School Board calls on lawmakers not to impose retroactive cuts to K-12 funding

from Shoreline Schools

The Shoreline School Board has unanimously approved a resolution calling on the state Legislature and the Governor not to impose mid-year retroactive cuts to K-12 education funding.

Based upon the spring 2010 passed and published K-12 funding formulas, Shoreline and other school districts around the state issued contracts and developed budgets that were dependent upon those funds.

For Shoreline, the proposed retroactive K-4 staffing reduction would be approximately $800,000. Those funds been used to employ 10 full-time teachers in Kindergarten through fourth grade. Together with the other proposed cuts, Shoreline would be shorted approximately $916,000 for the current 2010-2011 school year, and the District will have to use its financial reserves to make up the difference.

Here is the full text of the resolution approved by the Board at its January 24 meeting:

STATE PROPOSED RETROACTIVE K-12 FUNDING CUTS FOR 2010-2011

WHEREAS, "It is the paramount duty of the state to make ample provision for the education of all children residing within its borders..." (Washington State Constitution, Article IX, Section 1), and,

WHEREAS, the Shoreline School District has thoughtfully and responsibly developed budgets for the past five years that lived within the resources provided by the state, federal and local revenues in order to establish fiscal stability for our educational community, and

WHEREAS, as has been done for more than two decades, the Shoreline School District, along with other K-12 districts in the State, prepared its current budget based on the firm commitment of funding in the legislatively passed and published State of Washington K-12 funding allocation in the Spring of 2010, and

WHEREAS, the Shoreline School District made 2010-2011 contractual commitments to certificated staff by May 15, 2010 as required by State statute, and

WHEREAS, the Washington State Legislature is currently considering cuts that include the retroactive elimination of funding for approximately 10 full-time teaching staff (10 FTE) currently under contract teaching Kindergarten through fourth grade in the Shoreline School District.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Shoreline School Board of Directors believes that the Washington State Legislature and Governor must honor their commitments for the current school year and not impose mid-year retroactive cuts, which would set a dangerous precedent for the K-12 educational system in Washington and be contrary to the State's "paramount duty."

ADOPTED by the Board of Directors of the Shoreline School District No. 412 at its regular meeting of January 24, 2011.