School districts targeted

There’s a movement afoot that every parent of a public school child urgently needs to know about. HB 2616, which died in the House Education Committee, would have eliminated nearly half of the school districts in the state.

Despite its death, the Senate Ways and Means Committee, in the wee hours of Feb. 26, revived most of the language of the bill and tucked it away into their massive budget bill (SB 6444). This bill in its entirety was passed the next day, a Saturday, when offices were closed. Is it any wonder the public has become cynical about politics?

What’s worse, the legislature’s Joint Legislative Audit and Review Committee is currently conducting a study of the effects of district size on school performance and costs. The study will be completed in a couple of months. So, while spending our money on a study to determine if consolidation even makes sense, the Senate wants to begin the elimination process right away.

Will your school district wind up on the cutting block? Are you sick of sleazy political tactics? Please act now by contacting your legislators.

Tell them you want this provision of SB 6444 removed from the final budget.

Andy James

Onion Creek, Wash.