State House members urge governor not to appeal school-funding decision
Posted on 05. Feb, 2010 by Mike.
This week, King County Superior Court Judge John Erlick ruled that the state is failing to meet its “paramount duty” to amply provide for the education of all Washington students. This was a huge victory for Washington’s kids and for the plaintiffs, the Network for Excellence in Washington Schools (NEWS)–a coalition of parents, school districts, unions, and community-based organizations
Following the decision, Gov. Gregoire released a statement saying she “will be reviewing this decision to determine where we go from here.” The statement leaves open the possibility that Judge Erlick’s ruling may not be the final answer. An appeal by the state would send the case to the State Supreme Court.
Now, Rep. Ross Hunter (D-Medina) is sending a letter to Gov. Gregoire and Attorney General Rob McKenna urging them not to appeal McCleary vs. State of Washington. The letter is signed by 30 other state house members, including Rep. Skip Priest (R-Federal Way). The letter says:
The court did not tell us anything that we do not already know. The Legislature is not giving schools the money they need to provide the quality of education we want. The court has rather bluntly reminded us that we are required under our state’s constitution to make the education of our children our number one priority.
Click here to view the full letter.
