Issue Position: Education

Issue Position

Washington must deliver on the promise to our children by truly making public education our state's paramount duty. To do this, it will take all of us, working together, to refocus our state and put education first.

Education affects all of us: parents need resources and communication to participate as full partners in public education and start children off on the right foot. Teachers need meaningful feedback to give all children the effective instruction they need. Washington's employers need well-educated and well-trained workers to grow our economy, and they should be partners in our children's education. Our communities need resources to partner with neighborhood schools to keep our children safe, healthy, and learning.

Investment: The solution is focused reinvestment in public education with new state revenues. More specifically, we need to work to restore the drastic cuts to the social safety net in our state, including the Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program. With nearly four in 10 children living in families struggling to provide food, healthcare or childcare, it is our paramount duty to ensure all children in our State have a quality education and the opportunity that comes with it.

Innovation: In addition to adequately funding education in our state, it is critical that we be open to innovation in our school system. While charter schools and tuition vouchers are not the solution for our community, there are many other options within the public school system including magnet, alternative and online schools that can meet the diverse needs of different student populations. There must be a sense of urgency around closing the achievement/opportunity gap in our school system, which consistently leaves behind children from low-income families and our children of color.

Evaluation: Teachers need professional support and meaningful feedback to give all children the effective instruction they need. Every child deserves great educators. And every educator deserves the support it takes to educate a classroom full of children with diverse needs. Washington has thousands of educators dedicated day in and day out to preparing the next generation. But everyone, including the best in the field, need feedback and accompanying resources to support and prepare children.

All our kids need to know the community is supporting their education and their future. And that support means getting serious about investing in our schools and in our education system.

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