This week, the Washington Supreme Court rejected a lower court’s ruling that pay disparities between school districts violate the state Constitution. The folks at NEWS have posted information about how the NEWS lawsuit differs from the Federal Way lawsuit, and how the recent Supreme Court decision could impact the NEWS case. Here’s an excerpt below:
Although the Federal Way suit and recently completed NEWS trial both involve Article IX of the State Constitution, they deal with different issues. NEWS did not argue section 2 requires a uniform statewide salary figure. NEWS did not argue section 1 requires the State to fund all districts’ salaries at the same level. And, the NEWS case proceeded to a lengthy trial, with witnesses testifying about actual harms to actual people.
