For months, Rep. Glenn Anderson (R-Fall City) has been promoting his plan to "fund education first" to any one who would listen. Basically, Anderson argues that, since providing education is the "paramount duty" of the state, it makes sense to set the education budget first. After that, let all the other priorities compete for the rest of the money.
The Herald is buying it. Their Sunday editorial concludes:
Funding education first would have a positive ripple effect on the rest of the budget, because it would force an open, honest look at spending priorities. Think of what that could do for voter trust.
The editorial board of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer is nearly there:
One Republican legislator has offered a bracing way to focus the Legislature's attention on education. Rep. Glenn Anderson, R- Fall City, author of a dissenting minority report on the forthcoming Washington Learns Report, suggests requiring that the Legislature adopt the education budget before the rest of the budget. It might be a way to keep priorities straight.
With the Washington Learns report expected to dominate education debate next session, Anderson's idea is certainly worth a closer look.
