I-645 WILL CUT FUNDING FOR K-12 EDUCATION AND EARLY LEARNING

Washington state is committed to fully funding K-12 education, making it an integral part of the state budget. When the Millionaires Tax passed earlier this year, lawmakers included the expected revenue it would generate in their funding decisions. But Initiative 645, spearheaded by multi-millionaire Brian Heywood, aims to repeal the Millionaires Tax and consequently the investments in education that lawmakers planned for. The result of this would be damaging for students. We would likely see larger class sizes in our schools, fewer opportunities for one-on-one support, and the elimination of the planned expansion of the free school meals program. 

Furthermore, I-645 would threaten early learning and child care at a time when those investments remain vulnerable as the state works to close budget deficits. Unlike K-12 education, our state is not mandated to fund early learning. And over the past two years, the sector has sustained over $1 billion in cuts and funding delays. The Millionaires Tax legislation aimed to alleviate this persistent underinvestment by directing 5 percent of the revenue generated by the tax into the Fair Start for Kids Account, providing dedicated funding to early learning. Passage of I-645 would remove millions of dollars in expected funding for this account, putting affordable, high-quality early learning and child care further out of reach for working families and undermining an investment our state cannot afford to lose.   

We urge you to vote NO on I-645 on the November ballot!