2007 Chair's Report
The year
2007 began with great promise in Washington state. The economy was
growing. State revenues were outpacing projections, resulting in
budget surpluses. Opportunities abounded for state legislators and
Governor Chris Gregoire to build a foundation for a more prosperous
future for all Washingtonians. What came out of the 2007
legislative session was at times encouraging, but, on the whole,
disappointing.
Investments
in high demand degrees and university research will foster
innovation and enhance academic opportunities. Legislation
mandating the development of a five-star voluntary rating system for
child care and early childhood centers will encourage more
structured, nurturing learning opportunities for our state’s
youngest citizens. Phasing in all-day kindergarten in low-income
schools will provide enriching opportunities for some of our most
challenged students.
However, the
decision in the final hours of the legislative session to approve
ESSB 6023 was a
huge setback. The new law delays high school graduation
requirements in math and science and introduces a range of
alternative options for students who do not meet standard on the 10th
grade WASL or achieve a qualifying score on one of the previously
approved alternatives. With this bill, state policymakers retreated
from the 15-year promise of education reform and undermined
the integrity of the state’s academic standards and
accountability system.
Lawmakers
also missed
an opportunity to inject much needed accountability into
transportation governance. The
Central Puget
Sound
region is rife with transportation governing bodies, making it
difficult to discern who is responsible for what. The governor’s
Regional Transportation Commission recommended a series of
common-sense reforms that would have clarified responsibility for
planning and financing. However, defenders of the status quo
successfully fended off those reforms.
Perhaps most
concerning was lawmakers’ penchant for spending this year and the
trend toward even higher business costs. Lawmakers approved a $33.4
billion, two-year operating budget that increases spending by 15
percent over the previous biennium.
With revenues expected to grow at about half that rate, this level
of spending growth is clearly unsustainable. The saving
grace was bipartisan support of a constitutional amendment requiring
the state to deposit one percent of revenues in a hard-to-tap rainy
day fund. If approved by voters this fall, the fund will provide at
least some modicum of protection in future downturns.
Lawmakers
also approved a series of bills that will raise the cost of doing
business in Washington state. The ripple effect of introducing
punitive damages against insurers will be felt in higher consumer
and business premiums and higher costs for goods and services. The
paid family leave act is unfunded and may well lead to unbridled
spending growth.
In total,
Washington
got more expensive this year. Lawmakers spread large sums of
money across a variety of services and constituencies and pushed
many of the costs into the future. They accepted a setback in
education policy. They neglected to restructure transportation
policy.
Fortunately,
despite policy setbacks, 2007 continues to be a time of promise.
But the good times will not last forever, especially if we continue
to take prosperity for granted. We must invest in the services that
will drive future prosperity and there must be accountability in all
areas of government. We must adapt for the future rather than being
mired in the status quo. That is how we
will make Washington a better place to live and work.
Sincerely,
W. Stacey
Cowles
Excessive
spending in state budget is unsustainable
State lawmakers
approved a $33.4 billion, two-year operating budget this year, which
represents a 15 percent increase in spending over the 2005-07
biennium. While current economic conditions may give some reason
for optimism,
economic growth will not support such marked spending increases over
the long-term.
More attention
must be paid to
Washington’s
long-term fiscal outlook, ensuring the state budget ties spending to
priorities, limits bow wave and provides some level of protection
against future downturns. In that vein, lawmakers should be
credited with the decision to refer a Constitutional amendment to
voters, which, if approved, will mandate that the legislature put
one percent of revenues in a hard-to-tap rainy day fund. This is a
step toward ensuring
Washington
maintains at least minimum fiscal reserves.
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Missed
opportunity with transportation governance
reform
The governor’s
Regional Transportation Commission put forward a sensible proposal
to restructure transportation governance, planning and financing in
the Central Puget Sound, ensuring that one entity would be held
accountable for regional improvements. While the proposed changes
would have given voters exactly what they’ve been seeking –
accountability – the political will did not exist to enact reform.
Consequently, we are left with a murky system in which
transportation planning and financing is done in silos, rather than
through a comprehensive approach.
Outside of the
legislative arena, Sound Transit and the Regional Transportation
Investment District have made progress toward an integrated plan for
regional roads and transit investments in King, Pierce and Snohomish
Counties. A joint proposal will be on the regional ballot in
November. Regional funding is critical to continue progress toward
improved mobility and safety as well as economic growth.
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Weaker K-12 academic standards
overshadow incremental policy improvements
Decisions by
lawmakers to streamline curricula and require a third year of math
as a state high school graduation requirement will likely improve
student achievement. However, this progress was overshadowed by the
decision to delay the math and science graduation requirements until
2013. This delay will allow hundreds of thousands of young people
to graduate high school without demonstrating key skills needed for
successful entry into college or work. Further, lawmakers’ decision
to allow students to meet new graduation requirements by passing one
of nearly 20 assessments that are not aligned with state standards
is equivalent to abandoning state academic standards altogether.
This is unacceptable.
Clearly more
needs to be done to ensure today’s students get the skills demanded
by the global economy. That may mean changing how we compensate
teachers, train and empower principals, and ensure students are
making at least a minimum level of progress each year. These are
the types of changes that will open doors for our young people,
rather than destining them for failure when they leave high school
without the skills needed to succeed in an increasingly competitive
world.
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Targeted investments in higher education and
research will pay dividends for decades to come
Lawmakers
codified the goal to produce an additional 10,000 bachelor’s degrees
in high demand fields by 2020. The legislature also provided
support for academic research in areas of opportunity such as global
health, agriculture and bioproducts. These investments will reap
benefits by enhancing academic opportunities at our universities,
providing students with access to the skills needed to succeed in
our state economy and driving innovations that will result in
economic gains.
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