Public education fares
well in ballot measures

Public education was the winner by two-to-one in nine state initiatives submitted to voters in six states on Nov. 2. Voters supported public education in six of the nine contests.

Washington state voters supported an initiative backed by the Washington Education Association to repeal the charter school law just passed by the Legislature. Voters rejected a one cent sales tax increase for education funding.

Nevada voters decided two key initiatives: Education First passed and now requires the Legislature to set the education budget prior to approving other program funding. The other initiative would have required Nevada ’s education spending per student to at least equal the national average by 2012. It failed.

In Oklahoma, voters approved two initiatives: One creates a state run lottery to help fund education and the other establishes a Lottery Trust Fund to support education.

The South Dakota Education Association helped defeat a proposal that would have allowed schools to pay for transportation and food services for children in private schools.

Arkansas voters defeated a referendum calling for a 3-mill increase in property taxes to support school funding.

By a wide margin, Maine voters defeated a proposal to set a strict cap on property taxes.