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The first online-only news site in state history to get media credentials to cover the state capitol and Seattle city hall, PubliCola has been called a “must-read” by the Seattle Post Intelligencer and a hot “New Media Mover and Shaker” by Seattle Magazine—which also cited our own Erica C. Barnett as the city's No. 1 news nerd.

I Give Today’s Superior Court Ruling an A+

Opinion, This Washington   February 4, 2010 at 2:01 pm Josh Feit

I’m borrowing Erica C. Barnett’s “C” for a sec to post a quick bit of editorial. I’m not feeling cranky, though. I’m feeling good about today’s King County Superior Court ruling (here’s the Seattle Times report) that the state isn’t meeting its constitutional mandate to fully fund education.

Yes, I think it’s a good thing that advocates for school funding may wind up with the weight of the courts behind them (watch for appeals.) But there’s an even cooler thing if this decision sticks: It proves that education reformers were right to go to the mat and pass last year’s big reform bill.

Detractors of the bill—which fattened up the definition of basic education so that students would be better prepared for college—said it was an unfunded mandate and that it was too soon to be making such important decisions about basic education and, in turn, accountability.

Advocates of the bill (I covered it like mad and tried to remain pretty neutral, but my reporting leaned in favor of the bill) argued that making the decisions about education now was key—and would actually frame and strengthen future battles over money.

Well, voila. Taken together—last year’s smart reform bill and today’s ruling that education funding is the paramount duty of the state—the fight for radically overhauling Washington State’s education system has advanced light years ahead of where it was 12 months ago.


  • Timothy

    Now, lets see them actually do it.

    Every time I hear the Governor talk about adding additional funds to pre-k education, I have to laugh.

    WE DON’T FUND FULL-DAY KINDERGARTEN. That’s ridiculous. Anyone who tells you that we do is fundamentally misguided.

  • Timothy

    Now, lets see them actually do it.

    Every time I hear the Governor talk about adding additional funds to pre-k education, I have to laugh.

    WE DON’T FUND FULL-DAY KINDERGARTEN. That’s ridiculous. Anyone who tells you that we do is fundamentally misguided.

  • Glenn Fleishman

    I’m wondering when there’s a lawsuit about kindergarten funding, Timothy. As the parent of a K student, I was a little stunned to get the note last summer that we’d be paying $2,000 at Montlake for full-day K. I really didn’t know. I did some research on this, and found that the state defines educational hours lower for kindergarten than for other grades, and each elementary school and/or district has to figure out how to cover the cost. Some turn to PTA funds in part; others ask parents; there’s supplementary help for parents who show need.

    I don’t actually believe from my reading that if I did not pay if the school could keep my son from attending full-day K, nor could they collect fees from me through a collection agency or other means. The way in which the funding is written, it looks like the districts rely on language that makes it sound as if we are obligated.

    That said, I don’t pretend the Seattle school system is rolling in money, and I did pay. But I suspect given the educational research that shows how vital K and pre-K is for kids’ ultimate success, that there could be a lawsuit there to force the state to fully fund full-day K.

  • Glenn Fleishman

    I’m wondering when there’s a lawsuit about kindergarten funding, Timothy. As the parent of a K student, I was a little stunned to get the note last summer that we’d be paying $2,000 at Montlake for full-day K. I really didn’t know. I did some research on this, and found that the state defines educational hours lower for kindergarten than for other grades, and each elementary school and/or district has to figure out how to cover the cost. Some turn to PTA funds in part; others ask parents; there’s supplementary help for parents who show need.

    I don’t actually believe from my reading that if I did not pay if the school could keep my son from attending full-day K, nor could they collect fees from me through a collection agency or other means. The way in which the funding is written, it looks like the districts rely on language that makes it sound as if we are obligated.

    That said, I don’t pretend the Seattle school system is rolling in money, and I did pay. But I suspect given the educational research that shows how vital K and pre-K is for kids’ ultimate success, that there could be a lawsuit there to force the state to fully fund full-day K.

