It was initially thought of as a April Fool’s joke, but when the reality struck that Governor Christine Gregoire had in fact vetoed parts of the supplemental budget on Tuesday, April 1, 2008, students weren’t laughing.

On the chopping block of Gregoire’s pen on Tuesday was the $1 million boost in child care for two- and four-year colleges as well as money for a new mental health counselor at the University of Washington, Washington State University and other four-year schools.

“I called our student lobbyist” said Tyler Dockins, president of the Associated Students of the University of Washington, “and told him that Gregoire had just vetoed the mental health bill and the child care funding. ‘Haha, April Fool’s,’ he said, but then I forwarded him the veto letter. He was almost ready to cry.”

According to Dockins, the child care funding was a top priority for both the ASUW and the Washington Student Lobby, the only statewide, student-led association for public institutions of higher education.

“I don’t know what she’s doing. She’s a Democrat, and it’s an election year,” said one UW student, “is she trying to appear fiscally conservative?”

It will be interesting to see how this all pans out as the Governor is slated to begin her statewide bus tour on April 7, 2008.

Watch for more news like this when Seattle Politicore Senior Editor Liz Burlingame hops on board and rides along for 10 cities in four days of biodiesel bus madness.