A path forward on full funding for Washington’s schools

[eridani]

http://www.eoionline.org/blog/a-path-forward-on-full-funding-for-washingtons-schools/

One of the most encouraging developments during the recent five-day strike by Seattle educators was the outpouring of support from parents, students and local businesses. People understood why teachers were striking — not only for paying professionals what they are worth, but also to ensure adequate recess time for kids to run and play and breathe fresh air; to reduce stressful and unreliable testing; to make sure there are enough counselors, nurses and other workers essential to educational progress.

Seattle teachers achieved much of what they were looking for — but unless state elected officials pass future budgets that fully fund public education, Seattle residents — and those in other districts — will find themselves back in the same situation, scrambling for contested funds and watching their compensation decrease.

In fact, the average teacher salary in Seattle fell by $4,470 just from the 2013-14 school year to the 2014-15 school year. This year average teacher compensation was $8,728 less than it was in 2010. All told, teachers lost $22,600 over the past six years compared to their salaries in 2009. And while they got an increase in their contract, they will still be $4,000 short of what they earned in 2009, doing the same work.

When we talk about sustainable, predictable and ample revenue to fully fund basic education and tackle structural funding inequities, there is one simple, elegant and robust solution: a progressive income tax. Yes, in 2010 voters in Snohomish County clobbered an income tax on the wealthy, by a margin of 2 to 1. But in Seattle, more than 63 percent of the voters supported this tax. Since then we have seen the accelerating escalation of income and wealth to the top 1 percent, and the stagnation of earnings for the rest of us. Without an income tax, we recoup none of that money from the top 1 percent to fund our schools.

A progressive income tax, with a $50,000 exemption, would raise $7.5 billion a year. That would be sufficient to fund K-12 education as the Supreme Court has ordered, reduce tuition by half at our public universities and colleges, fully fund early learning, including the compensation of early learning teachers, and enable the Legislature to lower the sales tax rate by 1.5 cents on every dollar. It would shift taxes from working class families to high income individuals. It would bring equity to both education and taxation.