In era of budget cuts, Washington schools chief calls for more ed funding

The state’s top education leader says this year needs to be a turning point for school funding in Washington.

In his annual “State of Education” address Thursday, Superintendent Chris Reykdal said he thinks Washington is at another McCleary moment.

"It’s our moment now," he said, "or we’re going to find districts in serious distress.”

In the landmark 2012 McCleary case, the state Supreme Court ruled the Legislature had failed to fulfill its constitutional duty to adequately fund public schools.

The decision resulted in billions of dollars of new funding for education, and in 2018, the court ruled the state had finally fulfilled its "paramount duty."

But that progress has fallen off in recent years, Reykdal said, and schools are suffering as a result. He said education funding made up about half of the state's budget in the 2017-19 biennium but fell to about 44% in the most recent budget.

"Our Supreme Court said it's an ongoing question — it's not that you reach funding and you're done," he said. "It's that you also have to maintain it."

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Reykdal said he's seen firsthand how financially strapped many districts across the state have become, as they've grappled with skyrocketing operation costs, declining enrollment, and chronic underfunding from the state.

"As the agency responsible for oversight of school districts when they're in financial distress, we're seeing a lot of them," he said.

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Reykdal acknowledges lawmakers are in a tough spot with the state's multi-billion-dollar shortfall, but he's requested an additional $3 billion for K-12 schools in the next biennium.

About a third of that increase would go toward special education — an area Reykdal has pushed the state to increase for years. Other top priorities are transportation and school operations costs.

"We need to lean into public ed," Reykdal said. "Now is the time. Let's put our hands together. Let's get creative with solutions."

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On Thursday, Reykdal also joined calls for the state to look for new revenue streams, like a wealth tax, to cover the funding increase.

It's an idea former Gov. Jay Inslee included in his last budget proposal, but new Gov. Bob Ferguson has said he opposes. Instead, Ferguson has pitched broad cuts to address the budget gap.

But Reykdal rejected that idea, pointing to November's election results as evidence Washingtonians would support new taxes.

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For example, voters resoundingly defeated an effort to repeal the capital gains tax on the state's wealthiest residents, which has funneled hundreds of millions of dollars into education.

"Our voters want our schools funded," Reykdal said, "and they're willing to put their own resources in."