Politics & Government
Patch Candidate Q&A: Ruth Kagi, 32nd District Representative Position 2
Kagi says quality of education including preschool education most pressing issue; she will support gay marriage and legalization of marijuana for adults
NAME: Ruth Kagi
OFFICE SOUGHT: State Representative 32nd District Position #2
PARTY AFFILIATION: Democrat
TOWN OF RESIDENCE: Seattle
CURRENT OCCUPATION: State Representative
PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND: Public policy analyst; community volunteer
WEBSITE: ruthkagi.org
WHAT IS THE MOST PRESSING ISSUE FACING VOTERS IN YOUR DISTRICT: The quality of education in our schools, and providing quality pre-school education to children most in need to assure that they get to school ready to succeed.
Funding for our schools has been severely impacted by the enormous revenue
losses over the past four years. The Supreme Court in the McCleary decision
stated that the legislature is not meeting its constitutional obligation to
amply fund education.
The Supreme Court has directed the legislature to fund education reforms
passed by the legislature in 2009 and 2010. The reforms require
implementation of full day kindergarten, reduced K-3 class sizes and
increased funding for transportation, maintenance and supplies. The bills
require education funding to be based on "prototype schools" which will
allow the public to understand what state dollars are funding. The reforms
also include a new teacher evaluation system and professional development
opportunities for teachers. The estimated cost of funding these reforms in
the next biennium ranges from $1.2 billion to over $4 billion.
The legislature also passed a bill in 2010 to expand the state's pre-school
program to serve all eligible low income children. Research clearly shows
that this investment will improve outcomes in our K-12 schools, and greatly
reduce the need for remedial education.
Finally, our higher education system has taken devastating cuts over the
past four years and tuition has increased dramatically as a result. In
order to keep higher education accessible to middle class families, we must
find a new financial model for higher education.
IF ELECTED, WHAT WILL YOU DO IN THE FIRST SIX MONTHS IN OFFICE TO ADDRESS THIS ISSUE? The funding of our K-12 schools, pre-school for low income children and funding for higher education will have to be addressed next
session in the bi-ennial budget. Because the legislature has cut more than
$10 billion in funding to education, social and health services and all
functions of state government over the past four years, it is highly
unlikely that additional budget reductions can or should be taken to fund
education. Some increased revenue from our improving economy will be
available to fund our education needs, but a large gap is likely to remain.
The legislature should look at a wide range of proposals for new revenue to
specifically fund education including closing tax loopholes and identifying
new revenue sources. Because the state does not have an income tax, the tax
burden currently falls disproportionately on low income people. Washington
has the most regressive tax system in the nation. The legislature needs to
consider legislation that does not increase this regressivity (such as
increasing the sales tax) but instead taxes individuals who are most able to
pay.
DO YOU SUPPORT/OPPOSE REFERENDUM 74: SHOULD GAY MARRIAGE BE LEGAL IN WASHINGTON? BRIEFLY, WHY? I strongly support referendum 74 because the state should provide legal recognition for all families in the state.
Washington has many policies that recognize the importance of strong
families, and this should be one of them. Children growing up in families
with same sex parents deserve the same stability and legal protections as
families with a mom and a dad.
Why shouldn't two people who love each other and want to make a commitment
to each other be granted the right to marry?
DO YOU SUPPORT/OPPOSE, INITIATIVE 502 TO MAKE SMALL AMOUNTS OF MARIJUANA LEGAL TO PEOPLE 21 AND OLDER? BRIEFLY, WHY? This initiative has been difficult for me, as I have seen the destruction marijuana can have on
adolescents, changing their life course forever. But the fact is adolescents, and anyone else, can easily buy marijuana now. Prohibition has not worked. I would rather make purchase of small amounts of marijuana
legal, assuring that the product is safe and regulated. There have been
numerous cases recently of individuals buying "synthetic" marijuana and
suffering kidney failure. In the current market, no one can be sure exactly
what they are buying and whether or not it is toxic.
Ten years ago, I sponsored and passed a major drug reform bill that reduced
sentences for non-violent drug offenses, and invested the savings from our
prison system into drug courts. Despite that change, individuals continue
to be arrested and prosecuted for possession of marijuana, wasting millions
of tax dollars and often creating insurmountable barriers for people to get
an education or a job. The Children's Alliance endorsed the initiative
because of the disproportionate impact of drug laws on minority populations,
and the tremendous toll this takes on children in families made unstable by
the arrest and prosecution of a parent for possession of marijuana. I have
concluded that legalizing the drug, regulating it, and taxing it would be an
improvement and would provide revenue for education and treatment.
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