Washington State has some of the most crowded classrooms in the nation. Voters just ordered lawmakers in Olympia to fix the problem. Dont tell me they cant.
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  • Washington State has some of the most crowded classrooms in the nation. Voters just ordered lawmakers in Olympia to fix the problem. Don't tell me they can't.

Managing the successful campaign for Initiative 1351, which mandates smaller K-12 class sizes in this state, was my first paid position in politics, and it was an extraordinary experience.

I’m excited because the passage of 1351 means that after years of excuses and inaction by the state legislature, Washington students will finally get the smaller class sizes they need and deserve.

Smaller class sizes will provide students more personal, individual attention from caring adults. As a mom and a former teacher, I know our children will benefit.

But I have to say, I'm dumbfounded by some of what I've heard since the class-size initiative passed. Opponents, with the Seattle Times leading the charge, are now exhorting lawmakers to suspend, amend, and/or repeal 1351.

Since the election, opponents have redeployed the same flock of tired canards they used during the campaign to argue against this measure.

“We can’t afford it!” they say.

I’m a suburban mother of four school-aged boys, and I sometimes blush at The Stranger’s use of profanity, but I say “b#%*t!” to that.

We live in an era of momentous prosperity in one of the richest regions on earth. Has Frank Blethen looked up from his desk at the Times to see the boom happening around him in South Lake Union? We take pride in our position as a center of innovation and wealth in the new information economy. Surely by 2018 we can conjure the creativity and muster the money to move Washington from 47th in the US for class size to at least the national average.

Under the state constitution, and as the Supreme Court affirmed in its McCleary decision, providing a quality public education for Washington’s students is the state’s “paramount duty.” Teachers, parents, students, voters, and the public at large know that decent class sizes in every grade are part of a basic education. How could the legislature possibly meet its duty to students while leaving them in some of the most overcrowded classrooms in the country?

When opponents argue that "if we pay for 1351's lower class sizes, we can't pay for
McCleary," my head spins. They persist in arguing, essentially, that "we can't afford to fully fund schools because we have to fully fund schools."

Let’s be clear: It’s the legislature’s responsibility to fully fund K-12 education, and reasonable class sizes are an essential part of that responsibility. However, meeting our constitutional obligation to our students should not come at the expense of the crucial social and health services they and their families need, nor should we cannibalize higher education.

Despite the Times' false claim that there's "no way" this can be done, there are plenty of ideas out there for how to fund our schools and fund our necessary social services at the same time. What we lack is the courage to embrace those ideas—a failure that should not be equated with a lack of resources. Instead of making excuses for not investing in our students and public schools, we need our elected legislators to step up and do their jobs.

The campaign for 1351 did not advocate for a specific approach to raising new revenue, and it won't do that now. It’s up to the legislature to take action.

It is clear, however, that in spite of our economic boom, prosperity isn’t being spread evenly throughout the state. We have the most regressive tax structure in the country. Updating our tax structure could help improve how we fund all state services, not just education.

As the debate over how to pay for 1351 continues, remember: Smaller class sizes are now the law. Because of that, beginning next fall, schools that serve high-poverty communities should be the first to see class-size reductions. They’ll also see more counselors, custodians, school-safety officers, librarians, and other qualified staff essential to good schools. And by 2018, every student will enjoy the benefits.

I’m very proud to have led this campaign. The passage of 1351 represents a huge victory for kids that we will celebrate and protect. Class Size Counts, a broad-based, statewide coalition of school supporters, is not going away. We’re committed to seeing that Initiative 1351 is fully and properly implemented so that kids in Washington get the quality education they deserve.