  • Mikos

    I’m not a big proponent of full day kindergarten. I’d like to see multiple studies (not just one or two) that show the benefits to kids. It tends to be a relativley easy argument for educators to make to beleaguered parents who are working all the time and need child-care but is it good for kids? My experience is that most kids that age don’t need six hours in a classroom. Institutionalizing our kids even more than they already are isn’t necessarily the answer to raising emotionlly intelligent, skilled adults.

  • Mikos

    I’m not a big proponent of full day kindergarten. I’d like to see multiple studies (not just one or two) that show the benefits to kids. It tends to be a relativley easy argument for educators to make to beleaguered parents who are working all the time and need child-care but is it good for kids? My experience is that most kids that age don’t need six hours in a classroom. Institutionalizing our kids even more than they already are isn’t necessarily the answer to raising emotionlly intelligent, skilled adults.

  • ratcityreprobate

    In another Superior Court ruling today the Judge rejected the Seattle School District’s choice for High School Math texts. This is a law suit brought by everyone’s favorite weather guru, Cliff Mass, and several others. Mass has been particularly exercised by the lousy math skills of his students at the UW in weather 101.
    See: http://www.seattlepi.com/local/415049_math04.html

  • ratcityreprobate

    In another Superior Court ruling today the Judge rejected the Seattle School District’s choice for High School Math texts. This is a law suit brought by everyone’s favorite weather guru, Cliff Mass, and several others. Mass has been particularly exercised by the lousy math skills of his students at the UW in weather 101.
    See: http://www.seattlepi.com/local/415049_math04.html

  • godislaughing

    This lawsuit and today’s subsequent decision is a classic example of folks with good intentions doing very bad things. At first this seems like a win for educational funding. In the short run it probably is. Unfortunately that short run will probably last about a long as current school levies do. Once the state raises taxes to fund basic education the link between support for public schools and property values will be decoupled and this in turn will reduce the incentive for those in the community without children to want to fund schools at both the state and local levels. In other words, this decision, in the long term, will gut public support for funding education. Those who doubt this will be the case need only check out the book “The Homevoter Hypothesis” by William Fischel and the sad story of California publci schools. In conclusion, good intendin’ ain’t good doin’.

  • godislaughing

    This lawsuit and today’s subsequent decision is a classic example of folks with good intentions doing very bad things. At first this seems like a win for educational funding. In the short run it probably is. Unfortunately that short run will probably last about a long as current school levies do. Once the state raises taxes to fund basic education the link between support for public schools and property values will be decoupled and this in turn will reduce the incentive for those in the community without children to want to fund schools at both the state and local levels. In other words, this decision, in the long term, will gut public support for funding education. Those who doubt this will be the case need only check out the book “The Homevoter Hypothesis” by William Fischel and the sad story of California publci schools. In conclusion, good intendin’ ain’t good doin’.

  • Calvin

    I don’t believe a lawsuit in favor of either full day kindergarten or pre-k funding would be successful. First, the court’s opinion today and the 1977 Supreme Court case say that the state must define and fully fund basic education. The state has never include pre-k in the statutory definition of basic education and only recently did the state include a full-day kindergarten phase-in in the recent education reform bill.

    More importantly, the State constitution requires that education be provided in the “common schools.” In 1889, when the constitution was ratified, the definition of common schools did not include either pre-k or kindergarten. Nineteenth century schools in Washington started at the first grade. That is why it is called first grade. It is improper to change the meaning of words in the constitution without amendment. To do so would allow Webster’s dictionary to amend our constitution.

  • Calvin

    I don’t believe a lawsuit in favor of either full day kindergarten or pre-k funding would be successful. First, the court’s opinion today and the 1977 Supreme Court case say that the state must define and fully fund basic education. The state has never include pre-k in the statutory definition of basic education and only recently did the state include a full-day kindergarten phase-in in the recent education reform bill.

    More importantly, the State constitution requires that education be provided in the “common schools.” In 1889, when the constitution was ratified, the definition of common schools did not include either pre-k or kindergarten. Nineteenth century schools in Washington started at the first grade. That is why it is called first grade. It is improper to change the meaning of words in the constitution without amendment. To do so would allow Webster’s dictionary to amend our constitution.