Senate Democratic Leader Sharon Nelson released the statement below following the long-awaited passage of the levy cliff bill:

“I’d like to thank all of the students, teachers, principals, superintendents, parents, PTA members and everyone who worked tirelessly to finally convince Senate Republicans to relent and work with us to pass this bill.

“There was almost literally no student, teacher, family or school district that was immune to the potential devastation a $358 million cut would have had. Today I’m happiest for them.

“Now that we have passed the levy cliff bill, it is time to continue our work to fully and fairly fund education.

“Senate Democrats are completely dedicated to solving this issue and making sure that all 1.1 million students in our state have access to a world-class education.

“I hope Republicans will join us in this endeavor and resist the urge to reach this goal by relying entirely on billions of dollars in property taxes and devastating cuts.

“Let’s fully and fairly fund education in a way that benefits the most Washingtonians.”