School directors from the Mount Baker, Sequim, and Centralia school boards and superintendents from the Davenport and Tonasket districts testified in favor of a bill that would restore basic education funding that is reduced, dollar for dollar, to school districts that receive federal forest payments.
This bill supports a long-standing WSSDA position, which was ranked 15th at the 2013 Legislative Assembly. WSSDA has taken the lead, working with Whatcom County school districts and the other 215 districts that would see a boost in basic education funding for the 2014-15 school year.
Will Clark, a research analyst for WSSDA, also spoke on the legislation, encouraging the committee to support the bill and include restored basic education funding in the 2014 supplemental budget.
Legislative committee staff mentioned that the fiscal impact could vary each year, based on the federal forest payments to districts, but is initially estimated at about $7 million for the next year. In the 2012-13 school year, 215ndistricts had reductions in basic education by $8.3 million.
Updates on the Legislature and state government from the Washington State School Directors' Association.
