Olympia 2025
By Kiera O’Brien (January 29, 2025)
Washington’s education system remains high in US rankings. However, any rosy portrait belies a reality of underfunding that has been allowed to continue since 2016’s McLeary v State of Washington decision.
In McCleary, the Washington Supreme Court found the state legislature to be grossly neglecting its “paramount duty” to educate the children of Washington.
The spotlight McCleary shone on education pushed legislators to remedy the gap.
David Knight, University of Washington Professor of Education Policy writes in the Seattle Times that the funds provided were unfairly meted across the state, leaving large gaps that exacerbated the struggles of lower-income districts. The reality Washington confronts in 2025 is one of increasing needs and diminishing resources that, if left without action, will sink Washington’s education system further into peril.
A large part of the issue can be attributed to the inadequate structure of our so-called “prototypical school model.” This model determines how monies are divided up to the different local education authorities and districts based on a student to staff ratio.
Instead of looking at an individual school and identifying its own needs, the prototypical model assumes a "typical" staffing and resource need for an imagined elementary, middle and high school, including the student enrollment number and staff number needed for each.
Unfortunately, this “one-size fits all” approach to distributing funding is akin to paying a painter the same amount to paint a dilapidated 1200 sq foot house that needs 200 hours of work as a newer similarly-sized house that needs only 20 hours.
The model, by default, provides ample funding to some schools, leaving struggling schools lacking in basic resources. This arrangement also flatly levels the wide range of needs in urban v. rural and higher property value v. low property value localities.
We should move to a more student-focused weighted model. A state like California has a model that could be successful in Washington, providing funding based on student enrollment weighted for students who cost more to educate, including English learners and low-income students.
According to the Columbia Basin Herald, a significant decline in enrollment (around 4% since 2019) has also gutted state funding to our schools. This is partly due to defection to private schools.
Declining enrollment was exacerbated by the pandemic, but it’s also the byproduct of a more long-term issue; a significant decline in birth rates. As the smaller class sizes trend moves through the grade levels, we will continue to see less and less funding due to lower enrollment.
Maladjustment of state funding streams to the inflation rate of the last several years has put districts in a major bind. The average district has seen:
➢33% increase in the price of milk
➢39% increase in diesel fuel
➢37% average electricity cost increase
➢60% increase in cost of insurance since 2020
➢18% average salary increase for teachers and staff since 2018
On top of the inflation we’ve seen since pre-pandemic, the portion of the Washington state budget allocated to education has actually decreased by almost 8%. With a significant boost in salary after McCleary, our number of salaried staff also has ballooned.
The salary increases that came with McCleary were a necessity. Honoring the work of teachers and making salaries competitive to attract a highly-qualified and competent workforce should be a top concern. Until the so-called McCleary fix, teachers in my district had not seen a cost of living adjustment in ten years. Districts now are competing to attract and retain a highly-qualified workforce but are struggling to produce the salaries needed.
When Washington’s legislature voted to tie teacher and staff salary increases to the inflation rate of the previous year, it imposed an unfunded mandate on local districts.
Districts are now scrambling to pay the required increases. With less money to work with, and more being allocated to basic operating costs and fulfilling state mandated salary increases, schools are taking more drastic measures. Schools are imposing deep cuts and layoffs, dipping into rainy day funds and outright failing to properly budget. In the meantime, student needs are increasing, including students receiving special services.
Research has repeatedly shown a direct correlation between student achievement and funding per student. The way a state funds education is as important as skilled teachers in the classroom (See: Public Policy Institute of CA, Jackson & Mackeviclus, Education Week, MIT).
There is currently no bill to overhaul the prototypical funding model this legislative session.
Dr. Jeffrey Snell of Vancouver Public Schools notes that what we will most likely see, rather than a change to a different model, is incremental legislative change with the prototypical model.
Dr. Snell also said there might be some additional resources for districts if levy caps are lifted and levy equalization is adjusted. He says, since McCleary, districts have had to rely more on local levy dollars to provide basic services such as safety and mental health counseling than ever before. Unfortunately, low levy caps mean that higher property value areas more easily raise funds than in areas with lower property value — where funds are greatly needed.
Still, there are a few beacons of hope to follow. One is SB 5120, (Increasing Funding for the Learning Assistance Program (LAP). This bill would help even out gaps in funding for lower-income schools and districts by increasing an existing basket of funds that is used to increase staffing, bolster materials and curriculum, and provide additional services to high need schools.
Another promising bill targets the inflation increases districts have been fighting for the last few years. SB 5192, proposes bolstering materials, supplies, and operating cost funds — infusing districts with what they need to combat rising inflation and energy costs.
In the future, we’ll have to change our resource-based funding model to a weighted model and lift local levy caps, so that local control is returned to education partners. We need funding which can be better tailored to unique local needs.
Kiera O’Brien is a Washington-certified administrator and teacher working in Vancouver Public Schools. She has a special interest in Washington school funding. Kiera also serves in one of the at-large positions on the Cascade board and is the state vice-chair.
CASCADE PARTY of WASHINGTON
PO Box 28004
Seattle, WA 98118