OLYMPIA, Wash. — Did Dave Reichert actually claim that Washington’s teachers are overpaid, as Bob Ferguson’s campaign ad suggests?
Reichert, a Republican, is running against Democrat Bob Ferguson in the race for Washington state governor.
In a Ferguson campaign ad, the phrase Reichert: public school teachers are overpaid appears on screen during interviews with teachers. One teacher, Rebecca Lewis, says, When I heard Dave Reichert say that public school teachers are overpaid, I was disgusted.
However, Reichert denies making that statement. Never said it, he told KING 5 in an interview, emphasizing that he does not believe Washington teachers are overpaid.
Washington’s teachers rank fourth in the nation for average annual salaries, with the average pay being just under $87,000.
I never said I want to reduce teachers’ pay, Reichert added.
Reichert claims that Ferguson’s campaign took his comments from a June interview with The Seattle Times out of context. During that interview, Reichert was asked about addressing school funding inequities in the state.
“It’s not a revenue problem, it’s a spending issue, Reichert said. We need to evaluate where the money in our educational system is going. We have some of the highest-paid teachers—didn’t used to be that way, but we do now. I think we need to prioritize spending.
While Reichert never explicitly said teachers are overpaid, Ferguson argues the implication is clear.
Humans communicate in different ways, Ferguson said, noting that the campaign posted the full video of Reichert’s comments on social media in July. He added that there’s no need to clarify the ad further.
There’s no way you can hear his response to that question and not see his point about spending, Ferguson said. The only example he gives about spending is teacher salaries.