It's time to solve state's education-funding crisis

Washington's education system is in a crisis. It is absolutely at a critical point where leaders need to make long-delayed decisions that end the funding debate and curb the state's dropout rate.

School districts in South King County and around the state are facing greater, more-complex challenges driven by increased accountability requirements, student mobility, poverty and ethnic diversity. For example, more than 100 languages are spoken in the Federal Way School District, which covers parts of Auburn, and 47 percent of students receive free or reduced-price lunch. Fourteen years after passage of the Education Reform Act, the governor, superintendent of public instruction and the Legislature have failed to create an education foundation sturdy enough to avert this financial and scholastic crisis. Every year, schools, teachers, classified school employees and parents do everything short of begging to get the help needed from the state to get kids — all kids — across the finish line with an education that prepares them for success.

The response from Olympia to these pleas has been painfully inadequate. Much was expected from the governor's now ill-fated Washington Learns task force. Its sole charge was developing a comprehensive approach to funding education. Unfortunately, after 18 months, and more than $1 million, the task force punted and, again, failed to provide the funding blueprint the Legislature requested.

As a member of the task force, it was extremely frustrating for me to see the recommendations of experts and education-focused legislators ignored.

The Democrat-controlled Legislature did not do much better this session at meeting the state's paramount duty. While its decision to provide more than $1.7 billion in new funds to K-12 education earned some praise, the approach did little to address the crisis. The Legislature failed to provide a clear, long-term strategy for education finance and did not adequately fund the fundamentals such as dropout prevention, district salary inequities, special education, transportation needs and even something as basic as books.

Using Federal Way as an example, the result will be a major funding shortfall next year. This shortfall will inevitably lead to higher local property taxes, and layoffs of critically-needed teachers and classified school employees. The same scenario will be experienced statewide.

There may be some hope for the future if legislators act. While dodging financial solutions this year, the Legislature did establish three important interim committees to study education finance, dropout prevention, and career and technical education. As a member of all three committees, I am hopeful we can finally stop passing the buck, develop constructive solutions and end the education-funding debate.

We must put greater priority on reducing the 30-percent dropout rate. I think it is absolutely unacceptable to allow these kids to fall through the cracks. This year's budget allocated more than $13 billion to the 70 percent of the students making it through the system while only $5 million went to the rest. Every student deserves a chance to succeed.

A key element to addressing the dropout rate is looking at alternative pathways that will keep students interested and engaged in school. For many students, career and technical education is the pathway that keeps them focused on learning the skills they need to be successful in their lives. A nationally recognized automotive-repair certificate can be as valuable as a high-school international baccalaureate degree. These are demanding, rigorous programs that deserve our support, the support of the governor and the Legislature.

Decisions must be made during a crisis. It will take a collective citizen outcry to address these critical problems shelved during the 2007 session and in so many prior years. A million kids deserve nothing less. These three committees will provide the opportunity to make many long-delayed decisions in education.

I know I speak for all committee members when I invite parents, teachers, citizens, students, classified school employees, administrators and every other constituency to share their ideas during the next several months.

Rep. Skip Priest, R-Federal Way, serves on the House K-12 Education Committee and the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Education Funding. His legislative district covers parts of unincorporated Southeast King County and the cities of Algona, Pacific and Milton.