State Rep. Tim Probst, D-Vancouver, has been named vice chairman of the House Education Appropriations Committee. The panel writes the House budgets for all state-funded education programs, including early learning and pre-kindergarten, K-12 schools and higher education.

His appointment to the post comes at a critical time. Deep cuts to college financial aid and preschool education could be on the table during the 2010 session as the Legislature looks for ways to fill a $2.6 billion budget hole.

Probst, a first-term lawmaker, will give up the vice chairmanship of the House Education Committee, a policy committee, to accept the appropriations post.

“I’m happy to do whatever I can to help us make good long-term decisions, cut carefully, and build the world’s strongest economy by creating the world’s best-educated populace,” Probst said in a statement. “I truly believe that one follows the other. The best-educated people in the world will attract the best companies and build a thriving society.”

Probst’s rapid ascent is not a surprise. Just weeks after his election in November 2008, House Speaker Frank Chopp tapped him as part of his informal “kitchen cabinet,” a group that met to discuss issues that affect ordinary working people. During the 2009 session, Probst met regularly with powerful House committee chairmen to advocate for legislation promoting job development, job training, dropout prevention, health care and consumer protection.

Statewide connections

As executive director of the Washington Workforce Association, Probst has built strong connections to education and business leaders statewide and has lobbied for investments in work-force training.

The association oversees a network of a dozen regional councils that work with schools, colleges and businesses to train students for high-demand jobs and distribute grants authorized under the federal Work Force Investment Act.

In 2009, Probst and fellow freshman Rep. Jim Jacks, D-Vancouver, worked closely with the Columbia River Economic Development Council to win passage of a bill that would have provided a 50 percent tax credit against the state’s business and occupation tax for any business that developed a renewable energy manufacturing facility in Washington.

The bill passed the House 97-0 but faltered in the Senate.

John Deeder, superintendent of Evergreen Public Schools, praised Probst’s appointment.

“The national recession and state revenue shortfall have left our schools struggling to make ends meet while still providing our children the education they deserve,” Deeder said in a statement. “I don’t envy the decisions that lawmakers will be forced to make this year, but I trust Tim to balance the needs of our kids with the demands of a struggling economy.”

Kathie Durbin: 360-735-4523 or kathie.durbin@columbian.com.

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