“Fair School Funding” Lawsuit
An Open Letter to Governor Christine Gregoire, Senator Tracey Eide, Representative Mark Miloscia, and Representative Skip Priest:
March 27, 2006
Thank you for all of your very hard work in Olympia during this recently completed short legislative session. A number of bills were passed, especially in the area of Career and Technical Education that I believe will serve our students well in the near and distant future.
A number of changes also occurred in the funding for school employees that are beneficial for the employees but challenging for all districts, and especially ours.
You approved a 3.3% pay increase for school employees. However, you funded only the employees covered under the Basic Education formulas. As you already know about half of our employees, or half of the compensation, is not covered under the Basic Education formulas and we must provide the same increase to them you provide to the others, and that increase comes from our local levy dollars. For example, I know you are aware the sixth class taken by almost every high school student is not funded by the State. You only pay for five.
You also approved an 8.5% increase in Health benefits and a 2% increase in pension benefits. The same dilemma confronts us with these two increases as with the salary increase.
The three of these taken in aggregate will cause us to spend $3.4 million dollars in these areas instead of the programs currently being funded. In other words, we must cut our budget by at least that amount for 2006-07.
Why is this such a big deal for Federal Way? I know you are aware we are one of the lowest funded school districts in the State on a per student basis. According to a report released by OSPI for the 2004-2005 school year we rank 263 out of 296 school districts in total revenues per pupil. I know you know that we are either the lowest or second lowest in percent of budget spent on Administration of any school district in the State with 3,000 students or more – seventy nine (79) districts. I also know you know we spend the greatest percent of our budget on teaching and teaching support than any of those same seventy nine (79) districts. As you can see we do not waste the taxpayers’ money, but we are running out of options within which to absorb these yearly “benefits” to our funding.
Our budget cuts this next year will be in the range of $4.2 million dollars. I fully expect to be faced with the same type of dilemma in 2007-08 unless a number of things change and change with the next legislative session in January 2007.
Here are some things I am requesting you address:
Fully fund Special Education. Our expected subsidy to this program for 2005-06 is $4.3 million dollars.
Fully fund student Transportation. Our expected subsidy to the program for 2005-06 is $2 million dollars.
I know you are also aware that the State does not fund each school district equally, in spite of the Doran decisions of the late seventies and early eighties. For example, the State salary allocation for teachers in Northshore is $33,120. The State only provides Federal Way with $31,386. If you were to fund us at the Northshore level our District would receive an additional $2.6 million dollars.
The State salary allocation for administrators in Highline is $57,689. The State provides Federal Way with $50,361. If you were to fund us at the Highline level our District would receive an additional $625,000.
The average salary allocation for classified staff in King County is $29,554. The State provides Federal Way with $28,834. If you were to fund us at the King County average our District would receive an additional $360,000.
Every time you approve a “percentage” increase to salaries you exacerbate the problem and make the state funding gulf wider between Federal Way and almost every other school district in the state. Please consider future salary increases as “dollar amounts.”
I have attached the documents that detail these differences in State funding. Please fix these inequities.
Change the formula for levy equalization and base it upon the fully allowable twenty-four percent (24%) levy instead of only half this levy - twelve percent (12%). If you were to do this Federal Way would receive an additional $3.1 million dollars in State funding. This is as much as issue of equity and fairness as it is a dollar issue. I am confident you know the great funding and tax burden disparity from one community to the next. For example, Bellevue School District raises almost as much money through their local levy as we do. Our local tax rate is $3.067. Bellevue’s is $1.023. A fully funded levy equalization formula will assist with this disparity and roll back our local tax rate to $2.74!
These are serious issues that may not be easily resolved. However, Federal Way Public Schools has always believed in the promise made with HB 1209, the bill that set us upon the path leading to higher standards and accountability. We have always believed this bill is about ALL students, and our professional staff has delivered amazing results because they believe in ALL students too. They have maintained this belief in the face of a rapidly changing student population, rapidly changing levels of poverty, and rapidly changing levels of immigration. I know you are aware the percentage of our students who qualify for free or reduced price lunch is now near forty-four percent (44%). Families must be at or below the Federal poverty level to qualify for this program
Yet, in spite of these funding challenges, you will be proud to know that a recent study conducted by the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction shows that there is no District in the State with as many students as we have at this Federal poverty level that outperforms our students. Our professional staff is leading our students to exceptional levels of performance.
Our professionals have taken HB1209 to heart and are working daily miracles through hard work, dedication, and a belief in ALL children. Please recognize this tremendous effort and find ways to support their work by fixing these funding inadequacies and inequities.