Dorn Asks AG Ferguson for an Opinion on Local Levies
State Superintendent Randy Dorn's letter to Attorney General Bob Ferguson. The letter is much more in the weeds than the press release below. Dorn ends the letter saying (partial):
In the meantime, many school districts have already begun the process of planning future levies.
Without clarity on this question, school districts cannot adequately plan how they intend to deliver - or pay for - basic education services.
Given the longstanding - and ongoing - legal uncertainly regarding school districts' authority to use local levy funding to pay district personnel for basic education services, I believe it is essential that your response to this request be expedited.
Press Release
Nearly 40 years ago, the state Supreme Court ruled that the state’s education funding system relied too much on local levies. That reliance, the Court said, was unconstitutional.
Nearly four years ago, the Court reaffirmed that opinion in McCleary v. Washington.
And yet, since then, I’ve heard few ideas about reforming the levy system.
With that in mind, I’ve asked Attorney General Bob Ferguson today to issue a formal opinion answering the following question:
Do school district board members have the authority to use local levies to pay compensation to district employees for basic education services?
The fact is that, every year, school districts levy local taxpayers to pay for administrative, support staff, and teacher salaries. To give one example: In Bethel the state pays an average of $60,000 for each administrative staff. But the district pays an average of $111,600.
Where does the $51,600 difference come from? Local levies.
The problem isn’t just with administrators. For certificated staff, the difference Seattle Schools Community Forum: Dorn Asks AG Ferguson for an Opinion on Local Levies: