Between The Lines
Adam Rudnick's reporter notebook
North county school districts to be affected by judge’s decision
February 5th, 2010 at Fri, 5th, 2010 at 2:52 pm by AdamLocal school districts could see some major changes in how they receive state funding after a King County judge ruled Feb. 4 that the state is not equipped to pay for public education.
Second-graders at Pioneer Elementary School answer a question posed by librarian Carol Bassett on Thursday, Feb. 4.
I’m going to be working on a story in the upcoming days on specifically what that decision could mean for the Arlington, Marysville and Lakewood school districts, who again face budgetary issues as the 2010-11 school year approaches.
So far, I’ve received comments from Randy Dorn, state superintendent of public instruction, and the Network for Excellence in Washington Schools.
The Arlington and Marysville school districts are members of that network, a group of more than 70 Washington state school districts and organizations that filed a lawsuit stating that the state does not fully fund education.
That lawsuit took place between August and October 2009, and was punctuated by King County Superior Court Judge John Erlick’s decision.
I anticipate hearing soon from school adminstrators and Board members, who, for the most part, have long supported the notion that the state does not fully fund public education.
The judge’s decision comes in wake of some of the most tumultuous times school districts officials have faced.
Arlington School District Superintendent Kristine McDuffy announced in late January that the district could be facing a $2.4 million in budget cuts if Gov. Chris Gregoire’s proposed budget become approved.
The Marysville School District is currently soliciting a $78 million bond to build three schools. It’s also seeking a $21 million school support replacement levy to support operations within the district. Both ballot measures will be tough sells to property owners.
I haven’t heard whether the Marysville or the Lakewood districts are facing a huge budget crisis this year. I’m sure that will start to become clearer as administrators and Board members form their budgets.
Adam Adam Rudnick has worked as a reporter in Snohomish and Skagit counties since graduating from Western Washington University in 2006. Since then, he has written for a number of daily and weekly publications, most recently The Arlington Times and The Marysville Globe.
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