voters in our state want to provide for educators. If the Senate budget is enacted, teachers will see an increase in their pay, bringing cost-of-living adjustments to voter-approved levels.

Revenue itself is not the problem: legislators must make it a priority to put revenue into education first. Thirty years of history has demonstrated that point and culminated in the Supreme Court's McCleary decision, which basically said the state was not providing its proper share of K-12 funding. Our Senate budget puts kids and teachers first by fully funding basic education.

Last week we recognized the contributions of educators with Teacher Appreciation Week. I am appreciative of the hard work our teachers put in; the extra hours, the sacrifice and commitment to serving our communities.

This is a great year for education support from the Capitol and I am working to ensure that every year is a great year for teachers and students.