Sen. Marko Liias, D-Lynnwood, issued this statement today following the Senate’s passage of legislation to postpone the so-called levy cliff that would have resulted in massive budget cuts to K-12 schools across the state.

“This is a huge, huge victory for our local schools, which would have faced massive cuts and the prospect of budgets that would have laid off teachers and other staff. The Edmonds School District would have lost $14.8 million and the Mukilteo School District would have had to cut $5.1 million.

“This means our children can expect a stable school year through next year, and their schools won’t face the prospect of later having to recruit to replace teachers that might have left for other districts or professions.

“This is why I came to Olympia, to get things done. I hope now we can build on this progress to finish the job of giving all our schoolchildren the education they deserve.”