TACOMA, Wash. – Washington Republican candidate for governor Rob McKenna proposes to increase funding for public schools by capping all non-education state spending. That’s just one piece of an education funding plan he unveiled Tuesday.
McKenna says he’s been criticized for not being specific enough about how he’d come up with billions more for education. The Washington Supreme Court has said the state is underfunding public schools. So in a reporters’ roundtable, McKenna brought out the spreadsheets.
He outlined a plan that calls for a revenue-neutral levy swap. Basically that would involve raising the state property tax while simultaneously lowering each school district’s local levy.
McKenna would also cap all non-education state spending at 6 percent.
“I mean it’s just not sustainable to double your health care spending every ten years because obviously that means inexorably the entire budget becomes health care," McKenna says. "That doesn’t work. I mean the Supreme Court is reminding us of that.”
McKenna says his plan would reduce K-3 class sizes and phase in funding for all day kindergarten all while avoiding higher taxes overall.
Democratic candidate Jay Inslee says the McKenna plan would result in underfunding of essential services for children.
Copyright 2012 Northwest News Network
Copyright 2012 Northwest News Network
