Oregon Public Broadcasting

Teachers would be laid-off, a prison would close and tens-of-thousands of Washingtonians would lose healthcare coverage. Those are just some of the nearly $4 billion in cuts proposed by Democrats in the Washington State Senate.

Monday they unveiled their spending plan for the next two years. Olympia correspondent Austin Jenkins has details.

Senate Democrats cut about a billion dollars in public school funding. That translates to 2500 teacher lay-offs and larger class sizes next fall.

In higher ed, 10,000 fewer students would be able to attend Washington’s colleges and universities.

Senate budget chair Margarita Prentice acknowledged the pain the budget will cause.

Sen. Margarita Prentice: “And I’m sure I have friends sitting out there, at least possibly former friends, that are going to say 'how on earth could they ever have done that.' Well, you can’t spend money you don’t have.”

The Senate’s budget for the next two years aims to close a $9 billion shortfall. Other cuts include: closing McNeil Island prison, selling the governor’s airplane, and reducing reimbursement rates to hospitals and healthcare providers.

Advocates call the cuts devastating. Minority Republicans say Democrats are proposing dramatic cuts in order to make the case to the public for a tax increase.

Tuesday Washington House Democrats will release their two-year spending plan. Then the two chambers will work to reconcile the differences.

In the end they have to pass one budget and send it to the Governor for her approval.