Last year House Majority Leader Pat Sullivan (D-Kent) tried to cancel a planned reduction of local property taxes, but his bill didn’t pass.  This year, Rep. Sullivan introduced HB 1059, a second try to cancel this planned property tax cut. Yesterday morning House leaders placed HB 1059 on the House calendar for floor debate and a vote.  Then they canceled the vote. This morning House leaders again scheduled the bill for a vote, but again, after caucusing with their members, reversed themselves and adjourned for the day, killing consideration of HB 1059 for the time being. 

As I have written here and here , in 2010, lawmakers raised local property taxes, while promising the increase would be temporary. Lawmakers promised the people of Washington their taxes would return to normal rates on January 18, 2018.  Last Thursday the House Appropriations Committee passed HB 1059 out of committee, with 17 Democrats supporting passage and 15 Republicans voting against.

School officials have known of the planned local tax reduction for seven years.  Most of them are preparing budgets to operate schools after the planned tax cut takes effect.

Separately, school district budgets have never been so well-funded. Districts across the state are hiring more teachers and more non-teachers, and are giving their employees significant pay and benefit increases.  Currently, fewer than half of school employees are teachers.  School district spending has increased by nearly $3,000 per student in the last four years, to the highest level in state history. See our new study, “Trends in spending and learning in Washington’s schools, 2006-2016,” here.  

The people of Washington state have never been so generous in funding their schools, but they seldom hear lawmakers say “Thank you.”  People were promised a property tax cut in 2018, and now HB 1059 is trying to take that away.  House leaders dropping the bill for now is a positive sign, because sticking with the original commitment would go a long way towards restoring people’s faith in the promises lawmakers made in 2010.