State lawmakers trying to work through I-1351 issues

Five months ago voters said they wanted smaller classes in Washington public schools.

Seven months from now, lawmakers want to ask them, “Did you really mean it?”

In November, the electorate passed Initiative 1351 requiring fewer students in classes at every grade level in every school in every district in the state.

The measure contained no “ifs,” “buts” or “maybes,” just a directive to get it done in four years.

It also contained no means of paying for the additional teachers and staff and classrooms needed to meet the demands created by the mandate. The price tag, for those who read the voter’s pamphlet, is roughly $4.7 billion over the next four years.

This week House and Senate budget writers said the state can’t afford I-1351 and want a reprieve from the bulk of its requirements.

They said taxpayer dollars should be spent on shrinking class sizes in kindergarten through third grade, where research shows students benefit the most, and is required of the state under a mandate from the Supreme Court.

House Democrats and Senate Republicans follow that blueprint in their respective budgets issued this week and want voters to endorse their approach this November. Leaders in the chambers are now tasked with figuring out exactly how to accomplish that.

Senate Republicans want to ask voters to support amending the original initiative to cover those four grades. House Democrats are toying with something a little more complex, linking a revised initiative with other education-related costs.

With the intention of lawmakers now clear, the question is will the Washington Education Association and its 84,000 members — mostly public school teachers — fight them.

Initiative 1351 is their handiwork. The WEA wrote it and the statewide teachers’ union, along with its locals and the National Education Association spent $5 million getting it on the ballot and passed.

However, the final result — 51 percent to 49 percent — and the margin of victory — 40,000 votes out of nearly 2.1 million cast — indicates voters were split on the measure.

Lawmakers in both parties think voters will understand the cost of the initiative this November. They also want to avoid an expensive ballot battle with teachers. Neither political party is in the mood to spend millions of dollars in a campaign — especially not the Democratic Party with whom the union is traditionally aligned.

Lawmakers hope putting billions of additional dollars into schools, including the first state-funded pay hikes for teachers in years, will help avoid a clash. It would help if Senate Republicans stop pursuing a bill detested by teachers that would require student test scores be used to evaluate their performance.

These steps won’t buy the union’s silence or acquiescence in the legislative endeavor but they might keep its campaign coffers closed this fall.

Going back to the ballot is not without its risks – even if there’s no opposition.

If voters stick by their original decision, lawmakers would need to regroup and come up with the billions of dollars through spending cuts, higher taxes or both.

It’s a vexing challenge now and will be no less vexing later.

That’s why they want to ask voters if they really meant what they said.

Jerry Cornfield’s blog, The Petri Dish, is at www.heraldnet.com. Contact him at 360-352-8623; jcornfield@heraldnet.com and on Twitter at @dospueblos.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

Trader Joe’s customers walk in and out of the store on Monday, Nov. 20, 2023 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
New Trader Joe’s opens this week at Everett Mall

It’s a short move from a longtime location, essentially across the street, where parking was often an adventure.

Ian Bramel-Allen enters a guilty plea to second-degree murder during a plea and sentencing hearing on Wednesday, March 6, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
‘Deep remorse’: Man gets 17 years for friend’s fatal stabbing in Edmonds

Ian Bramel-Allen, 44, pleaded guilty Wednesday to second-degree murder for killing Bret Northcutt last year at a WinCo.

Firefighters respond to a small RV and a motorhome fire on Tuesday afternoon in Marysville. (Provided by Snohomish County Fire Distrct 22)
1 injured after RV fire, explosion near Marysville

The cause of the fire in the 11600 block of 81st Avenue NE had not been determined, fire officials said.

Ashton Dedmon appears in court during his sentencing hearing on Tuesday, March 5, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Everett Navy sailor sentenced to 90 days for fatal hit and run

Ashton Dedmon crashed into Joshua Kollman and drove away. Dedmon, a petty officer on the USS Kidd, reported he had a panic attack.

A kindergarten student works on a computer at Emerson Elementary School on Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024, in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
‘¡Una erupción!’: Dual language programs expanding to 10 local schools

A new bill aims to support 10 new programs each year statewide. In Snohomish County, most follow a 90-10 model of Spanish and English.

Logo for news use featuring the Tulalip Indian Reservation in Snohomish County, Washington. 220118
Woman drives off cliff, dies on Tulalip Reservation

The woman fell 70 to 80 feet after driving off Priest Point Drive NW on Sunday afternoon.

Everett
Boy, 4, survives fall from Everett fourth-story apartment window

The child was being treated at Seattle Children’s. The city has a limited supply of window stops for low-income residents.

People head out to the water at low tide during an unseasonably warm day on Saturday, March 16, 2024, at Lighthouse Park in Mukilteo, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Everett shatters record high temperature by 11 degrees

On Saturday, it hit 73 degrees, breaking the previous record of 62 set in 2007.

Snohomish County Fire District #4 and Snohomish Regional Fire & Rescue respond to a motor vehicle collision for a car and pole. The driver was pronounced dead at the scene, near Triangle Bait & Tackle in Snohomish. (Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office)
Police: Troopers tried to stop driver before deadly crash in Snohomish

The man, 31, was driving at “a high rate of speed” when he crashed into a traffic light pole and died, investigators said.

Alan Dean, who is accused of the 1993 strangulation murder of 15-year-old Bothell girl Melissa Lee, appears in court during opening statements of his trial on Monday, March 18, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
31 years later, trial opens in Bothell teen’s brutal killing

In April 1993, Melissa Lee’s body was found below Edgewater Creek Bridge. It would take 27 years to arrest Alan Dean in her death.

Logo for news use featuring the municipality of Snohomish in Snohomish County, Washington. 220118
Man dies after crashing into pole in Snohomish

Just before 1 a.m., the driver crashed into a traffic light pole at the intersection of 2nd Street and Maple Avenue.

Bodies of two men recovered after falling into Eagle Falls near Index

Two men fell into the falls and did not resurface Saturday, authorities said. After a recovery effort, two bodies were found.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.