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OLYMPIA -- Mid-Columbia school districts would reap more than $147 million to repair decaying or unhealthy buildings if lawmakers put a $3 billion bond measure on the ballot in November and voters approve it.
House Bill 2334, known as the Washington Works Act, was introduced Monday by Rep. Hans Dunshee, D-Snohomish, and is intended to create up to 90,000 jobs while modernizing public buildings and making them healthier and more energy efficient.
Dunshee likened the bill to the public works projects that put people to work during the Great Depression.
"This is about jobs and schools," Dunshee said at a news conference. "We as legislators ought to be able to do more than one thing. We are balancing the budget, but I think most people out there really care more about the economy and jobs, about their own jobs. Let's do what the (Works Projects Administration) did and put people to work."
About $2 billion would be divided among K-12 school districts based on number of students. Each district would get $2,008 per full-time equivalent student, with a minimum allocation of $100,000.
Another $286 million would be spent modernizing buildings in the state's community and technical college system.
Four-year universities also would get a slice of the pie, with the University of Washington getting $79.1 million and Washington State University getting $45.7 million. Another $71.5 million would be divided among the state's four other public universities.
Dunshee proposes to use $300 million to make other public facilities more energy efficient.
He estimated the money would create 30 jobs for every $1 million spent, or up to 90,000 jobs over a one- or two-year period.
But Dunshee couldn't say whether the proposal might have a tax attached to repay the debt. He's waiting to see whether House Democrats propose a tax to shore up the operating budget before he finalizes any plans for a revenue package to support the bond measure.
A proposal to create a 1 percent annual income tax for people earning more than $500,000 is pending in the Senate. That also could end up on the ballot as a referendum in November.
State Treasurer Jim McIntire criticized the bond proposal, saying it's too large and would jeopardize the state's bond rating.
The state constitution limits the amount of debt the state can take on by capping debt repayments at 9 percent of general fund revenues, excluding property taxes. But bond proposals in the House and Senate capital budget proposals unveiled last week would put debt repayments for the state at about 8.75 percent of revenues.
Voter-approved bond measures such as the one Dunshee is proposing are exempt from the constitutional limit, but McIntire said taking on too much debt can affect the state's credit rating the same way that having too many credit cards can damage individuals.
"We need to live within our means," McIntire said in a written statement. "Though we clearly have significant capital needs at our schools and universities, borrowed money is a limited resource that should be managed carefully. The $3 billion of added debt called for in HB 2334 is too much. It would threaten our credit rating and would affect the rest of our investments in transportation and public infrastructure."
Mid-Columbia school officials contacted by the Herald on Monday had not seen the proposal and said they could not comment.
Proposed allocations for local school districts:
-- Columbia (Burbank), $1,896,301
-- Dayton, $1,061,274
-- Finley, $1,982,406
-- Grandview, $6,607,788
-- Kahlotus, $222,150
-- Kennewick, $29,247,927
-- Kiona-Benton, $3,073,159
-- Mabton, $1,921,643
-- Moses Lake, $14,376,812
-- North Franklin, $3,662,039
-- Othello, $6,723,532
-- Pasco, $26,142,217
-- Paterson, $279,379
-- Prosser, $5,615,571
-- Richland, $20,400,038
-- Sunnyside, $11,258,451
-- Touchet, $713,640
-- Waitsburg, $761,733
-- Walla Walla, $11,892,915
-- Warden, $1,936,723
-- Washtucna $214,640
