Liv Finne says the question before school board members is not how to get more money for the schools; the question is how to spend this funding in better ways
Liv Finne
Washington Policy Center
I recently gave a presentation at a conference in Bellevue to newly-elected school board members showing the ample funding that public schools receive.
I spoke on a panel about school budgets. The key slide from my Powerpoint is this one:
The rest of my Powerpoint is available here.
These school board members were well informed about school funding when on the next day, November 16th, they attended the Washington State School Directors Association (WSDDA) conference. At the WSSDA conference they were likely introduced to the false narrative that schools do not have enough money.
Public school funding in Washington is ample, and has never been higher. In 2022-23, the public schools spent $19,000 per student on average statewide, more than private school tuition.
The 2023 legislative session added another $3 billion for K-12 schools to the biennial state budget, so per student funding in 2023-24 is likely over $20,000.
The question before school board members is not how to get more money for the schools. The question is how to spend this funding in better ways, so that each child actually receives a quality education.
Liv Finne is the director of the Center for Education at the Washington Policy Center.
Also read:
- Opinion: Neighbors for a Better Crossing urges Oregon Legislators to demand full audit of IBR project, echoing Washington’s HB 2669
Gary Clark of Neighbors for a Better Crossing urges Oregon lawmakers to pursue an audit of the Interstate Bridge Replacement project similar to Washington’s HB 2669 proposal. - Opinion: Climate Commitment Act – Washington’s hidden carbon tax hits hard
Opinion, columns, Washington state, Climate Commitment Act, CCA Washington, Washington carbon tax debate, Washington gas prices, Nancy Churchill, Dangerous Rhetoric, Washington climate policy, Washington fuel costs, Travis Couture, Washington Department of Ecology, Washington Department of Commerce, Washington carbon credit auctions, Washington cap and trade program, Washington environmental policy - Letter: The Missing Skamania Report – The prosecuting attorney is still sitting on it
Rob Anderson questions why an investigative report into potential County Charter and OPMA violations has not received an outside review after being declined by multiple offices. - Opinion: Washington’s charter schools deliver – if the state lets them
Vicki Murray argues that Washington’s charter schools are posting stronger academic results than comparable peers while facing funding inequities that are shrinking the sector. - Letter: IBR’s money pit
Bob Ortblad argues the Interstate Bridge Replacement Program is withholding a higher cost estimate while moving forward with limited funding and an unclear construction timeline.
