What just happened in Washington state is a vivid example of why opposing public employee strikes was once a bipartisan priority .

School was supposed to begin late last month in Vancouver, Wash. But support staff workers in Evergreen Public Schools went on strike instead . The details of the dispute were entirely predictable. The union wanted pay increases of up to 15 percent over three years. The district offered pay hikes of up to 12.5 percent. The district said it’s staring down a $26 million funding gap over the next three years.

For perspective, this would be like the Clark County School District facing a budget shortfall of around $338 million. Evergreen Public Schools has around 22,000 students. The Clark County School District’s enrollment is about 13 times larger .

This math d

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