School districts to provide employees with a supplemental cost-of-living salary

OLYMPIA – In an effort to support teachers, the backbone of Washington’s educational system, Sen. Ken Jacobsen, D-Seattle, wants to ensure that any additional funding that comes from regular property tax levies for schools is used to provide collectively bargained regional cost-of-living salary supplements to school district employees.

“By providing cost-of-living salary supplements to school district employees, we are showing them how important their contributions are to the education of our children” Jacobsen said.

Jacobsen is the prime sponsor of Senate Bill 5570, which would direct the counties to distribute levy proceeds to each school district’s full-time employees in the prior school year, multiplied by the cost-of-living salary supplement for the counties. The cost-of-living salary supplement for each county would be calculated by the superintendent of public instruction.

“I believe that we should support our school district employees when they put in additional time and take on additional responsibilities,” said Jacobsen. “I believe the Legislature is looking at providing state patrolmen in the central Puget Sound region with similar supplemental wages and I think that our teachers should receive the same equal treatment.”

This bill is similar to legislation that Rep. Ross Hunter, D-Medina introduced last year. It has the support of Sens. Jeanne Kohl-Welles, Ed Murray, Erik Poulsen and Adam Kline.

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