House budget flouts new class-size law
March 27, 2015
A budget proposal that fails to provide students living in poverty the individual attention they need and are entitled to under Initiative 1351 was released today by House Appropriations Committee Chair Rep. Ross Hunter D-Medina.
The two-year budget plan put forward by Hunter would limit smaller classes to students in K-3. It ignores the need to reduce class sizes in high poverty schools first, and to provide additional reductions in those same schools where kids need the most attention to succeed. Under this plan, students in 4 – 12 would see no class size reductions, counter to the voter-approved law.
“This is unacceptable,” said Class Size Counts Executive Director Mary Howes. “Voters expect smaller class sizes at every level, and students deserve it.
“Our state doesn’t suffer from a lack of resources, but rather a lack of imagination and leadership. A few months ago, it took lawmakers less than three days to grant a $9 billion in tax exemption to Boeing. If we can afford policies like that, surely we can afford reasonable class sizes.”
Howes called on Class Size Counts supporters to contact Hunter and to attend a hearing on the budget set for Monday, March 30 at 1:30 in Olympia.
Hunter can be reached by email at . Details about Monday's hearing can be found at