THAT'S
THAT'S THE FOCUS OF OUR DEEP DIVE, CONNECTING THE DOTS OF
THIS SCHOOL FUNDING DEBACLE.
IT WAS JUNE OF LAST YEAR, THE
STATE SUPREME COURT RULED THAT
WASHINGTON'S LEGISLATURE HAD
FINALLY FULFILLED ITS DUTY TO
PROPERLY FUND BASIC EDUCATION.
AT LAST, THE 11 YEAR LEGAL SITE
KNOWN AS McCLEARY WAS OVER.
CLEARY WAS THE FAMILY THAT
ORIGINALLY SUED SAYING THE WAY
SCHOOLS WERE FUNDED FAVORED
KIDS FROM RICH SCHOOL DISTRICTS.
OVER A FEW MONTHS OF THEIR
McCLEARY VICTORY LAP, SCHOOL
DISTRICTS STARTED WARNING ABOUT
NEEDING TO MAKE CUTS.
>> THEY USED TO BE ABLE TO
SPEND $4000 PER STUDENT, RAISED
THROUGH LOCAL LEVIES.
>> THAT GOES DOWN UNDER THE NEW
LAW TO 2500.
>> MOST OF THE PUBLIC KNOWS
ABOUT McCLEARY, AND KNOWS OF
THE McCLEARY FUNDING CAME IN
AND THEY THINK, PROBLEM IS
OVER.
OVER.
OVER. >>
OVER. >> McCLEARY, THEY SAY, WAS A
BAIT AND SWITCH.
TAXPAYERS LIKE ME WERE LEFT
WONDERING, IS SCHOOL FUNDING
JUST A MODERN VERSION OF THE
MONEY PIT?
>>
>> [
>> [ LAUGHTER ] >> SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO LAUGH
TO KEEP FROM CRYING.
BUT SERIOUSLY, HOW DID WE GET
HERE?
HERE?
HERE? THE
HERE? THE FIX DID SEND MORE MONEY
FROM THE STATE LOCAL DISTRICTS.
A LOT MORE.
$2 BILLION, INITIALLY.
THAT MONEY WAS PAID FOR BY A
STATEWIDE PROPERTY TAX INCREASE.
HIGHER TAXES.
HIGHER TAXES. SPREADING THE RESPONSIBILITY
FOR SCHOOL FUNDING TO ALL
PROPERTY OWNERS, NOT JUST THE
ONES WHO LIVE IN A SPECIFIC
CITY.
CITY.
CITY. AS
CITY. AS PART OF THIS FIX, THE
LEGISLATURE PUT A CAP ON HOW
MUCH EACH CITY COULD RAISE FROM
ITS OWN PROPERTY OWNERS.
THINK OF IT LIKE A SWAP.
LESS A CITY BURDEN, AND MORE OF
A STATE RESPONSIBILITY.
THE CAP AND LOCAL LEVIES WAS A
BIG DEAL.
BIG DEAL.
BIG DEAL. TAKE THE KENT SCHOOL DISTRICT,
WHICH SAW A 47% REDUCTION IN
WHAT IT COULD RAISE FROM LOCAL
LEVIES.
LEVIES.
LEVIES. SEATTLE, A 45% REDUCTION.
IN BELLEVUE, A 25% DECREASE.
YOU MAY BE SAYING, THAT IS
SIGNIFICANT, BUT THE STATE WAS
SUPPOSED TO MAKE UP FOR THE
LOSS OF THE LOCAL MONEY.
THAT IS TRUE, BUT REMEMBER
THOSE TEACHER STRIKES LAST FALL.
>> HOW MANY OF YOU HAVE YOUR
CLASSROOMS SET UP AND READY TO
GO FOR TOMORROW?
>> WASHINGTON HAD THE MOST
TEACHER STRIKES SINCE 1983.
ALMOST 40 YEARS AGO.
THE REASON IS BECAUSE LAST
SUMMER, MOST SCHOOL DISTRICTS
WERE MOMENTARILY FLUSHED WITH
MONEY.
MONEY.
MONEY. THEY GOT THERE 1st INSTALLMENTS
FROM THE STATE, AND THEY WERE
STILL COLLECTING HIGH LOCAL
PROPERTY TAXES.
PROPERTY TAXES. EVERYONE STARTED CLAMORING FOR
THOSE DOLLARS, SCHOOLS WANTED
TO INVEST IN NEW BUILDINGS AND
TECHNOLOGY, MOST IMPORTANTLY,
TEACHERS WANTED PAY RAISES TO
MAKE UP FOR YEARS OF LITTLE TO
NO INCREASES FROM THE STATE
LEVEL.
LEVEL.
