Gregoire calls for action on education

OLYMPIA — Gov. Christine Gregoire on Tuesday gave herself and the Democrat-controlled Legislature glowing marks for their achievements of the past two years but said lawmakers still face daunting challenges — especially in education.

"In too many cases, we are using 20th century tools to solve 21st century problems," she told lawmakers in her annual State of the State speech.

Gregoire, at the midway point in her four-year term, rattled off a long list of accomplishments in Olympia, such as restoring voter-approved pay raises for teachers, expanding health coverage for low-income children, and resolving long-standing water disputes between farmers and environmentalists.

"We delivered," she said.

Gregoire said much of it was done in an unprecedented spirit of bipartisan cooperation.

Republicans skeptical

Republicans, however, scoffed at that, pointing to her recent $30 billion budget proposal that calls for $4 billion in new spending over the next two years.

"She lives in a world where she [sees] bipartisanship," said Deputy House Republican Leader Doug Ericksen, R-Ferndale. "We haven't seen that on the Republican side. She proposed the largest spending increase in state history and we won't support that."

As in previous speeches, Gregoire's message included some veiled jabs at her predecessors.

"In the past, we saw a state without a clear vision for the future," Gregoire said. "Today we see hope, opportunity and steady progress toward a secure future."

Repeating themes

Past governors often used their annual speech to the Legislature as an opportunity to roll out new initiatives. But Gregoire's speech was mostly a rehash of the budget proposals she has trickled out during the past month in appearances around the state.

Gregoire talked most extensively about the need to pour more money into education, which is targeted in more than half of her proposed new spending.

"The best way to grow our economy and to secure a bright future for our children is to make significant investments in a renewed education system now," Gregoire said.

She lamented how poorly students have been performing in math and science and urged lawmakers to help her attack the problem.

Her budget includes about $197 million to boost math and science programs, and she repeated her goal of recruiting 750 new teachers in those areas.

Gregoire also devoted a lot of her speech to the pollution problems in Puget Sound, which she likened to a bathtub of toxic wastes. She has called for aggressive cleanup efforts.

"The goals for Puget Sound cleanup are pretty simple," she said. "I want families to be able to swim in it, fish in it and dig shellfish from its beaches."

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