It's a fact: Our schools are underfunded

Despite the most strongly-worded constitutional mandate in the nation to put public education above all other issues, Washington State today is falling far short of providing the necessary dollars to prepare children to live and work in the 21st century.

Washington ranks 43rd in the nation in K-12 state education spending, according to an annual Education Week study, which gave the state a dismal D-plus grade in school finance. This despite a directive in the State Constitution that declares, “It is the paramount duty of the state to make ample provision for the education of all children residing within its borders...

The gap between what the State provides and what it really costs to provide a 21st century education has widened dramatically since the current school funding system was established in 1977 – as a result of court action.

Though the bulk of Washington’s K-12 education funding comes from the State, an ever increasing share of the burden is being shouldered by the state’s nearly 300 school districts and the families they serve.

The State’s portion, now averaging about $6,100 per pupil, hasn’t even kept up with inflation and the rising costs of everything from bus fuel to employee health insurance. Most importantly, it fails to recognize the increased expense of helping students meet the high academic standards they must achieve to live and work in today’s society.

Faced with repeated budget shortfalls, schools districts are draining their reserves, cutting core programs, foregoing new textbooks and library books, laying off teachers, curtailing library hours, putting off critical maintenance and more. Families are being charged for classroom reading materials, field trips, music, sports and other activities that used to be free and open to all.

More critically, this broken funding system is failing a large number of our kids.

According to a report by the National Collaborative for Postsecondary Education Policy, out of every 100 ninth grade students in Washington, only 71 graduate from high school within four years, only 42 immediately enroll in college, and only 18 graduate with an associate’s degree within three years or a Bachelor’s degree within six.

Can we really say we’re preparing students for an economy where an estimated nine out of 10 jobs require post-high school education?

In the past, it has taken court action to get the State to face up to its responsibility to fully fund basic education. But for all the task forces and band-aid patches, we’re still facing financial crisis in our public schools.

We can’t continue to jeopardize our future. Without a stable and equitable system that amply provides for the education of all the State’s children, our education reform efforts will be for naught and we will have failed ourselves, our kids and generations to come.