Washington can do better
Washington is spending almost half the state’s budget in education, yet relying — illegally — on local property taxes to fund basic education, which creates further inequity across the state in teacher salaries, school supplies, programming, and ultimately, student success.
In 2012, Washington State Supreme Court unanimously ruled that the state has failed its paramount duty “by consistently providing school districts with a level of resources that falls short of the actual costs of the basic education program.” Washington now has a deadline of 2018 to fully fund basic education for all students in all 295 districts across the state.
Basic education prepares students for high school graduation, college, gainful employment and citizenship. It’s the backbone of Washington’s community and future economy. Preparing students is not only our duty — it’s good for Washington. The state needs to take action now to give our kids the best chance for success.
Sources
State of Washington Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI)
k12.wa.us/
OSPI Graduation and Dropout Statistics Annual Report, April 2015
k12.wa.us/LegisGov/2015documents/GradandDropoutStats2015.pdf
McCleary v. State of Washington
courts.wa.gov/opinions/pdf/843627.opn.pdf
A Citizen’s Guide to Washington State K-12 Finance
leg.wa.gov/LIC/Documents/EducationAndInformation/Citizens_Guide_to_K-12_Ed.pdf
2015 ACT report
act.org/newsroom/data/2015/states/pdf/Washington.pdf
Funding Washington Schools website
fundingwaschools.org/index_files/QuestionAnswers_Funding_WA_K12_Schools.htm
“Seattle schools have one of nation’s largest equity gaps, new study says,” The Seattle Times, Oct. 7, 2015
seattletimes.com/education-lab/enrollment-in-seattles-top-scoring-elementary-and-middle-schools-skews-white
“Rainier Beach students call for safer, cheaper ways to get to school,” The Seattle Times, Oct. 15, 2015
seattletimes.com/education-lab/rainier-beach-students-to-call-for-equitable-transportation-by-sharing-own-experiences
Basic education definition:
http://app.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=28A.150.210
http://budgetandpolicy.org/2013_01_basicedtable.png
http://www.lwsd.org/For-Community/Tax-Dollars/Pages/School-Funding.aspx
Washington State Department of Health Birth Table, 2015
doh.wa.gov/DataandStatisticalReports/VitalStatisticsandPopulationData/Birth/BirthTablesbyYear
Education Lab
seattletimes.com/education-lab/
Washington Student Achievement Council
wsac.wa.gov/
Quality Education Council
k12.wa.us/QEC/default.aspx
Washington Association of School Administrators
wasa-oly.org/
League of Education Voters
educationvoters.org/
Resources
The Seattle Times’ Education Lab coverage
seattletimes.com/education-lab/
A Citizen’s Guide to Washington State K-12 Finance
K-12 Booklet_2015 2-10-15.pdf
Highlights of Gov. Inslee’s K-12 education proposal
05K-12Education.pdf
Outline of Democratic proposal
6195-Democratic-Caucus-EFTF-Recommend.pdf
Outline of GOP proposal
GOP-Ed-Equality-Act.pdf
State of Washington Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI)
k12.wa.us/
Take Action
Contact your public officials to voice your support for full funding of basic education in Washington state.
Tell your legislator it’s time to make public education funding a priority.
app.leg.wa.gov/districtfinder
Email Governor Jay Inslee and tell him why you think this issue is important.
https://fortress.wa.gov/es/governor
Contact your superintendent about your school district’s budget.
k12.wa.us/maps/sdmainmap.aspx
Speak out at a public school board meeting about items in the proposed education budget, or email or call your local school board.
sbe.wa.gov/
Ask a question about the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction’s plan to fund basic education.
surveygizmo.com/s3/1996055/Ask-OSPI
Register to vote, if you haven’t already.
registertovote.org
