Washington Business Fall 2018 | Legislative Review & Vote Record | Page 13

washington business Finished Assignment Legislature tells court that its McCleary K-12 funding work is complete. Bobbi Cussins After years of work and billions of dollars added to education funding, the Legislature tells the state Supreme Court that it has met the obligations of the 2012 McCleary education funding ruling. At A Glance In the 2012 McCleary v. State of Washington education funding case, the state Supreme Court ordered the state to comply with the state constitution and fully and equitably fund the program of K-12 basic education as defined in House bills 2261 (2009) and 2776 (2010). State spending for elementary and secondary education has risen from $13.4 billion in the 2011-13 biennium to $22.8 billion in the current $43.7 billion two-year budget and is projected to reach $26.7 billion in the 2019-21 state operating budget. Gov. Jay Inslee signs the state’s operating budget, which included $970 million to address the final piece of the McCleary K-12 education funding case. McCleary. The public, legislators, teachers and lawyers have heard or said that word thousands of times since the state Supreme Court ruled in favor of the plaintiff in the McCleary v. State of Washington education funding case in 2012. In short, the court said the state was violating Article IX, Section 1, of the state constitution, which reads in part: “It is the paramount duty of the state to make ample provision for the education of all children residing within its borders…” The ruling began the years-long legislative push that has nearly doubled K-12 education spending. Now the project is complete, according to lawmakers and Gov. Jay Inslee. Their efforts during the 2018 legislative session, including the approval of $970 million to address the final piece of McCleary — teacher salary allocations — finished the job. “We believe that by satisfying the McCleary decision we satisfied a higher purpose, which is our moral responsibility to our kids and our grandchildren. And I feel good about that,” Inslee said at the bill-signing ceremony. Lawmakers added $970 million in the 2018 supplemental budget, increasing K-12 spending to nearly 51 percent of total State General Fund spending — the highest level in more than 30 years. Washington state has 322 school districts that serve more than 1 million students. For more information on McCleary, educational outcomes and program specifics, contact AWB Government Affairs Director Amy Anderson at [email protected]. For information on the budget implications of McCleary, contact AWB Government Affairs Director Clay Hill at [email protected]. Both can be reached at 360.943.1600. special edition 2018 11