School Officials Hope For Bigger Piece Of The Pie Special Ed Help High On List Of Funds They Want From Capital Coffers

Washington school officials are hoping a bit of the Christmas spirit lingers as legislators peruse their list of school priorities in the upcoming session.

Adopted in November, the Washington State School Directors Association priorities run the gamut from special education to transportation but most center on funding.

“And we usually do have funding as our top priority, but not always,” said outgoing WSSDA President David Moseley, who also serves on the Pullman School Board. “This year we just feel there are a number of areas we need to address.”

One in particular is special education funding, which school officials said suffered in a revamping of the program in 1995. There was concern about districts inflating their special education numbers, but the solution of averaging has ended up hurting more districts than it has helped and the WSSDA members are asking lawmakers to reexamine the matter.

While budget amendments during an off-year session tend to be minimal, WSSDA officials are hoping to make their requests more palatable by including a proposal for a new funding source.

The plan is to use some of the state’s estimated $800 million of surplus money for a K-12 endowment fund. The interest from that fund could then be used for ongoing educational expenses such as construction, technology and student improvement grants.

“Of course one always would like more money but we also realize that doesn’t always happen in Olympia,” Moseley said. “So we’re looking to make sure the lawmakers understand some of our top concerns and why this is needed.”

The group isn’t just asking the state for more money either.

Another item on the list is reducing the required 60 percent supermajority on bond levies to a simple majority passage.

“Every other quasi-governmental entity, like fire and port and cemetery districts, is only required to receive a simple majority and schools are the only one that need the 60 percent to pass their items,” Moseley said. “We just want to be held to same rules as the other districts.”

In addition there are a number of non-monetary items on the list, ranging from taking another look at the Running Start program, which allows high school students to earn college credits, to concerns about the accountability process of the state’s school reform program.

WSSDA wholeheartedly supports school reform but members were concerned when they heard talk of accountability standards before the changes are fully implemented, Moseley said.

“This is a five-year program, and most districts are right in the middle of it now,” Moseley said. “We’re not saying to not hold districts accountable, just that a system of accountability shouldn’t be mandated until we have enough time and data to develop that system properly.”

A list of the group’s top 10 priorities will be forwarded to every legislator. Other areas of interest will be addressed if they arise during the session and, as always, WSSDA officials will help write model legislation on areas of concern.