Bill would put people to work improving, repairing schools

THE OLYMPIAN | • Published February 13, 2010

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Across the state, Washington children are attending class in schools that don't meet basic standards. In Quilcene, elementary schools have 60-year-old windows and a leaky roof. In Lake Stevens, kids had to attend classes in their coats and hats when the heating system broke.

And across the state, thousands of Washingtonians are looking for work that hasn’t come.

There’s a solution to both problems if we have the courage to grasp it.

The JOBS Act of 2010 (Job Opportunities for Better Schools) will put people to work repairing schools across the state — such as replacing the roof on an elementary school. At the same time, the school will undertake energy-efficiency projects, such as installing insulation, window sealing and heat pumps, which will pay for themselves in energy savings — keeping the schools and kids warmer, saving money, and reducing our state’s carbon footprint.

A voter approved $850 million bond measure serves as seed money that keeps growing — from our initial investment, we get $2.5 billion worth of projects around the state, almost 40,000 new jobs (and the benefits of those paychecks going into local communities), and we save almost $190 million in lower energy bills.

The JOBS Act also would leave a lasting legacy for our state’s environment and economy. The energy efficiency measures would lower energy use, reducing our school’s carbon footprints.

The reduction in climate pollution is estimated to be equal to taking 158,000 cars off the road every year.

Energy savings also means cost savings.

Schools and universities are projected to save $190 million a year — money that could then be reinvested in our local schools for improving classroom instruction.

And with 65 percent of Washington schools built before 1969, doing needed upgrades to schools now can extend their life, saving taxpayers even more money.

In Washington, we have a long tradition of self-reliance when it comes to rebuilding our economy. In the 1970s, when faced with a severe economic downturn, Gov. Dan Evans put a public works bond measure on the ballot. It raised over $2.1 billion in today’s dollars, and was used to build schools, parks and even a sewer plant.

These building projects created jobs at a time when the state badly needed them, and left a lasting legacy of valuable public works.

The JOBS Act was the first bill to pass out of the state House of Representatives this legislative session.

We ask our state senators to move quickly to pass this legislation (House Bill 2561/Senate Bill 6547).

State voters deserve the chance to choose to put Washingtonians to work, building our kids a better future.

Joan Crooks is the executive director of Washington Environmental Council. Stan Price is the executive director of the Northwest Energy Efficiency Council.