The latest on McCleary & K-12 education funding
You practically need a flow chart these days to keep track of what's happening on McCleary (the 2012 state Supreme Court ruling – which the Legislature is in the midst of complying with – that said the state is unconstitutionally not paying the full cost of basic education). The big remaining task of the state is […]
25th of January 2016
13th of January 2016
6th of January 2016
30th of October 2015
24th of September 2015
Taxes: The grass is always greener…
With the first meeting today of Gov. Inslee’s legislative McCleary workgroup, we’re likely to see another round of calls for new taxes – specifically, an income tax and/or a capital gains tax – to fund the rest of the state’s K-12 obligations. Arguments in favor of new forms of taxation include: Washington’s tax system is unfair and regressive, […]
14th of August 2015
McCleary roundup
Big day yesterday with the state Supreme Court “impos[ing] a $100,000 per day penalty on the State” for not producing a plan to achieve, by 2018, full state funding of basic education (as laid out in Article IX, Section 1 of Washington’s constitution – the famous “paramount duty” provision). The court ordered the amount of the […]
29th of December 2014
Reframing the education funding debate: Time to move the goalposts?
Give former state Sen. Jim Kastama credit for his op-ed in today’s Seattle Times. Kastama says what few others have said publicly. He takes a look at the legislative history of ESHB 2261, the legislation setting school funding goals that have become the state Supreme Court’s standard for full funding of basic education in the […]
13th of November 2014
Clarifying the 2015 budget picture
Kriss posted yesterday on the improved revenue picture. As Brad Shannon reports, the higher revenue collections are accompanied by higher caseload and enrollment numbers. State budget director David Schumacher told the Caseload Forecast Council meeting in Olympia that an expected increase in K-12 school enrollments alone may add $380 million to the state’s costs through June 2017, which […]
17th of September 2014
Davis column on contempt ruling: "Court finesses crisis it created"
In my column today, I examine the state Supreme Court’s decision to find the state in contempt. We blogged about the decision here. The court chose to give lawmakers one more chance before imposing “sanctions and remedies.” It was the smart, face-saving move given the circumstances. But the court never should have forced the issue. Having […]