The Herald’s April 4 article, “Rules for school levies up for debate,” alludes to the real cause of the alleged school funding “problem” — that many districts over-committed their budgets by agreeing to teacher salary increases that were unsustainable in the future. District budget “problems” — and threats of teacher layoffs — are the direct result of district/union collective bargaining agreements that violated the intent and spirit of the law.
Last August, teachers in many school districts around the state threatened to strike at the behest of their powerful union, the Washington Education Association. Their demands included substantial salary raises drawn on additional state funding for K-12 schools the Legislature generated by increasing the state property tax rate to “fully fund basic education” in response to the McCleary court decision. Some taxpayer relief offsetting this tax shift was provided by capping the permissible local school levy tax rate, i.e., a “levy lid.”
Analysts and news editors chastised weak or sympathetic school boards and administrators for caving to these excessive teacher union salary demands, warning of subsequent funding shortfalls. School districts that agreed to unsustainable salary increases were gambling that the Legislature would be pressured to further increase the state property tax and/or the permissible levy lid, thus “re-creating” the inequity issue that initially led to the McCleary lawsuit. Current Legislative efforts to increase property taxes for more school funding are proof-positive of that gamble. Taxpayers beware!
Bruce Elliot
La Conner
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