LEVEL. FINANCIALLY, PROSPEROUS
FINANCIALLY, PROSPEROUS DISTRICTS WERE MORE EASILY ABLE
TO GIVE DOUBLE-DIGIT RAISES,
PUTTING PRESSURE ON POOR
DISTRICTS TO DO THE SAME OR
RISK LOSING TEACHERS.
>> TEACHERS NEED RAISES.
IF I LIVE IN EDMONDS, YOU LIVE
IN SEATTLE, AND YOU SEE THE
EDMONDS JUST GAVE THEIR
TEACHERS DOUBLE-DIGIT RAISES
AND YOU WANT TO KEEP YOUR
TEACHERS, WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO
DO?
DO?
DO? NOW
DO? NOW THAT WE HAVE THIS NEW CAP
ON LEVIES, THE STATE PASSED AS
PART OF THE McCLEARY SOLUTION,
THE PIE IS SMALLER.
IF YOU GIVE A LOT OF THE MONEY
THAT YOU GOT FROM THE STATE TO
TEACHER SALARIES, IT DOESN'T
LEAVE MUCH.
LEAVE MUCH. >> THE NONPROFIT LEAGUE OF
EDUCATION VOTERS, SAYS WHILE
GIVING TEACHERS DOUBLE-DIGIT
RAISES WAS PARTLY RESPONSIBLE
FOR THE BUDGET DEFICIT, THERE
ARE STILL OTHER FACTORS AT
PLAY.
PLAY.
PLAY. FOR
PLAY. FOR EXAMPLE, THE DEFINITION OF
BASIC EDUCATION, WHY IS THAT
IMPORTANT?
IMPORTANT? McCLEARY WAS ABOUT GETTING THE
STATE TO FULLY FUND ASIC
EDUCATION.
EDUCATION. ACCORDING TO THE SUPREME COURT,
THEY DID THAT.
BUT BASIC ACCORDING TO THE
STATE IS DIFFERENT THAN WHAT
PLAYS OUT IN THE REAL WORLD.
>> 500 MORE, 200 MORE.
>> HERE AT HORIZON ELEMENTARY
SCHOOL, NEARLY HALF THE
STUDENTS ARE ON FREE AND
REDUCED LUNCH.
REDUCED LUNCH. SOME HAVE SPECIAL NEEDS.
>> THEY HAVE A WEIGHTED BALL,
AND THEY CAN GO AROUND THAT AS
MANY TIMES AS THEY WANT WITH
THAT BALL.
THAT BALL. WHAT WE ARE RUNNING INTO, THE
CHRONIC NEED FOR SUPPORT WITH
STUDENTS WITH SIGNIFICANT
EMOTIONAL BEHAVIOR CHALLENGES,
HAS BECOME VERY EXTREME.
NOT JUST MEANING BEING ABLE TO
EDUCATE, PROVIDE ACADEMICS, BUT
ALSO THERE ABLE TO BE UP TO
SPEED TO LEARN IN THE 1st
PLACE.
PLACE.
PLACE. >>
PLACE. >> EDUCATION TO THE STATE MIGHT
MEAN 1 SMALL SCHOOL COUNSELOR
WHEN THE REALITY IS THE SCHOOL
MAY NEED TO, BUT THE
LEGISLATURE RECENTLY DECIDED TO
LIFT THE LEVY CAP, VARIOUS
CITIES CAN SOLVE FOR THIS.
WHAT YOU GET WILL DEPEND ON
YOUR DISTRICT, AND MORE THAN
LIKELY HIGHER PROPERTY CITIES
WILL PAY HIGHER RATES.
SO FOLKS, THERE'S THE McCLEARY
FIX, THE LEGISLATURE'S RESPONSE
TO A LAWSUIT DESIGNED TO LEVEL
THE PLAYING FIELD BETWEEN RICH
AND POOR SCHOOL DISTRICTS WOUND
UP CREATING A DIFFERENT FLAVOR
OF THE SAME PIE.
AND EDUCATION FUNDING FORMULA
WHERE POOR SCHOOLS MAY BE
DISADVANTAGED AGAIN.
DISADVANTAGED AGAIN. AND WHAT THIS MEANS FOR YOU IS
YOU WILL GET TO KEEP THAT
HIGHER STATE PROPERTY TAX, AND
YOU MAY OR MAY NOT GET THE
RELIEF AT THE LOCAL LEVEL.
I DON'T HAVE A PROBLEM WITH
PAYING MORE FOR EDUCATION.
BUT FIXING A PROBLEM THAT
CREATED ANOTHER PROBLEM THAT
YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO FIX, AND
THEN THAT FIX CREATES A PROBLEM
YOU'RE TRYING TO