Gov. Gregoire says legislators must stay after if schools bills stall
Gov. Chris Gregoire said Tuesday that she'll keep lawmakers in Olympia until they resolve their debate over education, so that the state can apply for federal Race to the Top funds by June.
The Associated Press
Gov. Chris Gregoire said Tuesday that she'll keep lawmakers in Olympia until they resolve their debate over education.
"The one thing I do know we need to do before anyone goes home is reforms in the K-12 system," Gregoire said. "We're going to have to make that happen, not only for Race to the Top, but even more importantly to me, for the success of the children."
As the end of the legislative session nears, the Senate and the House had yet to reach a compromise on this session's two big education measures.
The first issue is how the state should prepare to apply for a piece of the $4.35 billion the federal government's Race to the Top program wants to split among states involved in education reform. The second is what should be the next step toward revising the way in which Washington state pays for basic education.
Lawmakers in the House say the two issues should not be separated. They have passed a bill that combines elements of both ideas.
The Senate has approved the legislation associated with the federal Race to the Top competition but wants to hold off on tackling education financing.
Lawmakers in both houses said negotiations continue.
