State Funding for Basic Education in Washington Falls Short: The state of Washington is supposed to provide enough funding for a uniform, K-12 education for all children within its borders. It’s a responsibility identified in the state’s constitution, and is supported by a state Supreme Court decision but, even after a funding system overhaul and reforms, the state’s efforts still fall short of this “paramount” duty.

  • The state uses a school funding distribution “formula” based on the needs of an “average” or “prototypical” school. 
  • This one-size-fits-some approach to allocating state money to schools isn’t working well because it doesn’t recognize the unique needs and costs of individual school districts with varying circumstances in all corners of the state.
    • For example, the Prototypical School Funding Model might recommend funding for a staffing ratio of 1.25 administrators for 600 high school students. So, a high school of 1,200 students would receive funding for 2.5 administrator positions, but what if the need exceeds the recommended ratio?