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Inside Olympia – Schools and Budget

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Inside Olympia – January 28, 2021

Pressure is growing to get students back into classrooms, but will that happen any time soon? And what should state lawmakers do to help schools and students make up for months of remote learning?

We ask those questions and more of State Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal. Reykdal also just announced a cooperative plan with Kaiser Permanente to speed up vaccinations for teachers and other school employees.

On the state budget front, legislative Democrats are fast-tracking a $2.2-billion COVID relief package. What do Republicans think of the proposal? And how do the parties differ on whether new taxes are needed to fund the 2021-23 state operating budget, which lawmakers must agree on during the current legislative session. An in-depth interview with the new Republican budget leaders in the State Senate, Lynda Wilson of Vancouver.