{"id":1091,"date":"2017-06-07T09:13:46","date_gmt":"2017-06-07T17:13:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sdc.wastateleg.org\/wellman\/?p=1091"},"modified":"2020-10-23T14:11:06","modified_gmt":"2020-10-23T21:11:06","slug":"sen-wellmans-olympia-update-4","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/senatedemocrats.wa.gov\/wellman\/2017\/06\/07\/sen-wellmans-olympia-update-4\/","title":{"rendered":"Sen. Wellman’s Olympia Update"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dear Friends,<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve flipped the calendar to June and I thought I would share a quick update with you about progress on some of the big issues we are facing in Olympia. Since the regular session ended in April, Democrats and Republicans haven\u2019t been able to reach agreement on a budget that solves the McCleary school funding challenge. Our budget negotiators remain in Olympia, but progress has been slow as Senate Republicans have taken a \u201cmy way or the highway\u201d approach. Read more about why it\u2019s so important that we stand up against the GOP budget below.<\/p>\n

\"\"

I recently joined state and local officials to celebrate the beach restoration project at Lake Sammamish State Park. Great teamwork will result in a great park!<\/p><\/div>\n

While we wait for a breakthrough on a budget deal, I\u2019ve had the time and opportunity to meet with many of you over the past several weeks — at a ribbon cutting at Lake Sammamish\u2019s new beach<\/a>, at an inspiring meeting with the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, at Gov. Inlsee\u2019s Summit on Career Connected Learning. Suffice it to say, it has been jam-packed few weeks connecting with our community. It\u2019s such an honor to serve you!<\/p>\n

Education funding plans examined<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/a>As we proceed through a second special session, a lot of people don\u2019t understand why Democrats and Republicans haven\u2019t been able to reach agreement on a budget. In fact, the problem is twofold.<\/p>\n

The respective budgets proposed by House Democrats and Senate Republicans take very different approaches to taxation and education funding. It\u2019s important for you to know how their plan would work and how their numbers add up. In comparing the Republican and the Democratic plans, the two key measures are how much your district would receive in education dollars and how much your district would pay in property taxes.<\/p>\n

For instance, taxpayers in the Bellevue School District will see that the overall net increase in student funding is about the same under both plans: $2,563 (Republican) compared to $2,519 (Democratic). But at the same time, overall property taxes for all Bellevue homeowners under the Republican plan would be $82 million higher than under the Democratic plan.<\/p>\n

In other words, under the Republicans\u2019 plan, Bellevue taxpayers would pay $82 million more in property taxes overall and receive about the same per student in education funding compared to the Democrats\u2019 plan. The results will vary from district to district \u2013 explore the map above to see the true cost and benefit of each plan at full implementation.<\/p>\n

In the news<\/h2>\n

I encourage you to read my recent column<\/a> explaining\u00a0my views on my first\u00a0session in Olympia. Several of my colleagues have\u00a0also published\u00a0their views on the current budget debate. Take a look:<\/p>\n