Editor, The Times:
What is it Gov. Jay Inslee doesn’t “get” about funding education in Washington state [“Inslee wants billions in new taxes to pay teachers” page one, Dec 14]? The state constitution clearly establishes the No. 1 funding priority is education. So his solution? A new tax on capital gains and carbon emissions to fund teacher pay!
Wouldn’t a better approach be to fully fund education out of the existing general fund and then fund whatever else the governor wants out of the remaining general fund? Any shortfall on the governor’s want list would require new taxes — and voter approval. The voters would actually get to decide what they want to pay for after education is funded.
How refreshing it would be to see Inslee justify the spending he has in the rest of the budget rather than spend on everything else first and tax for education later.
Most Read Opinion Stories
The governor has the cart before the horse and it’s time voters told him to get his priorities aligned with the state constitution and request new taxes to support non-eduction funding, not the other way around.
Tom Lindberg, Kirkland