The Associated Press
OLYMPIA — A tentative agreement to fill Washington state’s $5 billion budget shortfall includes cuts in nearly every corner of government, slashing pay for teachers and making even deeper cuts for other K-12 workers and state employees.
Budget negotiators said there simply wasn’t the money available in the $32 billion spending plan to sustain current salaries, and lawmakers talked openly about the need to make equitable cuts. In total, they will reduce spending by $4.6 billion over the coming two years.
“There were sacrifices made in every single part of services provided by state government,” said Sen. Ed Murray, D-Seattle.
The budget includes a 1.9 percent cut for teacher pay and a 3 percent cut for other K-12 employees. Teacher pay was not reduced as much because they already had their salaries cut when lawmakers decreased paid teacher training days. The changes will save the state $179 million over the next two years.
Rep. Ross Hunter, D-Medina, said local contracts determine teacher salaries, so the legislative decision may not result in across-the-board cuts in teacher pay, especially in districts with more financial flexibility because of their ability to raise money through local property taxes.
Lawmakers also are moving to suspend voter-approved cost-of-living adjustments for education employees, saving an additional $300 million.
Mary Lindquist, president of the Washington Education Association, said she was disappointed by the spending plan and argued that the state needs to identify a new source of revenue to sustain schools. She warned that the budget likely will lead to growth in already-large class sizes.
“Let’s not kid ourselves, this budget hurts kids,” she said.
State employees face a 3 percent salary reduction, something that hasn’t happened in decades of recent record-keeping.
