OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) - Just a day after the Seattle SuperSonics proposed a gleaming new $500 million arena for the south Seattle suburb of Renton, the powerful speaker of the state House all but pronounced the plan dead on arrival at the Legislature.

"I'm sorry, but the education of our kids is simply a much higher priority," Rep. Frank Chopp, D-Seattle, told reporters Wednesday.

Sonics owner Clay Bennett made a personal pitch for the new proposal on Tuesday before a Senate committee headed by a sympathetic chairwoman, Margarita Prentice, a Democrat who represents Renton. Gov. Chris Gregoire promised to study the plan, but didn't offer an immediate endorsement.

For weeks, House and Senate leaders have said their colleagues are uninterested in professional sports venues, such as a Sonics arena or a proposed new NASCAR racetrack near Bremerton.

On Wednesday, Chopp offered his strongest criticism yet. He said he wasn't declaring the plan dead, but took great pains to denounce it as a grab by wealthy businessmen for a playground for the rich.

The speaker has broad power to determine the House's agenda, and his comments indicate that the Sonics' plan likely would hit a brick wall in the House if it ever emerged from the Senate. When he has been this adamant, such as in opposition to a waterfront tunnel for Seattle or private financing of a Tacoma Narrows Bridge, Chopp has always prevailed.

"I just know that our caucus members have much higher priorities, for schools and health care," he said.

Lawmakers have a constitutional duty to support public education and other social needs, such as housing, also are of greater urgency than a sports arena, he said.

Chopp ticked off other reasons to oppose the plan:

-The regional economy is already booming without the new facility.

-The plan was tardy in arriving and only two weeks remain before a key committee deadline.

-The Sonics already have a place to play, KeyArena in Seattle.

-In his view, the club spends wildly for player salaries. "They ought to get their own financial house in order when their payroll is over $50 million for, what is it, 10 players? I think that's a little ridiculous. They need to get their own financial house in order and if they did, they wouldn't have to ask for public help."

He said he can't stomach diverting money from school kids "for something where the courtside seats cost a thousand bucks? Give me a break!"

-The Sonics have rejected a public vote on a plan, unlike the NFL Seattle Seahawks.

-The threat of the Sonics leaving so they can make more money elsewhere? "That's not my concern."

Asked about the speaker's comments, Bennett spokesman Jim Kneeland declined to rate the Sonics' chances now.

"We don't know. We'll keep pushing ahead," he said in an interview. "The speaker has one vote. We hope he will keep an open mind."

The Sonics' plan wouldn't add new taxes and wouldn't directly affect schools, Kneeland said. The multipurpose arena would be a "tax-generating economic engine" for the region, not a drain, he said.

Kneeland said the new arena has only been an abstract concept until now, but that Chopp and legislators will be able to dig into the actual details. He said Gregoire has been supportive, but apparently will hold back and wait for legislative debate to unfold.

Reps. Eric Pettigrew, D-Seattle, and Fred Jarrett, R-Mercer Island, will sponsor the Sonics' plan in the House, he said.

The Sonics' proposed new home is a 21-acre Renton parcel owned by The Boeing Co. Bennett says the team needs at least $300 million in public tax money for the project.

The NBA team's new owners, led by Bennett, want to leave KeyArena. If Bennett doesn't get an agreement for a new arena in the Seattle area by Oct. 31, his $350 million purchase agreement allows him to move the team to Oklahoma, where he is a prominent businessman.

The tax authority the Sonics want from the Legislature is currently paying for new Seattle stadiums for baseball's Mariners and the Seahawks, as well as for remaining debt on the now-demolished Kingdome.

The taxes, to be applied after they expire for the Seattle stadiums, would include a one-half of 1 percent sales tax on restaurant tabs and rental cars, and a hotel-motel tax, all in King County.