District News
Seattle School Board resolution urges lawmakers to address K-12 funding
The Seattle School Board on March 20 passed a resolution urging state lawmakers to fund K-12 basic education as the State Supreme Court required them to do last year.
Approved unanimously, the resolution asks Washington State legislators to “adopt a comprehensive system for stable and sustainable revenue that meets the requirements of Washington’s K-12 public schools and students.
”The resolution, which to date has been passed by 70 School Boards in Washington state, stems from the Supreme Court’s McCleary vs. State of Washington opinion issued January 5, 2012, that the state is violating its constitutional obligation by consistently failing to provide enough funding for basic education for more than one million students in public schools.
During the past five years, Seattle Public Schools has closed combined shortfalls of more than $120 million. During this time, funds have been prioritized for the classroom and the majority of reductions have come from central office. The percentage spent on central administration has dropped from more than 9 percent to less than 6 percent of the total budget. While dramatic enrollment growth has increased the overall budget amount, multiple years of state and federal funding reductions have left the district with a shortfall each year, which has resulted in the elimination of jobs, programs and materials.
In anticipation of an $18 million budget shortfall for the 2013-14 school year and with State legislative funding relief uncertain, Seattle Public Schools last week implemented a non-critical hiring and spending freeze until further notice.
The District is currently developing the 2013-14 school year general operating fund budget, which will be approved by the School Board in July.