On the 163rd day of the 2015 legislative session lawmakers reached a bipartisan agreement on a new two-year operating budget.

The final budget increases funding for schools by an unprecedented level.

It also includes a massive and nationally unheard of college tuition reduction.

Just as important, due to better prioritization and the benefits of economic growth in Washington, these important achievements were accomplished without new taxes.

The specific details will be released over the next few days but today, we can be thankful that state government will stay open without decisions that will harm our economy or hurt working families.

• School funding and teacher pay

…in 57 Seconds

Having a great teacher in every classroom is essential to providing all children with a world-class education.

Part of attracting and retaining high quality teachers includes good pay and benefits. However, Washington state has a highly inequitable system of paying teachers, which is highlighted by the fact that average pay in districts ranges anywhere from $40,000 to $80,000 per year in salary, with no correlation to the cost of living.

If you like the video please share it with your friends and family and contact me if you have any questions or a suggestion for a future video topic. Thanks for watching.