Education tops voters’ list for legislative session
For the first time in seven years, voters have a top issue for the Legislature to address that's not "the economy." This year, the top issue is education, a survey of voting households told The Elway Poll.
Maybe the fact that the state Supreme Court has been after the Legislature for a couple years to live up to the constitutional responsibility to public schools has pushed education to the top. Or the fact that last year the court ordered legislators to come up with a plan to meet that responsibility, and they responded with the legislative version of "the dog ate my homework." Or maybe its the fact that all of this is going to cost billions. That's right, with a "b".
Of those surveyed, 42 percent said education was the top issue, up from 19 percent in 2014, while 32 percent said the economy, down from 46 percent a year ago. Education had never been above 27 percent and the economy hit 59 percent in 2012 as the state was struggling to come out of the recession.
Also on the list of "most importants": 19 percent said taxes; 17 percent said education; 15 percent said the budget and spending. Putting taxes together with budget and spending, which might make sense because one leads to the other, which leads back to the first, would make that the number two priority.
Environment, health care, public safety, social services and energy were all in single digits.
Asked what they thought the Legislature should do with the extra $3 billion in tax revenue expected to come in during the next two years, about half said legislators should spread it around to make some improvements to education and restore some programs cut during the recession. One in four said the whole amount should go to education and about one in five said keep the budget at its current level and give the extra money back in tax cuts.
Pollsters also asked about some of Gov. Jay Inslee's suggested tax increases, and 77 percent said they'd favor or at least accept higher cigarette taxes, 71 percent gave the nod to a carbon tax; 57 percent had some support for a capital gains tax and 56 percent were at least OK with putting the sales tax on bottled water.
