Independent pollster Stu Elway surveys local election officials every five years or so to see what’s on their mind as the most important “issues or opportunities” facing their area for the next five or 10 years. This year, with the state and nation still mired in recession, it was no surprise to see that budget concerns were the top thing mentioned by six out of 10 officials. In 2005, budget pressures were mentioned by only 35 percent and in 1999,…
Congratulations to Sheryl Kindle Fullner, teacher librarian at Nooksack Valley Middle School in Everson, WA, on the publication of her book, The ShoeString Library, by ABC-CLIO! The publisher describes the book thusly: An organized collection of budget saving methods, materials, and strategies, these tips are all tried-and-true examples of ways to stretch the media specialist’s budget and time, and change even the drabbest library into an inviting oasis of learning. Makeovers are mesmerizing. Whether it is the 400-pound man who…
It’s a slow, hard uphill climb, but Washington’s battered economy is slowly recovering. A new report out from the state Economic and Revenue Forecast Council on Thursday, a preview of the June forecast, paints a somber, yet sort-of-optimistic, picture of recovery. The economy has grown in each of the last three quarters, consumer sales have been stronger than forecast, and jobs are being created again, writes chief economist Arun Raha. He adds: “Consumers appear to be willing to spend in…
In recognition of National Library Week, the Huffington Post’s Art Brodsky has posted a timely article decrying the all-too-frequent budget crisis in libraries across the country. He cites cuts in places such as Boston, Florida, New Jersey, Indianapolis, etc. He also links to the recent UW iSchool study which reports on the use of library computers for Internet access, and its increasing importance in the lives of Americans everywhere. Here’s the final paragraph from the post: Let’s give the last…
Furloughs – or “temporary layoffs” – are still being considered as one way to help close a big state government budget gap. It’s still not clear whether the final budget plans will actually lead to agencies shutting for a day a month, as some states have done. The Senate voted 30-11 on Tuesday to keep the money-saving idea alive. The revised legislation, Senate Bill 6503, envisions saving roughly $50 million by imposing 10 days-off-without-pay during the upcoming fiscal year – or…
Washington lawmakers are back at it. After a three-day pass to go home, the Legislature gathered back at the Capitol at noon Monday to kick off a new special session that can last up to 30 days. Lawmakers’ main task is to plug a $2.8 billion budget hole that developed after the 2009 Legislature adjourned last April 26. Last year, they fixed a $9 billion budget gap without needing higher general taxes, but this year, the majority Democrats are planning…
Time sure flies when you’re having fun … and Washington lawmakers just can’t get enough of the Capitol. The 60 days allotted for election-year sessions expire at midnight Thursday evening, and by now the House and Senate leaders are facing up to the prospect of going into overtime. The two chambers, both with big Democratic majorities, are still at odds over the size and composition of a tax package. The Senate’s tax package is over $890 million and includes a…
As state legislators work to fix a projected $2.8 billion budget hole before the 2010 legislative session ends in March, the Washington State Library once again is in the crosshairs. Gov. Gregoire’s budget proposal would ax $2 million from the State Library, resulting in 31 full-time or part-time workers losing their jobs. That’s one-third of the library’s staff. The jobs lost would impact the library’s reference desk, the acquisition and cataloguing of material and preservation of old newspapers. It also…
The Washington State Library made the front page of the Olympian this morning. Unfortunately the headline reads: “State Library Faces Cuts.” I’ll keep my fingers crossed that one day in the future we’ll make it to the front page again with a better headline, something like “State Library prospers in new age of cultural awareness.” In the meantime, the article has some information on what’s going on at the State Library and the sorts of cuts we’re anticipating. Similar versions…
It shouldn’t be any great surprise, but state government caseloads are growing during this lingering awful recession – and there a price to be paid, roughly $250 million. That could well force a new round of budgetary belt-tightening in the 2010 legislative session. The nonpartisan state Caseload Forecast Council has released new projections that show more demand for Medicaid and children’s heath coverage, the welfare program called General Assistance-Unemployable (GAU), and nursing home care. This follows a recent downgrade of the state revenue forecast…