By any measure, the state is not meeting its constitutional “paramount duty” to “make ample provision” for basic K–12 education. “We do not believe this conclusion comes as a surprise,” the Washington State Supreme Court bluntly wrote last week in an 8–0 opinion. But by exactly how much are our kids getting ripped off?
The state legislature allocated $12.2 billion to fund basic K–12 education in the 2009–2011 biennial, about $2 billion less than what it actually costs school districts to provide these services, a shortfall that consumes up to 81 percent of local school levies. But according to the legislature’s own Basic Education Finance Task Force, fully implementing planned reforms would cost as much as an additional $6.9 billion per biennium. Which means we’re actually underfunding basic education by $8.9 billion. Ouch. 
Just being snarky but how many people from SPS work at the state level?
Because Seattle Public School District leaks money like a sieve.
Also, why do we pay administrators 100K+ a year to be bureaucrats? I would be more comfortable paying a teacher 100K a year, especially ones who can teach math, successfully, at the k-6 level.
Overpaid paper pushers and underpaid teachers, that’s fucked up.
@1: I don’t teach in Seattle, so I can’t speak to that, but I CAN tell you that if you switched administrator’s and teacher’s salaries, no one would ever be an administrator. If it’s done right, it’s an insanely difficult and almost always unrewarding job (as opposed to teaching, which is difficult but at least sometimes rewarding). I wouldn’t do it if I were paid a bajillion dollars a year.
(That said, I would like to be paid a little more to teach. Not a lot. Just, like, 10k a year more. That would be cool.)
level three sex offenders will off set that by getting federal funds to go to the U Dub.
problem solved the American way!
Apparently now in America there is no redemption after prison time is served. Why shouldn’t they go to UW?
52 cents out of every dollar spent by Watfington State goes to education, this includes payroll.
Maybe we just are tossing it down the old rat hole, especially the $8,000,000,000 we spend on the state colleges.
State used to dedicate over 50% of budget to K-12 education. Now it’s about 40%. Only two state’s spend less per pupil, Utah and California!
So, we cut all Medicaid and welfare to fund schools? Yeah, or you can all pay double your taxes. Take your pick.
@ 7, do you know anything about Washington’s budget?
@8 Funny, no one ever mentions where the money is going, don’t you ever find that odd?
… and yeah, I do know about many of the services cut because of unions bribing the politicians …