Education Funding & Current Budgets

1. Education Funding & Current Budgets And what you can do about it! Washington State PTA

2. How do we compare? • State – 42nd in per pupil funding • State – 45th in class size • Region 2 School Districts – Snoqualmie Valley 282nd Issaquah 268 Lake Washington 264 Riverview 217 Mercer Island 168 Bellevue 151 Source: OSPI

3. The “Paramount Duty” • “It is the paramount duty of the state to make ample provision for the education of all children…” • “The Legislature shall provide for a general and uniform system of schools…” • Washington State Constitution, 1889

4. Education Reform • The 1993 Education Reform Act launched high standards of achievement for Washington students, teachers, and schools • We are still waiting for a education finance system that is “ample, flexible, stable, equitable, straightforward and accountable”

5. MORE STUDENTS WITH GREATER NEEDSSpecial Ed Poverty Bilingual Source: OSPI

6. State Funding Formula • The state funds are based on a formula, computed in the 70’s • Did not consider security or technology • Lower Community expectations for AP/IB classes, nurses, counselors, librarians, PE teachers, music teachers etc.

7. Washington’s Leaky Pipeline Out of 100 9th grade students 71 graduate from HS 42 immediately enter college 26 come back for a 2nd year 18 graduate with AA 3 years or BA in 6 years Source: National Collaborative for Postsecondary Education Policy. 2003. “Report to the Washington Advisory Group,” September 29.

8. K-12: A Declining Share

9. How is a School District Funded? Enrollment Staff Units (I.E Teachers, Administrators & Aides) Salaries & Benefits Nonemployee Related Costs (NERC) State General Apportionment Allocation

10. Sources of School Funding(Statewide Average) 10%: Federal Funding 4%: Other Sources 16%: Local Levies 69%: State Funding Source: Organizing and Financing of WA public Schools 2006

11. Federal Funding • Special Education • Children in Poverty • Food services

12. Teacher Salaries • 75- 89% of school budgets go for salaries and benefits • Washington has a statewide “salary schedule,” but final salary decisions are negotiated locally – “tri- days” • Roughly 50% of teachers are on the state salary schedule

13. Base Staff Salaries ’05-’06 Teacher Admin Class Lowest 30,383 45,000 23,025 Highest 32,310 75,000 32,885 Put local district here

14. Local Levies • Local levies are property taxes paid by citizens within a school district • M&0 (misnamed maintenance and operations) • Technology • Capital • To pass, local levies must receive a 60% “yes vote,” also called a “supermajority”

15. “Lids” on local levies • School districts have “caps” or “lids” on how much they can tax • Riverview 24.45% • Snoqualmie Valley 24.67% • Lake Washington 24.89% • Issaquah 24.97% • Bellevue 30.26% • Mercer Island 33.45%

16. What can you do? • Contact local Legislators • Sign up for action alerts, email legislators • Follow Washington Learns • Follow the Special Ed Lawsuit • Follow the NEWS lawsuit

17. We HAVE been successful • Legislators count the emails • They really pay attention to personal emails • They contact many of us to take the “pulse”

18. What has our efforts accomplished? • Locally – Put any local wins here (with school district) • I-728 and I-732 • Special Ed lawsuit • Rollback Bill • Ed Funding Study – Washington Learns

19. Seeking State Solutions • Share this information with your community • Email legislators – it DOES work!