Basic education bill is awaiting the governor’s signature
April 28, 2009
By Christopher Huber
After contentious debate April 20, the state House of Representatives approved the Basic Education Finance Reform Bill, but local education leaders are concerned it may not deliver as promised.“The fact that we are moving toward a new, more homogenous funding form is good for us as a district. Even if the overall state funding stays at the same level, Issaquah will still be in a better position,” said Issaquah School Board President Brian Deagle. “Without this first step, we would not be able to continue to step forward.”
House Bill 2261 passed with a vote of 67-31 and now moves to Gov. Chris Gregoire for her signature. All four Issaquah-area representatives voted for it.
The bill is the first major overhaul of the state’s basic education system since 1993.
The new paradigm will include state funding for all-day kindergarten, an extra period in high school and gifted programs. It also establishes the possibility of funding pre-kindergarten for disadvantaged children and sets up a new formula for allocating transportation funding.
The bill does not set a start date for the reforms or mention how to pay for the new programs, but sets the deadline for full implementation of the redefined basic education system at 2018.
The bill also establishes a task force, to begin work in mid-2011, which will study teacher pay. The group will consider, among other factors, the cost of living in different areas in the state.
“This is a success story of my entire experience here of a genuine, bipartisan effort to fix the most important thing that we do here — our paramount duty,” Representative Glenn Anderson, R-5, said from the House floor April 20.
If signed into law, educators and lawmakers can begin laying out blueprints for the new system, Anderson said. Although the state is facing major education funding cuts, laying the groundwork now will enable future legislators to develop a central rubric to apply to funding and provide more transparency, he said.
“You want a very solid implementation schedule, so you actually implement it and not just talk about it,” Anderson said in a phone interview. “You can’t build a house unless you’ve got a blueprint.”
Reach Reporter Christopher Huber at 392-6434, ext. 242, or chuber@isspress.com. Comment on this story at www.issaquahpress.com.
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