I-920 pros and cons

The Olympian has the report this morning. An op-ed will follow shortly on its heels. (I know, 'cause I wrote it.) Props to one-time co-blogger David Johnston, quoted near the end:

"The class size initiative that was passed a few years ago at that time didn't have a dedicated funding source, but (Gov. Chris) Gregoire has tied it to this," said David Johnston, an English teacher at Capital High School in Olympia and president of the Olympia Education Association. The tax money "has had a huge effect in the Olympia School District, especially in the primary grades."

Teachers now get a half-dozen extra hours a year for staff development, training and collaborating, all part of what he called "coming up with a better mousetrap" for teaching. And extra teachers are hired when enrollment balloons, keeping class sizes more manageable, he said.

But if I-920 passes, Johnston said, the money would go away and lawmakers cannot be trusted to replace it from other sources.

Not very often.