Candidates for governor delving into the issues

By Ralph Thomas
Seattle Times Olympia bureau

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Democrat Christine Gregoire yesterday unveiled her plan for improving Washington's education system and attacking what she called a "dropout crisis."

Meanwhile, her main Democratic opponent, King County Executive Ron Sims, today plans to start a new Web site that will give voters an interactive look at what has become the cornerstone of his campaign: overhauling the state's tax system.

And Republican Dino Rossi today is scheduled to announce his plan for boosting the state's business climate by streamlining government regulations.

In what promises to be the most expensive gubernatorial race in state history, the candidates have been spending most of their time raising money and setting up their campaigns. But they also have been honing their messages on what they would do if elected.

Gregoire, nearing the end of her third term as attorney general, rolled out her 11-page "Making the Grade" education plan yesterday in Spokane at an annual meeting of school principals and administrators from across the state. The plan points to problems throughout the state's education system.

For instance, it says the state's dropout problem has reached a "boiling point." Though her plan doesn't offer many specifics for tackling the problem, it says Gregoire will make it a top priority.

According to a recent study, a third of high-school students in the state do not graduate on time. The graduation rate is even lower for Latino and African-American students. Some graduate later or get a GED, but many quit altogether.

"The next governor needs to focus on this dropout crisis and keep the spotlight on it until the problem is fixed," Gregoire's plan says.

Gregoire also would boost teacher pay and use pay incentives to help attract teachers in high-demand fields such as math, science and special education. The plan, though, doesn't suggest how to pay for such changes. It does call for a study of the state's school-funding system.

The plan also points to a looming enrollment crisis at the state's colleges and universities. Just to keep pace with current enrollment rates, the state would need to add nearly 34,000 new enrollment slots by 2010, the plan says.
 
Gregoire said she will look for ways to increase state funding for new enrollment spots and called for a study to gauge the need for a new four-year university. The plans also calls for tying tuition rates to family-income levels, so that "middle-class families do not have to carry the same burden as the well-off."

Sims, hoping to appeal to ardent Democrats, is turning up the volume on his call for a major tax overhaul. He says the state's current tax system is bad for the economy, unfair to poor people and fails to provide stable funding for education, health care and transportation.

Though he says he is still working on his plan, Sims has called for revamping business taxes, reducing or eliminating the state sales tax and reducing property taxes. He says the state should instead rely on a graduated personal-income tax that puts a bigger burden on the wealthy.

Starting today, his campaign Web site will include an interactive "tax-reform workshop." The site will explain the major pieces of the state's tax structure, then give people a chance to try their hand at crafting a new system.

Sims also is planning a tax-reform road show. He is sending out invitations this week for a series of town-hall meetings across the state, starting with a July 10 gathering at the Ballard Community Center.

Rossi, who left the state Senate last year to run for governor, will make a campaign appearance today in Seattle to lay out his proposal for a new Cabinet-level "regulatory reform office."

The office, modeled after a program started by New York Gov. George Pataki, would work to weed out unnecessary regulations or those that "hurt job and business growth," according to Rossi's campaign.

Rossi also wants to require state agencies to put all new major regulations through a cost-benefit test to make sure they will not harm businesses.

Ralph Thomas: 360-943-9882 or rthomas@seattletimes.com