House K-12 Budget supported by Rep. Vincent Buys
House Republicans released their K-12 education budget last week. Rep. Vincent Buys, who serves on the House Higher Education Committee, was vocal in his support of this budget.
“The recent McCleary v. the State of Washington verdict made it clear that we are not providing adequate education for our children. The court said, 'without funding, reform for basic education may be an empty promise. Absent a court mandate, the residents of this State, and their children, risk another 30 years of underfunding of basic education.' Therefore I believe it's our duty to fund education now,” said Buys, R-Lynden.
A crucial aspect of this budget for the 42nd District is the inclusion of fully-funded levy equalization; levy equalization funding is lacking in the governor's proposed education budget. Removing levy equalization would have a drastic impact on many schools throughout the state.
In addition to fully funding basic education, this budget would institute several key reforms. These reforms would allow school districts to waive unfunded mandates, implement revised evaluation systems, address underperforming teachers, and add new professional development for educators.
“We can't just throw money at the problem. Reforms are needed. We must be sure we are putting funds to good use so that children in every community throughout the state get the best possible education. We can make our schools better and not only fund, but also reform, them within existing revenue. We owe it to our children to advance this budget,” said Buys.
This K-12 education budget is just part of the “Fund Education First” concept that House Republicans have proposed since 2006. However, this year was the first time the concept received a hearing.
