Locke Proposals Would Shrink Classes, Ease Crowding

By Andrew Trotter

In his fourth State of the State Address, Gov. Gary Locke of Washington weighed improving children's education against the competing priorities of state highway projects and tax cuts—and pronounced education to be most vital to the state's future.

"Education is the sword of democracy, the Excalibur of opportunity, and yes, the great equalizer. Our children deserve the best," the Democratic governor told state legislators in his Jan. 11 speech.

But the state's children need smaller classes and more individual attention to reach high standards, he said. Although the state has been prosperous in recent years, it also has classrooms that are among the most crowded in...