Published at ClarkCountyToday.com Editor’s note: Opinions expressed in this letter to the editor are those of the author alone and may not reflect the editorial position of ClarkCountyToday.com I recently attended the Battle Ground School District levy information session and heard one side of a debate. District Superintendent Shelly Whitten gave an overview of the levy proposal on the ballot, which calls for the collection of $116 million dollars over three years. T.J. Kelly, the chief financial officer from the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction for the state, presented the state’s assessment of the district’s financial position if the levy is not approved. The … [Read more...]
Is McCleary really to blame for Washington’s K-12 budget woes?
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...]
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...]
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...]
WA school leaders make case for more spending despite court-ordered funding bumps
How much money is enough for K-12 education in Washington State? The article shared today provides details. The original can be found at: TheCenterSquare Share the information with anyone you think is concerned not just about their taxes but the education of tomorrow's children. The Washington Association of School Administrators launched a new website last month that makes the case for increased state spending on K-12 education, even as the state's public schools now spend $19,000 on average statewide for the education of each student, a dramatic rise over the pre-McCleary level of $10,000 per student. The state Supreme Court’s January 2012 McCleary decision ordered the state … [Read more...]
Washington State K-12 compensation and other data
Our friend Jeff has a website we've mentioned before. Given the strikes at Evergreen and Camas and talk of striking at Battle Ground and other districts around the state we reached out to Jeff asking for an overview of the information he tracks. Following is that discussion with links to his website and data for your perusal. Note: Jeff does an annual update in December to capture the most current data published by OSPI. This data is entirely from OSPI. Jeff amalgamates and organizes it. So if someone claims the data is false refer them to Chris Reykdal the State Superintent of Schools. I have these charts already online for all 295 traditional school districts in WA plus most of … [Read more...]
Battle Ground School District – compensation history 2016-2022
As the Battle Ground Teachers decide whether to strike or not it's appropriate to look at the changes to their compensation since McCleary. Please note the salary + benefits as well as the compensation growth vs inflation. Are your earnings growing faster than inflation? Do you earn more than the median in Clark County? Where will the school board get the nearly 17% increase? … [Read more...]
Evergreen School District – Compensation history 2016 to 2022
Here's the snapshot of the earnings changes since McCleary for the Evergreen School District: Notice that they all are ahead of inflation by a wide margin? Have your earnings stayed ahead of inflation? … [Read more...]
K-12 is fully funded, so why are school districts and unions asking for more?
For those of you who are interested in policies impacting Washington State please take the time to add The Washington Policy Center to your favorite websites: https://www.washingtonpolicy.org/ Today we bring you an article written by CHRIS CARGILL, LIV FINNE Share their article and information. Shine the light on Washington State education Local voters have always been proud to pass school levies, usually with high margins, whether they appear on the ballot in winter, spring or fall. Lately, however, some voters have shown a new skepticism, and lawmakers, school administrators and teachers’ union executives have only themselves to blame. Most school officials complain they … [Read more...]
Battle Ground School Levy increase $1/$1000 – and no public notice and hidden vote by school board
On Monday August 12, 2019 the Battle Ground School Board held a regularly scheduled meeting. As part of that meeting they reviewed the proposed 2019/20 budget. They allowed public questions. The Board of Directors adopted the budget as presented. What they didn't tell people is that the approval of the budget included an increase in the Levy from $1.50/$1000 of assessed value to $2.50/$1000 effective January 1, 2020. There was no notice of intent to increase the levy. There was no vote to approve the increase. It was all part of the budget approval. This was the only budget meeting. In past years they held 2 public sessions. Normally at Laurin and Yacolt or Amboy to take questions and hear … [Read more...]