OLYMPIA – Sen. Lisa Wellman, D-Mercer Island, the incoming chair of the Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education Committee, issued this statement in response to the state supreme court’s announcement that it will retain jurisdiction over the McCleary K-12 funding case:
“Today’s announcement reaffirms the progress made by the Legislature in 2017 but is also a reminder that our work to amply fund public education is not over. The court’s message reflects the difficult journey lawmakers took finding a viable remedy for the public education funding crisis in our state.
“Regardless of today’s announcement, we know our talented educators throughout the state deserve adequate compensation and conditions in which they can help students thrive. We can’t forget about other funding challenges we face, especially when it comes to special education. It is our responsibility to explore every option in order to speed up implementation of the new salary schedule, further reduce class size, and respond to the unique challenges and opportunities of a 21st century economy.”
