House Democrats have an alternative to ESB 5967, the Senate budget. Documents are available on the LEAP site, but in short it mirrors the Senate D budget in many ways. Here is the agency detail - and a quick summary.
- Makes no cuts (at all) to K-12 or Higher Education.
- Shifts the apportionment payment but not the LEA payments.
- Includes money for the urban schools initiative ($2 million), Gov. Chris Gregoire's school/university partnerships bill ($1.5M) and $5.7 million for the teacher/principal evaluation system (the amount the fiscal note calls for).
- Leaves a fund balance of about $350 million.
The alternative does not shift pension payments or merge the LEOFF 1 and 2 plans, as proposed in the Senate budget.
Expectations are for the House to take up the bill today, and send it into conference committee for negotiations.
The question is still where the 25th vote in the Senate will come from with an apportionment shift - which Senate Republicans have objected to - but there is some hope that with enough pressure to avoid a special session, the vote will come.
For education advocates, regardless of personal feelings about the apportionment shift, this is again a "fund education first" type of statement by legislators. That kind of stance shouldn't go unrecognized.
It is urgent public schools advocates make contact with their legislators if they haven't heard from you recently. And, as silly as it sounds, legislators do count the number of notes they receive in their inbox or from phone calls. So please, take a moment to review the latest budget proposal and make your voice heard today.
