YAKIMA — Former Gov. Christine Gregoire said the state’s education crisis won’t be solved simply by “throwing money” at it, and that legislators should do whatever it takes to reach a compromise.
“If I were still governor, I’d bring the leadership from both sides into my office and lock the doors,” Gregoire told about 200 people at a Downtown Yakima Rotary luncheon Thursday. “And no, you will not be allowed to go the can. Let’s get this done.”
The Legislature has struggled to come up with a plan to adequately fund education following a 2012 state Supreme Court ruling that said schools were relying too heavily on local levy funds to fill shortfalls. It’s estimated an additional $3 billion or more is needed every two years to meet the court’s order, and the state now owes about $28 million in contempt of court fines for failing to meet certain deadlines.
Gregoire, a Democrat who served from 2005-13, was introduced by Sen. Curtis King, R-Yakima, and spent most of the half-hour speech reflecting on her time in office. But she also talked about her current efforts with education and cancer research nonprofits, and got a standing ovation from the crowd at the Yakima Convention Center when she was done.
“She is a strong person, and I can tell you from experience she has no problems standing up for herself,” King told the crowd. “I’ve seen her do it with members of my party and members of her party, and she was usually right in doing so.”
Gregoire serves as CEO of Challenge Seattle, a privately funded campaign to promote solutions to some of the biggest problems facing the economy and people of Puget Sound. The group was founded by 17 of the region’s largest businesses and nonprofits, including Microsoft, Amazon, Boeing and Starbucks.
“Even though they’re international and external leaning, they felt they owed something to their community here,” Gregoire said.
The group is also dealing with education issues, but rather than funding, Gregoire said the focus is on increasing science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM education, in some of the poorest schools in the state.
“These big companies need to stop hiring from out of state and start hiring our own students in our own backyard,” she said. “And to do that, our students need to be able to do their part.”
The skyrocketing cost of living in Seattle and the need to keep housing affordable is one of the main focuses of the group, Gregoire said. She said Seattle is at risk of becoming San Francisco, where prices “have displaced the middle class, not just low income,” and have negatively affected the city’s culture and identity.
“We’re seeing economic growth, but we’re not seeing it everywhere,” she said.
The population boom in Seattle – residency there grew by another estimated 15,000 people in 2015 – also raises transportation issues. Given the city’s layout, building more roads won’t solve the issue and some “innovative, technology-based” alternative will be needed, Gregoire said.
Gregoire, a cancer survivor, is also a member of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research board. She told the audience she believes cancer researchers nationwide are on the cusp of groundbreaking discoveries.
“I believe in the next 10 years we will find the cure, not the treatment but the cure, to a number of the cancers of today,” Gregoire said. “I pray every day that we’re going to make that happen, and I am optimistic as all get out.”
