Rep. Drew MacEwen, R-Union, has prefiled a bill to fund education first. House Bill 1001 would require a stand-alone education budget be passed and sent to the governor’s desk by March 31 in biennial budget years and Feb. 15 in supplemental budget years. Additionally, House Bill 1001 requires the governor to submit a separate education budget proposal to the Legislature with K-12 appropriations based on existing revenues and without assuming new taxes.

“As I travel across the district it is clear parents, teachers and administrators want to see the Legislature fulfill its obligation to fully fund education in Washington,” said MacEwen, R-Union. “Our state constitution and Supreme Court have given us a mandate to prioritize education funding. However, for too long our kids’ needs have taken a back seat to partisan politics in Olympia. This bill prioritizes our students, and provides school districts with budget predictability which is essential to planning for the needs of their community.”

House Republicans first introduced Fund Education First legislation in 2006. Currently, Washington state has three separate budgets – operating, capital (construction projects) and transportation.

The 2015 legislative session is scheduled to begin on Jan. 12.