Surprise tucked into state budget bill: a panel to plan school-district mergers
The state budget isn't all dollars and cents this year. Buried deep in the budget bill passed this month is a $250,000 line item to create a school consolidation commission.
The Wenatchee World
WENATCHEE — The state budget isn't all dollars and cents this year.
Buried deep in the budget bill lawmakers passed this month is a $250,000 line item to create a school consolidation commission. Their job: Come up with a plan to combine school districts, then recommend a list of possible mergers to lawmakers in December 2012.
The governor is poised to sign the bill into law this week.
Since learning of the proposed commission, area lawmakers, education groups and the state superintendent are demanding the governor veto that section of the bill.
The proposal started as a bill introduced by Rep. Sam Hunt, D-Olympia, in January. Under Hunt's bill, the commission's goal was to cut the state's 295 school districts to 150. There are about 30 school districts in North Central Washington.
"I thought, especially with the budget crisis, we spent something like $20 million on superintendent salaries alone in this state," Hunt said. His staff later confirmed the total topped $36 million.
Hunt questioned the necessity of close neighboring districts such as Tumwater and Olympia or Eastmont and
