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The Everett School District plans to send a letter today to all high school seniors outlining college financial aid opportunities.

"Essentially, our focus is to get all kids college ready," said Mary Waggoner, a school district spokeswoman. "In doing that, there is an obligation to get more information to parents" to help finance college.

Let the howling begin!

Gov. Chris Gregoire released her proposed state budget for the next two years and it won't make anybody happy. Gregoire trimmed $3.5 billion in funding for public schools, higher education and other areas to balance a budget in which revenue will likely be $5 billion to $6 billion less than originally anticipated.

By Maria Goodloe-Johnson
Special to The Times

Over the past few weeks, Seattle families have heard the difficult news that their child's school may close. I recognize how painful these decisions are. There is no good time to close school buildings and consolidate programs. But I also know these steps are absolutely necessary to improve the academic performance of this district.

GOV. Christine Gregoire's proposed two-year state budget is as lean and unsettling as the times that dictate hard choices.

OLYMPIA -- Unacceptable.

That's what advocates for education, health and social programs called the $3 billion in cuts Gov. Chris Gregoire proposes in a no-new taxes plan for bridging a $5.8 billion budget shortfall.

OLYMPIA - Gov. Christine Gregoire released an austere state budget proposal this morning that slashes more than $3.5 billion in funding for public schools, higher education, social services and other areas to help close the biggest budget shortfall in state history.

One of the most anticipated moments in Gov. Chris Gregoire's tenure arrives Thursday when she will release her spending blueprint for the next state budget.

Teacher quality is closely tied to student academic achievement, making Washington state's efforts to improve quality by getting more teachers to earn a National Board Certification worth lauding.

The chairman of a legislative task force exploring how to improve the way the state pays for K-12 education says a tax increase is the responsible way to pay for the roughly $3 billion worth of ideas in the group's final report.

The 14-member task force assembled by the Legislature 18 months ago to recommend improvements in the way Washington pays for K-12 education completed its work this week. The group will hand the 2009 Legislature a set of recommendations that would require roughly $2 billion more in state funding per two-year budget cycle to implement, according to a report by Associated Press writer Donna Gordon Blankinship.