State Rep. Marko Liias Discusses Budget Woes During Visit with Edmonds Education Association

With the Washington State Legislature's special session working in committees, Rep. Marko Liias of the 21st District is taking time to meet with groups of his constituents. On Thursday, May 5, he made an appearance at the Edmonds Education Association to discuss the current budget situation and its affect on education.

Liias was primarily asked to talk about three issues: the budget, health care and collective bargaining.

He stressed that budget cuts have to be made and said that legislators have been forced into this position because of the economy and voters' decisions. He said his first principle in dealing with the budget is that he wants legislators to "talk about revenue" and give citizens the opportunity to bring back some services through the ballot in the fall. He also said, "Don't punish the people delivering services ... don't reach into their pockets." Instead, he believes services should be cut.

Regarding education cuts, he again put the focus on voters when he said, "We know it is going to have an impact on student learning. This is a consequence of what they (the voters) have told us ... They need to see the impact of their decisions."

In particular, he pointed to the Senate proposal to cut teacher pay by 3 percent while requiring the same level of service and time from teachers. He stated that this was not the expectation for other state workers receiving pay cuts; their pay cuts come in the form of reduced time on the job.

He stressed that there needs to be an effort to look long term at health-care issues. Currently, state health care is siloed into three separate pools: Medicaid, Labor & Industries, and state employees. The long-term goal is to create a larger pool that can help reduce costs. Liias agrees with this plan in principle, but stated that the proposal to overhaul the health-care plans of teachers was "too much, too fast, too soon."

Finally, he described collective bargaining as the "biggest difference between the House and Senate" when it comes to education. Proposals to overhaul the seniority system have more support in the Senate, he said, but they don't have a chance in the House. He said the biggest problem with efforts to base who gets "RIFed" (reduction in force)  on evaluation scores instead of seniority is that the state is just getting started on an overhaul of the evaluation system. So far, that effort is a collaborative one between state and local officials, administrators and teachers, and he fears ruining the good work that is being done on the four-tier system.

Ultimately, he stressed that, "It's not going to be easy for the next two to three years; it hasn't been easy the last two to three years," but that there needs to be a collaborative effort to work through these problems. The House and Senate are attempting to do this, he said, but there won't be a quick solution. He doubts that the legislature will adjourn by the end of the special session on May 15. "The longer we go," he said, "the more it means we're getting the Senate to change its position." And given that it is the Senate budget proposal that includes the 3 percent reduction in pay for educators, sets school funding based on average daily attendance, and accelerates a state takeover of health benefits, this might be a good thing.