— from WA Senate Communications —

Sen. Kevin Ranker, D-Orcas Island, voiced strong opposition against the Republican proposal that reduces funding for more than half of our state’s students, while significantly raising property taxes in numerous communities around the state. Sen. Ranker released this statement:

“Students, parents, teachers and principals demand that we amply and fairly fund our schools, right now. Unfortunately, under this proposal, 605,000 children – that’s more than half of the students in this state – will have less funding going to their schools than they do today.

“In fact, according to data from nonpartisan staff, 57% or 605,000 students will see less money coming to their schools than they do today. This means a student with an asthma attack may not have a nurse. The student who will be the first in their family to go to college may not have a guidance counselor to help them. The students struggling in reading may not have the critical, individual support they need, and shockingly, under the Republic proposal, the person teaching our children is not even required to have a teaching certificate.

“We can and we must do better than this. It is time for us to come together in a bi-partisan manner and create a proposal that not only fully funds our children’s schools but also ensures they are thriving, robust opportunities for education.

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