Should you vote Yes or No on the levy? There are two camps: (1) Those who believe that student education should be funded no matter what the cost and, (2) Those who say it's gotten too expensive and vote No. Should this be an emotional or logical/fact based decision? Emotional Position (Yes vote) “Our children shouldn't pay the price for an adult budget dispute.” Protecting the child who needs the most help. Safety is difficult to put a price on. Give teenagers something to belong to. Don't close doors before children discover what they're capable of. A community has an obligation to its next generation. But there is an important counter-emotional argument A … [Read more...]
Teachers in the Evergreen State are among the best paid in the country?
From the News Tribune It's a 2 cup of coffee read (maybe 3) Washington’s teacher salaries are the fourth-highest in the United States, according to the National Education Association. A News Tribune analysis also found that teacher salaries in Pierce County have increased by an average of about 82% over the last 10 years. The average salary for a teacher in Pierce County in the 2024-2025 school year is about $97,000. Some Pierce County districts that have seen the biggest increases in average teacher salaries also find themselves in financial distress, according to a News Tribune analysis. Of the five school districts that saw the highest percent change in average teacher … [Read more...]
McCleary’s promise and Washington’s K–12 reality
Published at ClarkCountyToday.com Jan 20, 2026 https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/opinion-mcclearys-promise-and-washingtons-k-12-reality/ When the Washington Supreme Court decided McCleary v. State of Washington in 2012, it delivered a landmark ruling: the state had failed its “paramount duty” under Article IX of the Washington Constitution to make “ample provision for the education of all children.” The word “ample,” the Court emphasized, meant more than adequate. It meant full, sufficient, and dependable support for basic education, funded primarily by the State rather than by unstable local levies. The ruling was legally sound and morally compelling. Yet more than a … [Read more...]
Fully funding K-12 education is a pipe dream
We hear all sorts of comments about the need to “fully fund” K-12 education. It’s a pipe dream and fantasy. Why? Read on… The state's funding formula for K-12 education is called the Prototypical School Funding Model. The Washington State Basic Education Act of 1977 originated the funding model and outlines the definition of Basic Education in public schools. This model determines the base amount of funding each district receives per student based on a fixed theoretical school size enrollment. The model establishes minimum staff-to-student ratios for various positions such as principals, teachers, custodians, nurses, and more. The funding received by school districts based on this model … [Read more...]
Student headcount increase vs staffing growth
A picture can be worth a 1,000 words. Please note that while there has been a slight growth in the number of students over the last 40 years the staffing growth (with the attendant costs) have FAR exceeded the number of students. We're told schools need more money to solve the problem,. This chart suggests money is not the issue. Continuing to feed the beast does nothing to stop the need for feeding. Why are testing results so bad with so much money thrown at it? … [Read more...]
$190 billion in Fed Ed funds did what?
During the Covid debacle some $190 billion in relief funds rained down on public schools. See that the results are....then go get your favorite adult beverage and take a shot. This article can be found at: Edunomics Take a moment and look at Washiongton State...spending up 2x and test scores in freefall. More money is NOT the answer. A timely update from the Edunomics Lab at Georgetown’s McCourt School. Today’s NAEP scores provide a reckoning of sorts. In contrast to each state’s annual assessments, the NAEP enables a comparison of student learning across states and over time. These last two years in public education have been unlike … [Read more...]
The Basic Education Bait-and-Switch
I had a chat with the Gemini AI at Google and asked it to go into "Expert Mode" and provide citations for it's findings. Following is that report for your consideration. The opposition narrative regarding school levies in Washington often centers on the tension between Washington state’s "Paramount Duty" to fund basic education and the local districts' use of enrichment funds to fill structural gaps. The following narrative outlines the arguments used by fiscal conservatives, taxpayer advocates, and legal critics to suggest that districts are bypassing the spirit—and sometimes the letter—of the law. The core of the opposition argument is that school districts use Enrichment … [Read more...]
What’s Driving the Ballooning Support Staff in Public Schools?
The article comes from Intellectual Takeout: https://intellectualtakeout.org/2019/09/whats-driving-the-ballooning-support-staff-in-public-schools/ State Superintendent of Schools for Washington State, Chris Reykdal, is asking the State Legislature to increase funding for schools by another $3 billion. This would put education at over 50% of every dollar. Personnel consume over 80% of every dollar. In this article they point out that for all the money and more personnel text scores are stagnant to falling. Money isn't the issue. In the animated graphic below, University of Michigan economics professor Mark Perry charts the ballooning nature of public school staff, students, and … [Read more...]
Reykdal seeks $3B injection for WA public schools in next budget
Wait...it appears he wants about $4 billion more. The original article was published at the Washington State Standard. Reykdal seeks $3B injection for WA public schools in next budget • Washington State Standard Are you ready to spend more taxes to give schools another $4 billion? Test scores have declined even with the massive increases in the last 8 years. Over 80% of all money goes to personnel. Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal wants a big ramp up in spending on Washington public schools in the next state budget. How big? Try $2.9 billion. A third of those new dollars would go to fully fund special education. Another $695 million to add and retain … [Read more...]
Commentary: Ridgefield School District capital bonds — dollars and cents
This article was posted in TheRelector on April 8, 2024 The last three to four years have been difficult for many of us, not the least of which are the financial burdens. As I write this, gasoline is up more than 40 cents per gallon to over $4 in the last two weeks. Assessed home values continue to skyrocket; the median home price in Clark County is now about $627,000. In the last 12 years, the Washington state budget has ballooned from $30 billion to $74 billion. Taxes are up massively. Inflation has hit 40-year highs. School districts have given large compensation increases to personnel putting a squeeze on operational budgets. Between 52% and 54% of property taxes go to public … [Read more...]
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