Political Story - I-1033

Outline:
Initiative 1033 – what it is
poor timing due to economy
How it could affect WSU students - tuition costs
Quote from Shea
Nontraditional students - Quote from Allison
TAPOR – how 1033 is similar and its affect on public education in Colorado
Quote from Dr. Reyer
Daily Evergreen - interview with Michael Largent


Initiative 1033

Students and residents of Pullman express concern about the implications of Initiative 1033 on the Pullman community. I-1033 will appear on Washington ballots Nov. 3.
Initiative 1033, written by political activist Tim Eyman, is largely advertised as a “lower property taxes” initiative. I-1033 proposes an inflation-controlled state spending limit beginning in 2010. The spending cap for future years would be determined by state spending for 2009. Excess taxes collected would be returned to taxpayers as rebates.
Due to the current state of the economy, state revenue in 2009 is projected to be low and therefore is considered by some news sources to be a dangerous precedent to set for future years when the economy is in recovery.
Students at Washington State University may risk facing additional financial stress if the initiative does pass. According to an example student budget on the Financial Aid page on www.wsu.edu, the cost of tuition for the for the 2009-2010 school year is $7600 for in-state students and $18, 676 for out-of -state students. These costs reflect the fourteen percent tuition increase incurred this fall as a result of state budget cuts announced in May.
Tuition will raise another fourteen percent next school year, and working students like junior Shea McVaugh are concerned that passing I-1033 will cause students to pay even more for tuition when the state is caused to cut corners on education budgets yet again.
“I know that everyone is hurting financially right now, but even when you propose cutting taxes, we all still pay those costs, just in different ways,” McVaugh said. “Tuition is shooting through the roof and I'm in student debt up to my eyeballs. If it goes up much more I will probably have to take time off from school to save money.”
The I-1033 may be especially harmful to non-traditional students, like apparel merchandising student Allison Bottemiller, who has a 6-month-old son. Bottemiller and her fiancé both work part-time and rely on programs from the state to pay for childcare services through the university so that they can attend class and work.
“At this point, the child care expenses I wouldn’t be able to sustain on my own,” Bottemiller said. “I worry that an initiative like this is going to both increase my tuition and take away programs that I rely on to get by. I might not be able to finish my degree without them.”
Many news documents on I-1033 compare the initiative to Colorado’s TAPOR program, passed in 1992. TAPOR was similar to the I-1033 proposal because it was also a equation-based funding program. As a result, funding for public education in Colorado was heavily cut. TAPOR is largely considered a financial disaster for Colorado and was suspended in 2005.
In a phone interview with Dr. Susan Reyes, Pullman School District Assistant Superintendent, Dr. Reyes said I-1033 could be similarly harmful in the Pullman community.
“It could potentially impact the level of support that we’re able to access from our community through taxes, and force us to cut corners,” Dr. Reyes said.
Dr. Reyes said that at this time, the PSD is not taking any measures to encourage Pullman residents to vote a certain way.
The Daily Evergreen, the WSU student-run newspaper, has published various opinion articles on I-1033, all of which encourage students to vote “no”. An article published on Oct 6, written by Derrick Skaug, quotes Whitman County Michael Largent. Largent was quoted saying that I-1033 would “force local governments to prioritize services”
“We have to consider anything, but there will be drastic changes,” said Largent.
Largent was unavailable to comment on any specific programs that may be affected by the passing of the initiative.


Sources:
Dr. Susan Reyes, Assistant Superintendent 509-332-3144 (by phone)
Shea McVaugh, student (360) 550-2757 (by e-mail)
Alison Bottemiller, student (360) 302-1253 (in person)