Local Schools Brace for Special Session

By Molly Kelleher

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The deadline looms, Thursday marks the end of the legislative session. But if nothing is resolved on the budget, the governor may call a special session. And it's not free, it'll cost us all more money.

Story Published: Mar 11, 2010 at 9:12 PM PST

TRI-CITIES - The deadline looms, Thursday marks the end of the legislative session. But if nothing is resolved on the budget, the governor may call a special session. And it's not free, it'll cost us all more money.

Here's the math, it costs about $18,000 a day to do business in Olympia. That includes $90 per day for every lawmaker's per diem. So basically they may need to spend more money to figure out how to save money.
Local schools find that hard to swallow.

If the special session lasted five days that would pay for at least a teacher for a year at the Richland School District.

"That would pay for more than a teacher. It would be a teacher plus a paraeducator's time in the classroom. So it's equivalent to a fully staffed kindergarten class for a year," said John Steach Richland assistant superintendent.

Richland School District already slashed its budget last year because of state cuts. Now they're waiting for word from lawmakers; what's it going to be cut this time?

"We're trying to stretch every dollar," said John Morgan with Pasco School District.

Pasco schools are bracing for cuts and making some changes you might not notice, like in their light fixtures. There are supposed to be three bulbs in fixtures, but they took out one in each light to cut costs.

And they're trying to making their buses see less wear and tear by parking buses at parking lots instead of driving back and forth from the bus depot.

So while local schools are stretching every dollar, are lawmakers? Senate Republican leader Mike Hewitt from Walla Walla says the lawmakers themselves need to make some sacrifices.

He wants the per diem cost tossed if they go into special session. Lawmakers would have to pay for lodging and meals themselves.

But that's another bill the lawmakers would have to agree on and they'd have to keep spending your money to do it.