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...]
Legislature looking for ways to fix the ‘McCleary fix’
Just came across this article by the Spokane Spokesman. Looks like a good snapshot of what's happening in the Legislature regarding more changes to the McCleary funding "fix". Please take the time to read it. About 2/3rds the way down they discuss potential new taxes. OLYMPIA – After struggling most of this decade to meet the Supreme Court’s demand to provide a better public school system, the Legislature congratulated itself on a much-debated compromise dubbed “the McCleary fix.” Approved in 2017 with bipartisan majorities in both houses – and adjusted in 2018 because of a problem with property taxes – lawmakers and Gov. Jay Inslee hailed it as landmark legislation that assured … [Read more...]
The cost of McCleary compliance
We've shared some thoughts on how McCleary has impacted education in Washington State. We've also shared some data on the financial impact on taxpayers and school districts. Today we bring you an article from The Lens and TJ Martineli. You may also be interested in the data we accumulated on this topic at our page: https://swweducation.org?page_id=4732 Washington state has increased basic education spending by $9.5 billion since the 2011-13 biennium. Although high school graduation rates have improved since, student proficiency in math and reading have stagnated or fallen. With another billion in new basic education spending for teacher salaries included in the 2018 … [Read more...]