On Wednesday night, residents throughout Auburn, Kent, Covington and Black Diamond received a phone call from two of their state legislators inviting them to join a live discussion about the current 2011 legislative session.
It was an invitation well-received. About 2,500 people participated in the telephone town hall sponsored by State Rep. Pat Sullivan (D-Covington) and freshman State Sen. Joe Fain (R-Auburn). During the hour-long call, residents asked questions, offered ideas and listened in on what their neighbors had to say about current activities in Olympia.
“We’re making very difficult decisions right now. The budget decisions we make this session will have long-lasting impacts for our state,” Fain said. “Pat and I are committed to working together to tackle these challenges. Understanding the priorities of the people from our district and knowing what they’re worried or frustrated about is crucial.”
Though Sullivan and Fain come from different sides of the aisle, their comments during the call revealed agreement on several key issues. Callers raised issues ranging from renewable energy to reforms in the ferry system, but education was by far the most popular topic of the evening. When a Kent resident asked about budget cuts to schools, both legislators emphasized the need to prioritize K-12 funding.
“Given the magnitude of the economic crisis we’re facing, not only here in Washington but in states across the nation, we’re seeing cuts in pretty much every sector of government,” responded Sullivan. “That being said, my heart is in K-12 education. It is our paramount duty and has to be our focus. There were some cuts in the supplemental budget, but if you look at the cuts that were made across all sectors, education was cut the least of any other sector of state government, as it should be. We have to do all we can to ensure that our districts have the funds necessary so that our students have an opportunity to be successful.”
Fain agreed that K-12 funding needs to take priority, even as lawmakers navigate their way through a difficult budget situation. Though he questions some of the education cuts made in the recent supplemental budget, he pointed out that active coalitions of parents are successful and necessary in preserving funding for things like levy equalization and other important education programs.
“Clearly if we fail to invest in education, the ripple effect of that choice is going to affect our criminal justice budget, it’s going to affect our businesses, it’s going to affect the ability for them to hire, it’s going to affect higher ed. It truly impacts every part of our economy and that’s not something we can allow to happen.”
Fain and Sullivan, along with State Rep. Jim Hargrove (R-Covington), also will be hosting two in-person town halls on Saturday, March 12. The first begins at 11:30 a.m. at Cutter’s Point Coffee in Covington (16739 SE 272nd St.) and the second, which will focus on education, begins at 2 p.m. at the Auburn School District Board Room (915 Fourth St. NE).