Unlike Jay Inslee and Rob McKenna, the state Office of Financial Management (OFM) is not running for governor and, thus, is not promising the moon to voters when it comes to education.The state Supreme Court ruled earlier this year that the state is failing to meet its “paramount duty” (according to the state constitution) to fully fund K-12 education. Inslee and McKenna both say they can do that without raising taxes. Oh, really? The OFM says not so fast, and now that the two men have advanced past Tuesday’s primary toward the Nov. 6 election, we hope both candidates will be more specific about plans for funding education. If doubt or confusion lingers among voters as late as Wednesday, Aug. 29, Inslee and McKenna can use their debate in Vancouver to roll out more details.
Gov. Chris Gregoire has said fully funding education cannot be accomplished without increasing taxes, and that message was repeated by her budget director in a recent Seattle Times story. “I’m thinking of political realities and budget realities and the uncertainties of the economy, and I can’t see it today,” Marty Brown said to the Times about fully funding education without increasing taxes.
What led Brown to that conclusion was a budget forecast released on Monday, projecting a shortfall of almost $1.5 billion by 2015. And, according to the Times, that’s assuming the Legislature depletes the state’s rainy day fund, which is designed to be used only during economic crises.
So far, McKenna’s plan for boosting education funding without a tax increase includes a 6 percent cap on growth for all non-education spending. But Brown says that will require reducing state services. Furthermore, payments on state debt are projected to grow 12 percent per biennium, and medical costs will increase by 8 percent, according to the Seattle newspaper.