February 2008
Dear Shoreline Families:
Several members of our educational community traveled to Olympia in February to communicate with elected officials on the topic of K-12 school funding. Many others have attended town hall meetings, placed personal phone calls, written letters or sent emails to our legislative representatives on the topic.
Our message has been simple: it is imperative that our elected leaders collectively address their responsibility as defined in Article IX of our Washington State Constitution. As stated, “It is the paramount duty of the state to make ample provision for the education of all children residing within its borders . . . The Legislature shall provide for a general and uniform system of public schools.”
By all accounts, Washington’s leaders have fallen short on this mandate for many years.
Since 1981 the state has reduced K-12 school funding from 50.4 percent of the state’s general fund budget to 40.5 percent. This equates to a $3.3 billion loss for K-12 public schools bi-annually (see the chart below). As a result, Washington has slipped to 42nd in the nation in K-12 funding.
In the past few weeks, more and more local school districts have announced the need to make reductions in their future spending. Most will need to increase class size and reduce vital support staff. Some, like Shoreline last year, will need to close schools in order to reduce overhead expenses and protect the classroom. Local school districts simply cannot continue to fund their existing programs on the revenue provided by the state.
The formulas used by the state for K-12 funding are inequitable and unfair. School districts in Washington receive varying amounts of state funding for their teachers, classified and administrative staff. This inequity shortchanged Shoreline more that $2.4 million last year, over the higher-funded districts. Found unconstitutional by the courts in 2007, this issue is now before the State Supreme Court on appeal.
Although higher than the state’s authorized levy lid, Shoreline’s levy lid is below that of many neighboring districts and therefore, the percentage of local support in Shoreline is lower than Seattle, Bellevue and Mercer Island. Even so, our local levy dollars are required to cover the non-reimbursed costs associated with salaries, benefits, special education, transportation, security, and technology support. These levy dollars are intended to provide enrichment, not fund basic education.
Washington’s public education system, particularly Shoreline’s, do exceptionally well by national standards, despite the inadequacies of our state funding. We will not, however, be able to continue to provide the educational opportunities and support at the current levels our children deserve. There will always be excuses for why we are not able to address this issue at the state level, but we cannot in good conscience accept them.
The citizens of Shoreline and Lake Forest Park have always raised their voices in support of public education. We ask that you join us now and send a message to Olympia that 42nd is simply not good enough. Our children deserve better.