This article was published at The Washington Policy Center on Oct 6, 2026: https://www.washingtonpolicy.org/publications/detail/is-mccleary-really-to-blame-for-washingtons-budget-woes During a recent debate on repealing the state income tax, opponents of I-645 claimed that the state budget's rapid expansion is driven by the Supreme Court’s McCleary decision. K–12 funding has grown rapidly since that decision, but since 2019, spending on everything else has expanded nearly three times as fast, accounting for nearly three-quarters of total state budget growth. The Supreme Court formally ended its oversight of the McCleary decision in June 2018. McCleary enforced the state’s … [Read more...]
Washington K–12 Return to Basics and Core Competencies – A Reform Plan
Part 1 of this article can be read at: Washington K–12 Education Needs a Return to Basics A 2026 Policy Proposal for Academic Mastery, Knowledge and Career Readiness THE PROBLEM Washington has adopted successive education reforms while academic performance remains a concern. The central question should be simple: Are students leaving school with the knowledge and skills they need to succeed? A modern K–12 system should not choose between basic academic knowledge and 21st-century competencies. Students need both. THE PROPOSAL Establish a statewide K–12 Return to Basics and Core Competencies Initiative built on one principle: Knowledge → Skills → Competency → … [Read more...]
Public schools in a bind amid enrollment declines
K-12 enrollment is on the decline between a combination of dropping birth rates and more school choice options, putting schools in a tight bind. The public school system is expected to see a drop of millions of students over the next five years, a hit that will affect schools financially and potentially lead to the closure of more districts. Ways to combat this phenomenon are limited, as experts say schools will have to look at scaling down operations or competing with other educational institutions. From fall 2019 to fall 2023, a 2.5 percent drop in enrollment occurred, taking more than a million kids out of the K-12 system. The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) projects … [Read more...]
Goodhart’s Law Explains Education Decay
An article from Intellectual Takeout: https://intellectualtakeout.org/2023/01/goodharts-law-education-decay/ Everywhere in education, you see incentives at work. The incentives, though, are so far removed from the actual goals of education that they produce perverse results. Goodhart’s Law is usually stated, “When a measure becomes a target, it ceases to be a good measure.” Economics textbooks often use the allegory of a maker of nails, who receives word that his measure of success at producing nails will be based on the number of nails made. He retools his factory, adjusts his resource use, and produces as many nails as possible, even though many are too thin, or small, or bent … [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...]
High pay, low test scores: Washington state teachers earn most when adjusted for cost of living
By Carleen Johnson / The Center Square Washington state ranks highest in the nation for adjusted pay among elementary, middle and high school teachers, according to USAFacts, based on data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. According to the data, kindergarten teachers in Washington earned the highest median salary in 2024, at $87,530. In the Evergreen State, elementary school teachers earned a median salary of $99,320, middle school teachers earned a median salary of $99,150, and high school teachers earned a median salary of $99,640. The median represents the middle point of a salary distribution By comparison, the 2024 median annual wage for pre-K-12 teachers in the U.S. … [Read more...]
Wyoming Becomes 15th State To Enact Universal School Choice
Published in the Federalist The act grants families an education savings account of $7,000 per student per year to allocate toward approved K-12 educational expenses. On Tuesday, Wyoming became the 15th state to enact universal school choice into law with Gov. Mark Gordon’s signature on the Steamboat Legacy Scholarship Act. The Cowboy State joins a rapidly growing group of states that have passed laws giving all (or nearly all) families statewide choice concerning their children’s kindergarten through twelfth-grade education. Those states are Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Utah, and West … [Read more...]
Washington’s paramount duty to public education: Part 2
In Part 2 of a two-part series, Dick Rylander and Larry Roe address the question: What is Washington state’s paramount duty under the law and state constitution? Dick Rylander & Larry Roe for Clark County Today Original article can be found at: Opinion: Washington’s paramount duty to public education - ClarkCountyToday.com Basic education has been defined by the state many times over the years. In 2009, several bills, including HB 2261 and HB 2776, were passed by the Legislature. These bills define the basics of basic education. They apply only to Kindergarten through 12th grade (K-12) and even though early learning and higher education are important, they are not included in … [Read more...]
Basic education in Washington state: A primer
In this first installment of a two-part series, Dick Rylander and Larry Rose provide a basic background of information from the State Constitution and legislative actions Dick Rylander & Larry Roe for Clark County Today The detailed information is shared from online sources. Original article link: Opinion: Part 1 – Basic education in Washington state; A primer - ClarkCountyToday.com This is a two-part article. In this first installment we provide basic background information from the State Constitution and legislative actions. We all know that our state has committed to providing an education to all K-12 students. We are also funding part of our local school … [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...]
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