"The Washington state House on Saturday approved a measure that lets cash-strapped school districts ask voters for additional money.
On a 55-41 vote, the House passed the measure lifting the levy lid that currently limits how much school districts can seek, and how often, from 2011 to 2017. The measure now heads to the Senate for further consideration.
Gov. Chris Gregoire has promised help to struggling school districts, and the bill would help them make up for school budget shortfalls. The bill would allow school districts to ask for more money and would let them go back to the voters for more money in the middle of a levy cycle.
'I wish we had better state funding. I wish we had the option to do that,' said Rep. Sam Hunt, D-Olympia. 'But we cannot ignore the needs of our local schools. We can give them this extra capacity.'
The levy lid law took effect in 1979 and sought to limit levy revenue to 10 percent of a school district's state basic education allocation. It had a grandfather clause, however, and allowed some districts to exceed the 10 percent limit."
On a 55-41 vote, the House passed the measure lifting the levy lid that currently limits how much school districts can seek, and how often, from 2011 to 2017. The measure now heads to the Senate for further consideration.
Gov. Chris Gregoire has promised help to struggling school districts, and the bill would help them make up for school budget shortfalls. The bill would allow school districts to ask for more money and would let them go back to the voters for more money in the middle of a levy cycle.
'I wish we had better state funding. I wish we had the option to do that,' said Rep. Sam Hunt, D-Olympia. 'But we cannot ignore the needs of our local schools. We can give them this extra capacity.'
The levy lid law took effect in 1979 and sought to limit levy revenue to 10 percent of a school district's state basic education allocation. It had a grandfather clause, however, and allowed some districts to exceed the 10 percent limit."
