By Edward Quedado
Special to the Reporter
Earlier this year, in a letter to some of the leading figures generating a draft for an early childhood education program that would revise the state’s definition of basic education to include pre-school, Gov. Christine Gregoire affirmed her commitment “to the principle that a basic education program should be open to any child needing the program regardless of income.”
The distinction is an important one as whatever falls in the definition legally qualifies for what the state must fund. In this light, Gregoire faces a short-term test to her commitment concerning the state’s Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program, a pre-school program and family support service that serves some of the poorest families in the state.
In her 2010 supplemental budget released Dec. 9, the governor outlined a budget devoid of any new tax revenues as it is required by law. However, she quickly distanced herself from the budget in a letter accompanying the budget:
“The reductions I propose are too hurtful and damaging, and do not represent my values or the values I know most of our citizens hold. I have done as much as I can for now with reforming how we do business and with cutting or eliminating services, so I am analyzing other sources of revenue so we can continue to deliver these critically important services for our most vulnerable citizens and children.”
The budget proposed cutting approximately $10.5 million for more than 1,500 three-year-old students. Four-year-old student slots appear to be untouched for the moment. Given roughly 93 percent of the Department of Learning’s funding is devoted to ECEAP, alternatives to reducing the department’s funding were limited. The governor’s second budget, expected in mid-January, is expected to contain funding to restore nearly $700 million in services. She has yet to specify exactly how the funding will be bundled but it is widely expected that a tax hike will play a part in the funding for the restoration package.
While nothing is set in stone until the governor releases her second budget, those working closely with ECEAP are scrambling to prevent the potential reduction.
Even before the budget was announced, Joel Ryan, executive director of the Washington State Association of Head Start & ECEAP, called on Gregoire to continue her support for the program, even in light of the looming budgetary tightrope walk. He suggested that instead of reducing funding to the already stressed program, which recently cut 173 slots to help meet the $9 billion shortfall, politicians in Olympia may want to look into bridging tax loopholes or consider raising additional revenue.
“It requires political courage,” Ryan said. “That’s what they get elected to do. It shouldn’t be just lower income and middle income people that have to absorb all the cuts. There’s a basic fairness issue; I think there are a lot of upper and middle-income people who are willing to pay a little more.”
All the while, record waiting lists have developed; throughout Washington, nearly 3,300 three and four year-old low-income children remain on waiting lists to enroll in ECEAP. Citing the economic downturn, that number may be on the rise, Ryan said.
“The message I’m trying to get across is that the waiting list is growing,” Ryan said. “There are people who would’ve never thought they’d be eligible for ECEAP.”
State Rep. Larry Seaquist, D-Gig Harbor, expressed concern for the potential of cutting into a program that provides short and long-term benefits.
“We all know ECEAP is underfunded,” Seaquist said. “It has a very powerful impact on those kids and families. ECEAP is smart business. We need more of that. We’re trying hard to hang on to the preventative things and spend money in the smart places and early learning is a very smart investment.”
On the subject of funding, Seaquist said his constituents are very unlikely to support a tax hike. Rather, he favors shifting funding priorities in existing agencies and cutting wasteful spending.
“In my view, before we get to the governor’s cuts, we need to make sure that we have run [out] every excess person and squeeze everything out of the state government that we can squeeze,” Seaquist said.
While chatter around Olympia has raised the notion of a potential tax hike, Seaquist fought the notion.
“That’s why I’m so focused on government efficiency and program cuts, protecting some things over other things because I don’t believe that my voters are particularly interested in new taxes. They’re hurting. They’re missing jobs. They’re unemployed. They’re just barely getting by. They’re not volunteering to raise their taxes.
State Rep. Gary Alexander R-Olympia, the ranking republican on the House Ways and Means Committee said that while early child education is a worthwhile investment, it must be prioritized.
“We need to think about these areas right now that are going to put people back to work today in this session,” Alexander said. “It should be about the budget and job creation and a little bit of focus on public safety.”
Alexander said that funding in education could be better put to use toward such programs as worker training programs in community colleges.
“It’s not that I’m not a big supporter for ECEAP,” Alexander said. “It’s one of the bills I supported when I first came here in 1997. But when we have to look at our priorities for basic education, anything outside the definition has to be put on the table.”
