Education Funding Crisis How did we get here

1

• Education Funding CrisisHow did we get here?

2
How do we compare financially?

• State 42nd in per pupil funding
• State 45th in class size
• School districts in state 295
• Bottom half in US in per student funding
• 19th ranking in Teacher Salaries
• Class size 4th highest in Country
• Snoqualmie Valley 290th in per pupil funding out
  of 295 school districts

Source 42nd Education Week League of
Education Voters 46th National
Center for Education Statistics
3
Education Funding CrisesHow did we get here?

• 1993 Education Reform Act
• No Child Left Behind
• More Students with Greater Needs
• Much Higher Community Expectations
• 71 of High School Students Graduate
• Examples of Broken Funding System

4
Education Reform

• 1993 Education Reform Act
• High standards of achievement for Washington
  students, teachers, and schools
• August 2007
• Still waiting for an education finance system
  that is ample, flexible, stable, equitable,
  straightforward and accountable

5
No Child Left Behind

• Stronger Accountability for Results
• Shifts responsibility for education
• No additional money

6
More Students with Greater Needs
7
Much Higher Community Expectations

• Formula computed in the 1970s
• Security and technology not considered
• Security
• AP/IB classes
• Nurses
• Counselors
• Librarians
• PE teachers
• Music teachers
• Foreign languages
• And more

8
Washingtons Leaky Pipeline
100 9th grade students 71 graduate
High School 42 immediately enter
college 26 return 2nd year 18 graduate
AA 3 yrs, BA in 6 yrs
Source National Collaborative for Postsecondary
Education Policy. 2003. Report to the Washington
Advisory Group, September 29.
9
Two Main ways to look at School Funding

• Operating Expenses running the schools,
  salaries, books, lights, bus drivers
• Capital Expenses building and remodeling
• The money cant mix

Source 42nd Education Week League of
Education Voters 46th National
Center for Education Statistics
10
Snoqualmie Valley Ranks 290th in per pupil
funding in the State of Washington

• Spokane
• 1912 per pupil more
• Almost 10.9 million more in per pupil funding
• Tacoma
• 2335 per pupil more
• Almost 13.3 million more in per pupil funding

Source OSPI 2005-2006
11
How much money are we talking about?

• Snoqualmie Valley General Fund 52 million
• 82 salaries Benefits
• Roughly 10 million left for books, paper, fuel,
  maintenance

Source 42nd Education Week 46th
National Center for Education Statistics
12
How are schools funded?

• State Fund
• Teacher Salaries
• Per pupil
• NERC
• Federal 10 free reduced lunch
• Low Income
• English Language Learners
• Special Ed
• Local Taxes

13
Teacher Staff SalariesState Allocations

• School budgets
• Salaries and benefits 75-89 of total
• Salary schedule
• Set by state
• Negotiated locally tri-days
• Approximately 75 of teachers on state salary
  schedule

14
Base Staff Salaries 2005-2006

• 
  Teacher Admin Classified
  
• Lowest 30,383 34,048
  23,982
• Highest 32,310 75,435
  32,885
• Snoqualmie Valley 30,383 50,720
  27,757
• Snoqualmie Valley is losing roughly 1.8 million
  due to inequities in salaries
• 290 Teachers 559,000
• 147 Classified 754,000
• 18 Admin 445,000

15
There is no more money to operate your schools!

• Allowed to raise money for
• MO levy supposed to pay for extras now pays
  for basic education
• Transportation levy (only buses)
• Capital levy (school improvements)
• Technology levy (only tech allowed)
• Operating budget is the state dollars, plus
  federal, plus MO levy nothing else

16
MO levy

• Pays for basic ed mostly staff
• Levy lids are capped
• Snoqualmie Valley capped at 24.83
• Riverview 24.45
• Lake Washington 24.89
• Issaquah
  24.97
• Bellevue
  30.26
• Mercer Island 33.45

Source OSPI
17
Capital Funding

• Bonds
• Like Mortgages
• Must have 60 voter approval
• State Matching money
• Only relevant if voters approve bond
• Unpredictable and unreliable
• Comes from timber sales others only as much
  as there is if lots of requests, everyone gets
  less
• Has specific eligibility requirements
• Cant have both gym and multipurpose room
• Cant have enclosed hallways
• State may match 44 of eligible construction
• Eligible parts from last bond were only 3 of
  total project (just 5 mil. out of the
  189.6 mil. bond)

18
Ed Funding Crisis

• 1993 Education Reform Act
• No Child Left Behind
• More Students with Greater Needs
• Much Higher Community Expectations
• 71 of High School Students Graduate
• Broken Funding System

19
What Can We do?

• Donate Money to Snoqualmie Valley Schools
  Foundation http//www.snoqualmievalleyschoolsfound
  ation.org/
• Work with PTA sign up for action alerts
• - go to Focus Day
  Feb. 26th
• - Talk to
  legislators
• Work with League of Education Voters sign up
  for email

20
What Can We do?

• Long Term Legislature
• Federal Way Lawsuit Salary equity
• NEWS Lawsuit ample funding
• Special Ed Lawsuit
• BETF (Basic Education Task Force)
• Redefine basic Ed
• Revenue to fund new definition
• Bring Glenn Anderson/Ross Hunter to speak on
  proposal

21
What You Can Do!

• Help spread the word
• Tell your friends at least one fact that you
  learned today
• Email, call legislators
• www.leg.wa.gov, 1 800 562-6000
• Sign up for Action Alerts
• www.wastatepta.org