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“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness … it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair…” Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities
This classic novel is set in Paris and London and illustrates the tensions, social unrest, and political upheaval before and during the French Revolution. As a former humanities teacher, it's easy for me to point to literature for a lesson learned. The text is a moral allegory that teaches us about the importance of fairness and justice across all social classes.
According to our state constitution, Washington's paramount duty is to “make ample provision for the education of all children residing within its borders.” Last year, the legislature lifted the local levy lid and permitted school districts to seek additional revenue through a supplemental levy to offset state budget cuts. The erosion of state funding for schools and the shift of this responsibility to local communities, however, has widened the gap between the “haves” and “have-nots.”
Washington State is facing a $4.6 billion shortfall for 2011-2013, and public education is not immune to significant cuts that will impact students, staff and communities. While Washington's “paramount duty” is to provide full funding for education, less than 70 percent of a school district's budget is covered by the state. In the current budget crisis, state support for basic programs and services are at risk.
One proposal being considered by the governor and state legislators is the reduction or elimination of levy equalization funds, which help level the playing field for public schools in Washington. To lessen the disparity between communities and their ability to pay for education through local levies, the state provides levy equalization funds. Districts with low average property values are compensated by the state for the difference. The average range of levy equalization can vary from $1,000 per student to zero. For example, Vancouver Public Schools receives an extra $370 per full-time student, or nearly $8.3 million a year. That's the equivalent of 105 teaching positions, impacting average class sizes by four students.
School districts such as Seattle and Bellevue receive no levy equalization funds from the state because they have large tax bases. Reduction or elimination of levy equalization would disproportionally impact poorer communities and make it more difficult for them to provide reasonable class sizes, current textbooks, bus transportation, special education services, arts and music programs, after school activities including sports. Further, if schools lose levy equalization, the gap between the property-rich and property-poor school districts will widen. And, a larger share of the state's responsibility to pay for its public schools will fall on local communities.
Every student should have equitable opportunities in education, regardless of zip code. Maintaining levy equalization is the fair and just thing to do for all children in Washington state.
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