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New brief: Comparing the Education Funding Proposals, Second Edition

In a new policy brief, we provide a side-by-side comparison of the education funding plans that have been proposed by the governor and Legislature. This is an update of the comparison we published last month. The update reflects changes made to the House- and Senate-passed plans, as funded in the operating budgets passed by each chamber. […]

Policy Today podcast: What the new federal education law means for states, with AEI's Rick Hess

House budget would strike levy accountability provisions enacted earlier this year

Earlier this year, the House passed an education funding plan (HB 1843). The House-passed 2017–19 operating budget would not fund that bill; instead, it would fund HB 2185. HB 2185 has not been heard by committee. It is largely the same as HB 1843, but there are a few noteworthy changes. First, as we’ve noted […]

Relief may be in sight for school districts with school-siting bill

This year’s contender for the Little Legislation That Could, House Bill 1017, appears to finally be on its way to passage in the state Legislature. The bill, allowing schools to be sited outside of the state Growth Management Act’s officially-designated “urban growth areas,” has been on legislators’ plates for awhile. During executive session of the […]

State school funding system ruled unconstitutional…in Kansas

Washington isn’t the only state grappling with K-12 education funding issues. On March 2, the Kansas state Supreme Court ruled that the State of Kansas was violating the state constitution by not adequately funding public schools. Sound familiar? The Kansas City Star reports: The court determined that the state is failing to provide roughly one-fourth of its […]

Bill to avert levy cliff includes levy accountability provisions

Currently school districts are allowed to levy maintenance and operation (M&O) levies of up to 28 percent of their state and federal revenues. That maximum is scheduled to revert to 24 percent in 2018. This is the levy cliff. The House passed a levy bill (SHB 1059) earlier this year to keep the maximum at […]

The House’s education funding plan would cost much more than the Senate’s

The state released its fiscal note of SSB 5607 (the Senate-passed education funding bill) on Friday. It shows a substantial gap between the resources needed to fund the Senate and House plans. According to the fiscal note, SSB 5607 would increase state spending by $2.424 billion in 2017–19, $4.081 billion in 2019–21, and $1.860 billion […]

Policy Today podcast: Four plans in the Legislature for education funding

New brief: Comparing the Education Funding Proposals

There are now four major education funding plans circulating: Gov. Inslee's proposal, the House-passed ESHB 1843, the Senate-passed SSB 5607, and SB 5825 (a proposal from Sen. Mullet). In a new policy brief, we provide a side-by-side comparison of the four plans. Briefly: Four major education funding plans have been proposed to address the McCleary decision. Gov. […]

Another education funding plan in the mix

There are now several options on the table as to how to comply with the state Supreme Court’s McCleary decision. Gov. Inslee’s proposal and the House-passed ESHB 1843 would increase education spending but stay within the current funding structure (see this policy brief for more). The Senate-passed SSB 5607 would also increase spending but would […]