By Anthony Smtih, The Seattle Medium
Last Thursday, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal presented his plan for how revenue from the proposed “millionaire’s tax” could be used to address affordability concerns related to education and home ownership, should the legislation be approved by the state Legislature and governor. The proposal would impose a 9.9% tax on residents earning more than $1 million annually, directing new revenue toward some of the most pressing needs facing Washington residents.
Reykdal’s spending plan includes two years of free tuition at Washington’s public universities, universal school meals, expanded funding for basic K–12 education, and the elimination of instructional fees for dual-credit programs like Running Start. He also proposed eliminating state property taxes on the first $300,000 of assessed home value. According to Reykdal, the property tax proposal is aimed at easing pressure on middle-income homeowners.
“I will say unequivocally that if nothing else happened with existing revenue growth in this state budget over the next decade, we should prioritize universal access to higher learning at a minimum for four-year-olds,” Reykdal said.
“The middle class in this state is under duress, particularly from housing costs and the incredible growth of inflation,” he said. “One of the reasons families can’t go to college or don’t believe they can is because it is very costly. They are borrowing from their home equity to do that. They are borrowing from their retirement funds because our aid programs don’t really address that.”
To strengthen public education, Reykdal proposed directing $861 million annually to cover special education services, learning materials, student transportation, and other foundational needs.
“It’s really hard to be a middle-class family and survive anywhere, especially in our state,” Reykdal said. “The greatest thing we can do for an advantage for kids in success in school is early learning.”
His plan also allocates $110 million to provide free meals for all public-school students, ensuring no child goes without food during the school day.
“We have got to think about children first,” Reykdal said.
Reykdal endorsed the proposed millionaire’s tax as necessary to address affordability challenges and modernize Washington’s tax code, despite ongoing debates about its structure.
“If not a single thing changed or was amended in that bill, it would [mark] enormous progress for Washington State by changing the tax code to be more fair,” Reykdal said.
The proposed revenue plan remains dependent on legislative approval and the governor’s signature. Reykdal acknowledged the boldness of his proposal but said the moment calls for action.
“It’s timely, it’s bold. It’s the kind of thing that I believe is my job as a statewide elected official,” he said. “We do have to reshape the way we think around how to make this state an affordable state in the future.”
