Local educators praise Inslee’s funding plan, but express concerns about levy reductions

Some local educators are cautiously optimistic about the education funding plan announced Tuesday by Gov. Jay Inslee, praising the increased funding but questioning whether the plan will be approved.

“I think he’s got great ideas in there, a lot of things that have been needed for a while,” said Harrington School District Superintendent Justin Bradford. “For me, the proof will be in the pudding. Let’s see what the legislators do with it.”

Spokane Public Schools Superintendent Shelley Redinger said she and her staff plan to spend the next several days closely examining the plan.

“At first glance, it is a positive education budget,” she said. “We want to take more time to look at what it means for our community.”

West Valley School District Superindendent Gene Sementi said he likes the proposed pay increases.

“It’s a significant bump with the beginning teachers’ salary, which should help with the teacher shortage,” he said. “Hopefully it will equalize the salaries across the state, so there’s not so much variation from district to district.”

Both Sementi and Bradford say there might be issues with the plan to reduce the amount school districts can request in property tax levies.

Sementi said levy money is flexible and can be used for emergencies like a leaking roof, but new funding from the state might be restricted to teacher salaries. “I’m curious to see what the specifics are about the levy reduction,” he said.

Bradford said 25 percent of his $2.5 million annual budget comes from a levy, which makes him concerned about levy reductions.

“For us, a 10 percent decrease would be substantial,” he said. “If they can find the money another way, that’s great.”

Redinger said it appears that Spokane taxpayers would come out ahead under the governor’s plan, but she wants to examine that section in particular.

“We’ll be communicating with our legislators if we have concerns,” she said.

Bradford said he has unique issues in his district, which has only 110 students. He’s not sure if his teachers should be paid the same as teachers in a large, urban district where there is a higher cost of living. But at the same time, he needs to offer good salaries in order to attract qualified teachers to his tiny district.

“We have a different set of challenges than they do in the large districts,” he said.

Overall, Inslee’s plan is a positive step, Sementi said. “Whether or not it gets much traction, I don’t know,” he said. “I hope it does.”