Opinion: Candidates for governor present their ideas on public education

Liv Finne of the Washington Policy Center discusses gubernatorial candidates' views on public education reform. — Liv Finne of the Washington Policy Center discusses gubernatorial candidates’ views on public education reform.

Liv Finne of the Washington Policy Center was encouraged by the responses of the gubernatorial candidates to a recent Seattle Times request to address the poor condition of the state’s public education system

Liv Finne
Washington Policy Center

The Seattle Times recently asked the four leading candidates for governor for their ideas on how to address the poor condition of the state’s public education system. These questions include whether they support the new capital gains income tax and what to do about Washington’s low college-going rates.

I was encouraged by their informed and intelligent answers.

First, a little context is necessary. By any objective measure public education in Washington state has plenty of money. Over the last dozen years Washington has dramatically increased public school funding, from $10,000 per student in 2012 to $19,000 per student in 2024. Yet college-going rates remain disappointing, as do students’ academic test results.

Between 2016 and 2021 Washington state opened 18 new public charter schools, educating nearly 5000 students. These independently run public schools have successfully improved college-going rates for individual children in Washington, even though these schools are denied access to local levy funding and to capital funding.

A dozen other states are now experimenting with giving all parents access to a private school option, by providing parents from $4000-$8000 per child for private school tuition, homeschooling, and other education-related expenses. The evidence from smaller, targeted private school choice programs shows traditional schools respond to them by improving the quality of education for everyone.

With this background, here is what each candidate told The Seattle Times:

Bob Ferguson, Democrat:

Funding: Ferguson said he supports the new capital gains income tax because it would further increase public school funding. (Ferguson sends his own children to private schools.) He opposes the citizens’ initiative 2109, the initiative on the ballot this fall to repeal this new tax.

Ferguson wants to send more money to school districts, and says public schools ought to be trying “high-dosage” individual tutoring, which is providing children individual tutoring more than once a week to children who are behind in school.

Low college-going rate: Ferguson says that Washington state has a low college attendance rate because students are unaware of student loan programs, and because they don’t know how to fill out the complex financial aid forms. If elected, he pledges to personally go to high schools to alert students to the need to fill out the forms.

Mark Mullet, Democrat:

Funding: Mullet said he opposes the new capital gains income tax and supports the Initiative 2109 repeal. He said:

“In terms of funding, the amount received [from the capital gains income tax] in 2024 has already dropped in half from the initial projections. Because education funding is our paramount duty, it is protected by our constitution and would never be cut from the budget. If the initiative passes, we will still have substantial revenue growth for our 2025 budget, just not as much as currently expected.”

“No state has done a larger increase in education funding per pupil than the state of Washington has in the last seven years. To me, we now have to really shift to a focus on oversight and outcomes of actually making sure the billions of extra dollars we send out are getting the results that families expect and deserve to get. Right now that’s not happening.”

Low college-going rate Mullet says that “we have to make higher education an investment priority in our state” and that he sponsored a bill to help students earn college credits while in high school by having the state pay the cost.

Semi Bird, Republican:

Funding. Like Mullet, Bird said he opposes the new capital gains income tax and that he supports Initiative 2109. He says how the state funds education is a mess, and he wants to rethink the funding system entirely.

Low college-going rate. Bird said he was bored in public school and that the schools need to tap into what a child loves to learn. He said he would remake Washington’s schools as a center for trades and certification in nontraditional industries like cybersecurity.

Dave Reichert, Republican:

Funding Reichert said he also opposes the new capital gains income tax. He signed the Initiative 2109 repeal measure and supports its passage by the voters. He pointed out under Governor Inslee K-12 education’s share of the state’s General Fund had fallen to 44%, and that he would strive to get that closer to 50%.

Reichert said he supports exploring the “backpack idea, where you can actually take the taxes that you pay for education and actually move [them] with your child as you choose the educational format that you want your child to participate in.” When asked if this means he supports vouchers, Reichert said no. (However, The Seattle Times said that Reichert does support vouchers. You can judge for yourself at Time Stamp at 3:01: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxlJvh4evwY&t=123s.)

Reichert also said he supports public charter schools as “a good option” for parents.

Low college-going rate. Reichert says that young people are not pursuing college because it is too expensive, because students don’t feel safe on campus, and because “people are examining whether they really need a four-year degree in order to do the job they are interested in doing.” He wants more trade programs for health and human services jobs such as nurses, EMTs, and drug and alcohol rehabilitation professionals.

The good news is that this year voters are being given real choices in selecting a governor to lead our state into the future. The outcome could set an exciting new direction in education reform, possibly following the example of other innovative states that are allowing parents greater educational choices.

For more information about public school funding in Washington state, and options for improving public schools and student achievement, see the 2024 edition of WPC’s Policy Guide for Washington State, linked here: https://www.washingtonpolicy.org/library/doclib/Chapter-5-Policy-Guide-2024.pdf.

Liv Finne is the director of the Center for Education at the Washington Policy Center.