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News / Clark County News

Tough options for lawmakers on class sizes

Money to pay for initiative's reductions is scarce

By Lauren Dake, Columbian Political Writer
Published: November 18, 2014, 12:00am

Vancouver Rep. Jim Moeller, one of the more liberal Democrats in the state House, told his colleagues a measure to reduce class sizes would create “nothing but problems.”

The state is about to find out if Moeller is right.

By a slim margin, voters have approved Initiative 1351, which mandates reducing class sizes for all grades, kindergarten through 12th grade.

The initiative is expected to increase state expenditures by an estimated $4.7 billion through 2019, according to the Office of Fiscal Management.

“I’m not so sure we’ll find the money. In fact, I’m pretty sure we won’t find the money,” said Moeller, the House speaker pro-tem.

That leaves lawmakers with a couple of options.

“Either disobeying the law, which probably wouldn’t look good,” Moeller said, “or suspending it.”

To suspend the measure requires a two-thirds majority of the lawmakers in both the House and Senate.

Sen. Ann Rivers, R-La Center, said there’s also a chance lawmakers could send the initiative back to voters with a funding mechanism attached.

“Suspend it, send it back and say, ‘How do you want to pay for this in light of the other needs we need to meet?’ ” Rivers suggested.

But suspending the measure could be a heavy lift. The campaign for the measure was funded in large part by the Washington Education Association, and Moeller said many of his Democratic colleagues support the initiative. Though Republicans have control of the Senate in 2015, the Democrats will still control the House.

“When you’re running against flags and puppies — that’s what this is, it’s all-American, mom and apple pie,” Moeller said, “That’s pretty much why there was no organized opposition, because who is going to vote against smaller class sizes?”

“Well, I did,” he added.

Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee also said, after the election, he voted against the measure.

Looming over lawmakers is the state Supreme Court’s mandate in the McCleary decision to adequately fund the state’s public schools.

In addition to suspending the measure, there are other options: raise taxes or cut other state programs enough that both I-1351 and McCleary are satisfied.

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Mary Howes, the campaign manager for I-1351, coined the campaign slogan “Class size counts.” She said it’s “absolutely our expectation that lawmakers will follow the law and will of the voters.”

“It’s the right thing to do for kids,” Howes said.

It’s time for lawmakers to stop making excuses, she added.

Meanwhile, local school officials will be watching to see what happens during the legislative session, which starts in January and is supposed to run 105 days.

“We will be waiting to see how it actually comes to fruition,” said Battle Ground School District Superintendent Mark Hottowe, whose district is expecting a projected enrollment increase.

“We don’t know how it will weave in with work on the McCleary decision, which already had some class size reductions in it with other enhancements to basic education. So it’s a bit of a wait-and-see game for us.”

But Hottowe said he knows how he hopes it plays out.

“My overarching hope is that the legislators will continue to keep their eye on the ball and fulfill their (McCleary) obligation … The McCleary (requirements) are a more balanced look at the needs for education, where I-1351 prioritizes only one of the factors that influence a school district’s health,” he said.

Dawn Tarzian, the superintendent of the Washougal School District, noted her district has worked to reduce class sizes.

“I’m in a position that requires me to be practical in order for me to be successful,” she said. “Wishing something is true and having the resources to make it true have to be coupled. As much as I think all educators would like to the class sizes identified in the measure, the resources aren’t there … I would hate to see other services decimated in the name of this initiative.”

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Columbian Political Writer