State budget realities may challenge McKenna, Inslee
Washington's next governor is projected to start the job with a growing budget. That extra revenue may not be enough to fulfill the state's education-funding obligations.
A forecast released this week said state revenue will grow by about 3.5 percent per year for the two-year cycle beginning July 2013. But many of those gains will be consumed by other growth in state government, such as the resumption of cost-of-living adjustments for teachers, medical-care cost increases and general growth in reliance on state services.