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KOMO TV
January 4, 2007

Educators press the state to change the way it pays

By Bryan Johnson

Five Washington state school associations have joined forces to declare that the present Washington state funding system for education is broken.

They want a new funding system in place within six years, with a major first step this year by the legislature.

Group representatives say they are not spelling out the level of funding that is needed. They support proposals by Governor Gregoire to increase per pupil spending by 25 percent. But the groups say the real problem is the reliance on a thirty-year-old system of determining state support for basic education.

The groups making the joint statement are: the Washington State School Directors' Association (school boards), the Washington Association of School Administrators (superintendents, deputies), The Association of School Principals, the Washington Education Association (teachers' union) and the Public School Employees of Washington (non-certificated staff including school security, maintenance, technical workers).

The groups say they may disagree on some issues but they are united in their belief that there is a critical need for a new funding system.

They say the present state system, which has been in effect for 30 years, counts students, requires them to attend for 180 days each year, and then pays districts on a per student basis.

"People don't all learn at the same rate," said Arcella Hall, a school principal in Grandview. "Some grab ideas very quickly. Why do they have to sit there for 180 days?"

Hall said other students may need two years, summer school or special tutoring to acquire required levels of proficiency. She added that isn't covered by the state funding system.

Randy Dorn, the executive director or the school employees group, says the times have changed.

"In 1977, we said it was okay to get a "D" in math and science. And, today, we say you've got to get a "B" or a "B+" and understand all the concepts," he said.

Teachers say Dorn's right, the legislature set new standards for reading, writing, and arithmetic; and, then ignored the way kids learn.

Steve Chestnut, speaking for the school superintendents, said: "The current basic education system has been chronically underfunded and that does not include the new standards that have been in place since 1993."

The Governor will ask the legislature to increase spending 25 percent per student. Educators say that's nice, but they want a new system that pays based on need, rather than numbers.

Senator Margarita Prentice, the chair of the powerful Senate Ways and Means committee, says he's open to discussing new funding systems, but she says the groups would have been better advised to have made their comments last April, to give lawmakers time to respond.

"I don't know if I can come in here and say we are going to change the system in the next 105 days. It doesn't work that way," she said.

Several districts have already filed suit against the state complained about funding for Special Education and challenging the way districts are reimbursed for teacher and administrator salaries.

There have been threats of suits challenging basic education funding itself based on constitutional provisions making basic education the paramount duty of the state.

Charles Hesse, who heads the teachers' union, says lawsuits are a last resort: the groups want to give the legislature a chance to act.