RENTON, Wash. (AP) — Gubernatorial candidate Jay Inslee says any new dollars the state brings in through the economic recovery and his plans for job creation and budget cuts should go to education first.
In detailing his ideas for K-12 education on Thursday, Inslee said he would prioritize those new dollars toward all-day kindergarten, smaller classes in the early grades and more money for preschool.
He also wants to start an innovation fund to give competitive grants to schools that want to try new approaches.
The son of a high school teacher shared his ideas at one of Washington’s official innovative schools, Renton’s Talbot Hill Elementary.
Inslee answered his critics who say he’s too closely aligned with the teachers union, by saying he knows how and when to disagree with his friends. Standing nearby was the president of the Washington Education Association, Mary Lindquist.
