A coalition of parents, school districts and teachers has won its argument in King County Superior Court that the state is not providing ample funding for public schools.
King County Superior Court Judge John Erlick presided over a two-month trial that started last September. The case is the biggest lawsuit over school financing in three decades, and most expect that however Erlick were to rule, it will be appealed.
"I think this decision is just the beginning of the conversation," said University of Washington Associate Professor Marge Plecki, an expert in school finance issues.
The plaintiffs sued because they think the Legislature has failed to live up to its duty, under the state Constitution, to provide ample funding for public education, leaving districts struggling to fill the gap with local levies, grants and other means.
Washington's Constitution says the state has a "paramount duty" to make "ample provision for the education of all children residing within its borders."
Few — if any — other states are charged with giving education such a high priority. However, Washington ranks 42nd in the nation in per-pupil spending.
The state's attorneys argued that the state is living up to its Constitutional duty and that it's up to the Legislature, not the courts, to determine what's ample when it comes to education.
They also say that the lawsuit is moot because state lawmakers agreed last year to expand state support for public schools, and pledged to add more than $1 billion to the state education budget by 2018.