Legislature's Education Fix Not Good Enough: WA Supreme Court

OLYMPIA, WA - The state Supreme Court has ruled unanimously that the state Legislature will not meet the school funding requirements set in the McCleary decision by the September 2018 deadline. The decision means the court will continue fining the Legislature for failing to meet basic education standards set in the 2012 McCleary decision.

The Legislature attempted to fund basic education with a $7.3 billion plan included in the biennial budget passed over the summer. But the justices say the Legislature did not complete the job because the plan "delays by over a year implementation of a constitutionally compliant salary model."

Here's the court's full statement on Wednesday's decision:

The court’s ruling retains jurisdiction of the landmark education case, continues daily sanctions and orders a report by the State by April 9, 2018 on its progress toward full compliance during the next legislative session.
Signed by all nine justices of the Court, the order acknowledges that “the State has made significant progress in fully funding the program of basic education” but notes that the funding system adopted, “delays by over a year implementation of a constitutionally compliant salary model, a critical part of meaningful reform.”
The order summarizes the nearly six years of history in the case, along with analysis of several areas of reform that have satisfied the Court’s mandate, including: K-3 class size reductions; all-day kindergarten; transportation; materials and supplies; and categorical programs such as highly capable students and special education.
However, the order notes that as things stand today, the salary allocation model enacted in EHB 2242 complies with the State’s obligation to fully fund K-12 basic education salaries, but it will not be implemented by September 1, 2018 – the deadline the Legislature itself recognized.
“The court’s constitutional responsibility is to the schoolchildren of this state who have an enforceable right under article IX, section 1 to an amply funded education,” said the Court. “We cannot erode that constitutional right by saying that the State is now ‘close enough’ to constitutional compliance.”
The ruling responds to the most recent report of the Washington State Legislature and oral argument on progress made toward meeting constitutional education requirements outlined by the Court in its January 5, 2012 original opinion in this case.

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