OLYMPIA — Public school district superintendents on the North Olympic Peninsula are celebrating the passage of legislation delaying what has been termed the “levy cliff.”
Gov. Jay Inslee was expected to sign the legislation Wednesday.
Now it’s time for lawmakers to get to work and find a long-term solution to adequately funding basic education in Washington, area superintendents said Wednesday.
Both houses of the Legislature passed a measure extending the deadline for a reduction in the amount of money school districts can collect via local property tax levies.
All three 24th District legislators — Rep. Steve Tharinger, D-Sequim; Rep. Mike Chapman, D-Port Angeles; and Sen. Kevin Van De Wege, D-Sequim — voted for the measure.
The 24th District covers all of Clallam and Jefferson counties and a part of Grays Harbor County.
The bill addresses what lawmakers have called the “levy cliff.” Inslee has said he will sign the bill.
The Democratic-led House had passed the bill in January, waiting on the Republican-led Senate to pass a companion bill. Senate leaders had wanted to use the levy cliff deadline as leverage for passage of a new Supreme Court-ordered McCleary public education funding bill.
“We’ll take it,” said Chimacum School District Superintendent Rick Thompson. “It’s good news for Chimacum School District.”
According to a 24th Legislative District news release, a number of area school districts were saved from potentially painful cuts: Port Townsend School District ($487,848), Chimacum School District ($530,571), Quillayute Valley School District ($65,381), Cape Flattery School District ($173,216) and Port Angeles School District ($412,943).
Thompson said he is thankful 24th District legislators voted in favor of the bill, saying the potential cut to Chimacum was a “significant chunk of revenue.”
Now, he is hoping legislators will work on funding basic education, as mandated by the state Supreme Court in the McCleary decision, which is named for Stephanie McCleary, Chimacum human resources director.
“We’re still waiting on the final long-term solution,” Thompson said.
McCleary is the landmark Supreme Court decision in which the court ruled the state must adequately fund K-12 education. In 2014, the court held the state in contempt and imposed a $100,000 fine per day.
Port Angeles School District Superintendent Marc Jackson echoed Thompson’s sentiments.
Jackson said the bill benefits the Port Angeles district, but he is still waiting for the state to adequately fund basic education.
Jackson has talked with 24th District lawmakers and said he’s impressed they are ready to find a solution but added that lawmakers are far from reaching an agreement.
“The levy cliff is one thing, but the much larger conversation is the task in this session to amply fund basic education,” he said. “That’s the big picture.
“They have to spend the remainder of this session on funding and defining basic education.”
Voters across the North Olympic Peninsula in February overwhelmingly approved five levies across four public school districts.
Port Angeles School District voters approved a $36.4 million education programs and operation replacement levy; Sequim School district approved a $5.7 million capital projects levy and a $2.6 million education programs and operation levy; Quillayute Valley School District voters approved a $2.8 million replacement maintenance and operation levy; and Chimacum School District approved a $14.75 million replacement levy.
Now, lawmakers need to focus on solving the McCleary issue, Jackson said.
“We want to solve McCleary,” he said. “It’s going to take a continued commitment and bipartisanship.
“They have not been able to solve this problem, but it will be a big lift in the educational community if they do.”
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Reporter Jesse Major can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 56250, or at jmajor@peninsuladailynews.com.
