Pro / Con
Pro: Vote 'yes' for our future

By Bill Gates Sr
Special to The Times

Bill Gates

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Related stories Con: Vote 'no' to more of the same

I might appear an unlikely champion of Initiative 884. I am committed to tax reform, and I am no fan of initiatives. Yet my enthusiasm for the education initiative is unwavering.

I am deeply passionate about our public schools. I know I-884 is the right answer at the right time for our schools, our children and our future.

I am not alone. A diverse coalition has rallied behind this initiative — from the state's largest corporations to small, grass-roots organizations fighting for the poor.

Our state faces a crisis that has the power to touch every one of us. If we do not respond swiftly and boldly, we are headed for trouble.

It is no mystery what happens when we do not educate our children well: Individually, they suffer; collectively, we pay.

Quite simply, our state's prosperity and well-being depend on how well we prepare our sons, daughters and grandchildren to succeed in school and meet the demands of our economy. When we fail, we slam the door of opportunity on our children. Businesses find qualified workers elsewhere. Our economy suffers.

Washington is already behind. Warning signs exist at every level of our public education system.

One of every three students in Washington does not graduate from high school. Half our state's African-American and Latino students drop out. Part of the trouble is thousands of low-income children are not ready for school when they start kindergarten. Too many who start behind stay behind.

Many of those who do graduate face a shortage of space at our community colleges and universities. If we do not act soon, more than 30,000 hard-working students will find a no-vacancy sign when they apply for higher education. To make matters worse, rising tuition costs mean too many strong students cannot afford college.

I-884 is a straightforward, common-sense solution. It will improve our education system from preschool all the way through higher education.

We know good preschools make a difference, particularly for low-income children. Students who attend high-quality preschools are far more likely to graduate from high school and twice as likely to go to college. Preschool investment pays. Every dollar invested in quality preschool saves $4 to $7 in reduced crime, welfare and health costs. I-884 will give an additional 16,000 children from low-income families access to good preschools.

In addition, every school district in Washington will receive additional funding to reduce class sizes, support teachers and provide extra attention for both struggling and high-achieving students.

The initiative will provide 32,000 additional enrollments in two-year and four-year colleges and universities, including 7,000 enrollments in high-demand fields like nursing, computer science and engineering. It will also keep higher education affordable for thousands of working families every year by supporting 7,000 new Promise Scholarships and increased financial aid for 9,000 students.

Business leaders understand the importance of a well-educated workforce. Over 100 large and small businesses across the state, including Microsoft, Starbucks and Washington Mutual, have endorsed I-884.

Groups fighting poverty also recognize the importance of an adequately funded education system. Organizations such as the Children's Alliance, the Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle, the Minority Executive Director's Coalition, and ACORN (the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now) have all endorsed I-884.

I-884 is funded by a 1-cent-on-the-dollar increase in the state sales-tax rate. Food, rent, health care and transportation are all exempt from our state's sales tax. That means a family earning $52,000 per year would pay about $18 per month in additional sales taxes.

This is our only option. There is no other revenue alternative on the horizon. Everybody pays the sales tax, and everybody benefits from education. Our tax system needs an overhaul, but our children cannot wait while we argue about how to do it.

This is one initiative we can support with confidence. I-884 establishes a dedicated education trust fund that can only be used for specified education improvements. A citizens' oversight board, that includes the state auditor, will ensure every dollar is used wisely.

All of our children deserve a quality education — no matter where they live or how much money their families make. I-884 is our best chance to make sure they get what they deserve.

Bill Gates Sr. is co-chairman of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and was chairman of the Washington State Tax Structure Study Committee.