Re-Wire is almost here

A preview of our education money panel, plus some other details

Politicos in Washington are familiar with the state’s “paramount duty” to pay for the education of all K-12 students, an obligation that education stakeholders say the state has failed to uphold despite billions more in spending on public schools since 2018-19.

This summer, state Superintendent Chris Reykdal, who was recently elected to a third term, asked outgoing Gov. Jay Inslee to add $3 billion more for public schools to his budget request for 2025-27. The kicker is the $3B request landed on Inslee’s desk alongside warnings of a $10-12B budget shortfall in the operating budget’s four-year outlook. 

We’re going to feature this conundrum at our Re-Wire Policy Conference tomorrow. We’ve still got a few spots left if you want to be there in person.

Although state agency directors were told to cut their operating and transportation budget requests and prioritize maintenance requests over new policies, the Democratic majority in the legislature doesn’t appear to be outwardly panicked about the budget deficit. 

Instead, Washington Democrats seem emboldened to pursue new ideas to bring in more revenue after the resounding defeat of conservative initiatives to repeal the capital gains tax and Climate Commitment Act at the ballot box.