Quest for Quality: The Debate Over Education Reform and Funding

There are more than one million students attending Washington state public schools and 295 different school districts. The state’s public school system is diverse. Teachers, parents, and administrators all agree that students learn differently. So how should the state fund public education in the 21st century? That’s the focus of TVW’s special two-part series on education – The Quest for Quality: The Debate Over Education Reform & Funding.

PART ONE: What’s the Cost of Basic Education?

PART TWO: More Money or More Reform?

NEW STATE LAW
In 2009, Washington lawmakers passed sweeping education reform legislation that outlined a road map for funding education in the state. House Bill 2261, also known as the Basic Education Finance Bill, redefined and updated what constitutes a ‘basic education’ in Washington. It made changes to what the state will pay for to fund basic education. The Washington legislature is required by the state’s constitution to fund education, by providing for a “general and uniform system of public schools.”
Among other things, the new law requires the state to pay for:
• Full-day kindergarten.
• Transportation to and from school.
• An additional class period for high school students (from five class periods a day to six).

Funding for those changes won’t be phased in for another eight years. The law also sets up various work groups to determine how the money will be phased in, develop a uniform data system with information on each school, and examine how teachers are paid and whether it is time to update Washington’s seniority-based system for teacher salaries.

Washington distributes money to each district through a complicated set of funding formulas, based mostly on the number of students in the district, the teacher/student ratio, and teacher salaries. Many believe the funding formulas are currently unfair, based on old data, resulting in some districts getting more money from the state to pay for teacher salaries. The 2009 Basic Education Finance Law aims to re-write the state’s funding formulas so that they are more transparent and easier to understand.

HISTORY OF SCHOOL FUNDING IN WASHINGTON
Funding for public schools comes from three main sources: the state, the federal government, and local levy dollars. A series of court cases in the late 70’s and early 80’s resulted in the state having to pay more of its share for education funding to districts. But over time, the cost of educating school kids increased faster than state revenues. Today districts continue to use local levy funds to cover the most basic of education costs.

The state is facing two lawsuits regarding funding of Washington’s public schools. The Federal Way School District is suing the state for failing to equally fund education across districts. Stephanie McCleary, a parent with children in the Chimacum School District near Port Townsend, is the lead plaintiff in another lawsuit. McCleary and a coalition of about 70 parents, school districts, and community groups are suing the state for failing to adequately fund education. The Federal Way lawsuit is awaiting a ruling from the state Supreme Court. The McCleary lawsuit went to trial in King County Superior Court on August 31, 2009.

SCHOOL REFORM
It is estimated the Basic Education Finance Law will cost between three and a half to four billion dollars more a year to fully fund. Where should the state get that money? Some believe lawmakers should look within the state’s current budget, while others say a separate tax should be used to fund additional programs. Some say there needs to be fundamental changes to the way the state’s schools are run and more accountability before any more state money should go toward education.

Another argument for reform comes from the federal government. States making the most strides to transform their public schools could receive millions in federal “Race to the Top” funds that are being used to push innovation and reform. Washington will likely miss out on the initial distribution of money due to its lack of charter schools and lack of a robust accountability system for schools. Washington voters have traditionally voted against charter schools and the state’s teachers union and many educators do not support them. But some believe Washington is doing a lot for school reform – and point to the new funding bill as proof of this.

Want more information? Watch The Quest for Quality only on TVW. The two-part documentary will air Sept. 23 and 24 at 8 p.m.

Watched the show and want to know more?

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

State government and Legislature

Superintendent of Public Instruction Randy Dorn

Quality Education Council web site

Washington State Board of Education

House Bill 2261 bill report and the law Gov. Chris Gregoire signed.

All 2261 bill documents

Basic Education Finance task force released a report on funding, which the 2009 bill was based on. Here’s a video of the task force’s final report:

Legal disputes

More information on the Federal Way Public Schools equal funding lawsuit