2001 Policy Agenda

Washington’s economic health is at risk. Sustaining our state’s current economic success and spreading it all parts of the state demands that we take decisive steps. The Washington Roundtable believes that the following items should be top priorities for state policymaker in 2001.

Economic Climate

Address transportation infrastructure crisis

Addressing Washington State’s transportation needs remains the Washington Roundtable’s top priority. The Roundtable supports the work of the Governor’s Blue Ribbon Commission on Transportation (BRCT), and urges state policymakers to:

• Improve system performance through the use of benchmarks and increased competition;
• Establish an adequate and secure funding source and consolidate existing funding mechanisms;
• Increase regional decision-making authority;
• Improve transportation governance and accountability; and
• Provide clear, continuous communication with the public about the need for transportation investments, where those investments will be made, and the expected results.

Utilize economic climate benchmarks to guide decision-making

The Washington Roundtable strongly supported the creation of the Economic Climate Advisory Board and the state’s economic climate benchmarks. The Office of the Forecast Council has done an admirable job in annually gathering data that ranks our state’s position relative to other states in a number of key areas. This benchmarking information, however, has yet to be fully utilized by state policymakers, and we call on the legislature and the Governor to use this benchmark information to guide decision-making.

Improve the state’s regulatory environment.

Washington’s regulatory climate is routinely cited by large and small businesspeople alike as a significant impediment to the economic health of our state. It is overly burdensome, unpredictable, and often contradictory. The Washington Roundtable believes that Washington’s state and local regulatory processes must be faster, more efficient, predictable, and time-certain.

Develop energy policies to address the state’s long-term requirements

The availability of low-cost power has long been one of our region’s primary economic advantages, and the Washington Roundtable is becoming concerned about the availability of energy and the unprecedented escalation in energy costs. That concern is exacerbated by the growing debate over the management of the region’s hydroelectric system.

Demand is increasing for new energy supplies for high technology and other growth industries, and we need to maintain the long-term viability of existing industries in the region. The Roundtable urges state policymakers to establish a comprehensive state energy policy that includes immediate steps to develop additional generating capacity and ensures the availability of sufficient low-cost energy to meet the state’s long-term requirements.

Develop a coordinated salmon recovery plan.

The Washington Roundtable continues to support Puget Sound and Columbia River salmon recovery planning efforts guided by the following principles:

• Recovery goals must be quantifiable, measurable, and attainable.
• The region's salmon recovery plan must be based on sound science used to develop beneficial and cost-effective actions needed to achieve specific goals.
• The overall effort must represent a collaborative process that includes all stakeholders: local, state, and federal governmental agencies, tribal interests, communities, businesses, and individuals.

Education

Maintain the Certificate of Mastery as a graduation requirement.

The Washington Roundtable remains committed to improving Washington’s public education system through higher standards, better assessments, and accountability. While schools and the education system must be accountable for helping students achieve, students must also be accountable for learning. Consequently, the Roundtable strongly supported the January 2000 action by the State Board of Education to establish 2008 as the first year that students will be required to achieve the state’s academic standards in core subjects—thus earning the Certificate of Mastery—in order to earn a diploma. We urge state policymakers to maintain this requirement.

Insure learning opportunities for students attending chronically low-performing schools

The landmark accountability legislation enacted in 1999 built a strong foundation for an accountability system but anticipated that several critical decisions—such as how to help chronically low-performing schools improve and how to intervene on behalf of the students in those schools if they prove unable to—would be made during the 2001 session. The Roundtable urges state policymakers to:

• Provide targeted assistance for low performing schools contingent upon explicit performance agreements between the state and the local school board; and
• Grant the Superintendent of Public Instruction authority to intervene in cases where districts prove unwilling or unable to improve student learning in chronically low-performing schools despite the targeted assistance provided by the state.

Strengthen principal and teacher leadership

Numerous studies identify building-level instructional leadership as critical to helping students achieve high academic standards. Yet, the mechanisms for recruiting and retaining principals and teacher leaders have not been updated to reflect a tight focus on student achievement in a standards-based system. The Washington Roundtable urges state policymakers to:

• Align principal recruitment, training, professional development, evaluation certification, and compensation policies and programs explicitly with the state’s standards-based reform efforts; and
• Support the development of a network of teacher leaders by providing significant salary increases for teachers who receive National Board Certification.

Increase adaptability of higher education system so that it can respond to the challenges of access and quality

The Washington Roundtable believes an effective and adaptable higher education system that has the capacity to meet the large projected increase in demand over the next decade will be one of the most critical factors affecting Washington State’s ability to compete in an international, knowledge-based economy.

Our state’s higher education system is increasingly challenged to change and adapt in a “high-velocity” environment and meet the twin challenges of access and excellence. New investment will be necessary, but it is only part of the answer. The Roundtable believes that other elements of a broad, multifaceted approach include:

• Granting institutions significant management flexibility by removing statutory dictates and increasing the ability of institutions to contract out for services;
• Shifting from accountability based on compliance with state statutes and regulations to accountability for results on clearly defined outcomes;
• Providing incentives to institutions to increase coordination and productivity through means such as improving articulation between two- and four-year institutions, aligning admissions requirements with K-12 reform and the Certificate of Mastery, increasing the use of technology, and decreasing time to degree;
• Promoting a “learner-centered” system by shifting to a more market-based funding model that appropriates a greater share of the higher education budget directly to students in the form of aid or scholarships;
• Granting greater tuition-setting authority to institutions;
• Expanding the use of nontraditional delivery methods such as distance education and online learning; and
• Providing incentives to institutions to expand and improve the quality of opportunities in “high-need” areas such as high technology and teacher and principal preparation.

Fiscal Responsibility

Adopt sustainable spending policies.

The Washington Roundtable urges state policymakers to support spending policies that are sustainable long term. The enactment of several initiatives with significant budget impacts makes this an even greater priority. The Roundtable recommends that state policymakers apply the following fiscal principles:

• Prioritize the state budget to meet critical state requirements—particularly in the areas of transportation and education.
• Maintain a healthy reserve, including a restricted reserve of at least 5 percent of the annual general fund budget and an equivalent operating or unrestricted reserve.
• Promote long-term planning and sustainable fiscal policies when addressing local government shortfalls.
• Avoid the creation of extraordinary carry-forward obligations.
• Adopt a "whole budget" approach and provide consistent fiscal discipline and oversight over all areas of the state budget—including dedicated funds.

Strive for balance between business and individual taxes.

Washington State places a significantly greater share of the tax burden on businesses than other states in our region. The Washington Roundtable urges state policymakers to be mindful of this competitive disadvantage and strive for balance between business individual taxes.

Utilize benchmarks to gauge fiscal performance

The Washington Roundtable believes that state policymakers should use benchmarks and service indicators to drive the performance of state operations and agencies. Washington currently tracks its performance relative to other states on a number of indicators of economic competitiveness, and the Roundtable urges policymakers to fully utilize this information. The Roundtable also believes that benchmarks and indicators should be used to help the public and elected officials gauge the state’s fiscal performance. Consequently, the Roundtable will establish an annual fiscal performance review process that will measure the state’s performance in relation to the fiscal principles that the Roundtable believes are critical to the state’s long-term fiscal health.