Washington State House Democrats

April 5, 2005

OLYMPIA – Democrats and Republicans in the House of Representatives united today to propose a construction budget that includes the largest package of state funding for local school construction needs in state history.

"This is a great budget that will get more school kids out of portables and into modern classrooms at far less costs to local taxpayers," said state Rep. Larry Springer, D-Kirkland. Springer serves on the House committee that crafted the proposed budget.

Springer noted that in the early 1980s the state paid about two-thirds of school construction costs, but in recent years local property taxes have shouldered two-thirds of these costs. The proposed House budget would reverse the cost-shift to local property taxes by bringing the state’s share of school construction costs back up to 40 percent of the total.

The funding plan includes $984,000 for major renovations to the Emily Dickinson and Rose Hill elementary schools in the Lake Washington School District.

Today’s bipartisan budget proposal includes over $15 million in funding for other needs in the 45^th legislative District, including:

Springer, who also serves as Vice-Chair of the House Housing Committee, lauded the proposed budget’s $20 million addition to the state’s Housing Trust Fund.

"This increase would have a huge impact on our ability to help communities address homelessness, farmworker housing and low-income housing issues across the state," he said.

According to Springer, the construction projects funded by the proposed House Capital Budget would generate about 95,000 jobs statewide.

"I’m very pleased Democrats and Republicans worked together to offer a budget that can take advantage of low interest rates to create good jobs, meet community needs and build more and better schools for our future," said Springer.

The total construction budget announced today is $3.08 billion.