Letter from Michael Muto

Dear Legislators in the education funding workgroup, 

Yesterday the Seattle School District ratified their new contract. The district and teachers were very far a part when they began and the teachers showed remarkable flexibility. They moved from their original proposal of 21% increase in wages over 3 years and settled for just over 9%. The district moved just 2% off their initial proposal. The teachers and parents know that the bigger problem is with how our state funds education. As a parent of 2 elementary school children in Seattle this strike raised my awareness of just how broken the system is in Washington. The levy system is unfair and puts the burden on progressive districts who constantly approve levies to fund those districts that reject them. This needs to change now. 

I want to encourage you not just to meet the goals set out by the Supreme Court in the McCleary decision but to work creatively to propose a permanent and substantive revenue stream for education in Washington. This is NOT a partisan issue. Every parent of a public school student across the state expects you to do your paramount duty. Every business in the state wants a well educated workforce. Every business, non-profit, educational and research institution seeks to attract and retain the best and the brightest from around the world. Our regressive tax system and our criminal underfunding of education makes this a much harder task. 


I know the solution will likely involve paying more taxes as an individual and also forcing our large corporations to do their share. This is not easy but we elected you to make these difficult decisions, demonstrate to your constituents and businesses that this is important for them and for the future of our state. You are over 2 years in contempt of court, over 20 years late in providing adequate funding for education. The time is now. 


Thank you for your consideration,
Michael Muto

Seattle, WA