"The Legislature has returned to Olympia, and the state budget will dominate the debate, just as it has in every session since the start of the Great Recession. Unlike any other session, however, this year we have been warned by the state Supreme Court that we need to invest more funds, not less, in our children's education.
"As we write a new two-year budget, we should remember that most Washington families could use some help. Reinvestment in the middle class is long overdue. We have an obligation to provide them with relief and to support those women and men who are working to get into the middle class. The Supreme Court's directive and the need to grow and strengthen middle-class families are not disconnected....
"Take Hawthorne Elementary School in Everett, for example. The school has thrived despite a high rate of students exposed to adverse childhood conditions at home. These issues include homelessness, mental health issues, domestic violence, poverty, and drug and alcohol abuse – the very problems addressed by the services Republicans suggested we eliminate last year. We can't go back down that road....
"Education begins at birth and lasts a lifetime. While the state's role changes throughout that period, it is my strong belief that our paramount responsibility exists from the cradle to career – which means looking beyond K-12 education....
"We have to work together and take a hard look at eliminating unnecessary tax loopholes, shrinking the gap between well-off school districts and those that have less, and, yes, Heaven-forbid, even perhaps asking those who can afford it to pay a little more...."
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