Federal Way’s schools will once again get their day in court.
A date has been set for the State Supreme Court to hear a case on fair funding that the school district launched in 2006.
Lawyers for both sides will begin their arguments on June 11.
A King County judge ruled in favor of Federal Way on Nov. 2, 2007, agreeing with the district that the state’s current school funding system was unconstitutional. Judge Michael Heavey ruled that the LEAP salary allocation and the disparate funding violates the equal protection rights of Federal Way teachers, students and taxpayers.
The state attorney general appealed the decision.
The district has been vocal about its displeasure with the state and the state’s budget cuts this year.
Federal Way School District Superintendent Tom Murphy has said several times this year that education should be the only fully funded item in the budget and that the state’s constitution says so.
“To me it’s a simple process,” Murphy said earlier this year. “Look at the only duty in the constitution. The money exists to do this without raising taxes. Stop pretending you have to raise taxes to fully fund education. We should continue to fight for this until we can no longer stand.”
The school board backed his words with a resolution it passed in January.
The resolution reads: “Now, therefore, be it resolved, that the Federal Way Public Schools Board of Directors ask our Legislators and Governor to stand with us for our children, use their political power and existing State resources, exercise their political will, reject the Governor’s initial budget proposal; fulfill the promise and mandate of our State Constitution and fully fund Special Education, Transportation, and Fair Funding. Restore suggested cuts in Levy Equalization, I-728, and I-732; withdraw the appeal of the Fair Funding decision and fix this unequal and unjust funding problem.”
The court case
A vote on Oct. 24, 2006, by the school board officially launched the case against inequitable funding vs. the State of Washington.
The people of Federal Way, including parents, students and taxpayers, are represented in the lawsuit by individual board members as well as Shannon Rasmussen, president of the Federal Way Education Association. Administrative staff members are represented by Cindy Black, principal of Nautilus Elementary and president of the Federal Way Principals Association. Classified staff members are represented by Ginger Cornwell, para-educator at Valhalla Elementary and vice president of the Public School Employees Association.
According to the district, Federal Way has the seventh-largest school district in Washington, yet it ranks 263rd out of the 296 districts in dollars-per-student funding. If Federal Way had been funded at the same rate as the best-funded districts in the 2006-07 school year, the district estimates it could have received $11.5 million more in state and local funding than it actually received that year.
Districts that have passed resolutions in support:
Anacortes School District
Bellevue School District
Central Kitsap School District
Concrete School District
Everett School District
Granger School District
Grapeview School District
Hood Canal School District
Kiona-Benton City School District
Lake Stevens School District
Lakewood School District
Monroe School District
North Mason School District
Newport School District
Ocean Beach School District
Peninsula School District
Port Angeles School District
Republic School District
Sedro-Woolley School District
Shelton School District
South Kitsap School District
Southside School District
Sultan School District
Sumner School District
Tahoma School District
Walla Walla School District
Wenatchee School District
White Salmon School District
Others expressing support:
Edmonds School District
University Place School District
Federal Way PTSA Council
