Tough times will require tough decisions
I was alarmed to read this in the Seattle Times this morning (with regard to Governor Gregoire’s proposed budget):
“Class sizes in kindergarten through fourth grade would grow and about 1,500 teachers could lose their jobs under Gov. Chris Gregoire’s proposed budget, state Superintendent Randy Dorn said Wednesday.
For college students, tuition at the University of Washington and other state universities would jump 11 percent a year for two years, and by 9 percent a year at state community colleges. But the increases still wouldn’t be enough to make up for cutbacks in state higher-education funding.”
If you have read other stories, the governor also proposes cuts in social health & welfare, and she is proposing consolidating boards and commissions to help trim the state budget by $4.5 billion.
No doubt these are tough times and our legislators need to make tough decisions. The repeal of tax on pop and candy at the last election obviously hurt our revenue side a little, and no one is in the mood for more tax increases of any kind.