The numbers are in. The Washington state Senate and House have released 2009-2011 budgets that propose closing a $9 billion shortfall with $1.3 billion in cuts to early learning, public schools and higher education.

This places state spending on public education at a level somewhere south of Mississippi. If I'm overstating things it isn't by much. These proposals would decimate educational initiatives proven to work.

Voter approved funding for reducing class sizes was gutted, even though our state has some of the largest class sizes in the nation. Who wants to guess lawmakers will likely go to voters with a revamped Initiative 728, the class-size initiative, this time with tax increases to pay for it attached?

Professional development for teachers was cut also (an odd thing to cut when everyone is talking about teacher quality and accountability). Also dramatically diminished was the money the state sends to property-poor districts that cannot raise as much from levies as can wealthier districts such as Bellevue or Seattle. The House departs from the Senate by not cutting this funding, which goes to about 200 of the state's nearly 300 school districts.

Suspension of cost-of-living adjustments for education employees was appropriate and expected. No one is getting raises right now. Indeed many people are losing their jobs.

Both budgets are austere enough that districts will have to cushion the blow with an expected $700 million in federal stimulus money.