Senator shares post-session views

Ninth District Senator Mark Schoesler, R-Ritzville, stopped by the Gazette office Monday afternoon and fielded a few questions.

First up was the state's school funding problem, which surfaced after state funding was changed in the wake of the McCleary decision, which has a lot to do with school districts around the state making commitments "beyond their means," Schoesler noted.

“Some of these (teachers' pay contracts) were totally unsustainable,” he said.

He added the last-minute move by the legislature to tack another dollar onto the local levy lid, from $1.50 up to $2.50, could send the stat...