The Senate majority took a major step this week towards overhauling the way basic education is funded to meet the requirements of the state supreme court’s McCleary order. On Wednesday evening, the Senate passed SB 5607, the Republican-led Majority Caucus’ “One Washington” education plan, by a narrow 25-24 party line (with one Democrat voting with the Republicans, Sen. Sheldon who caucuses with the Republicans) vote. The measure is now in the Democrat-controlled House, which will hold a public hearing on the bill along with HB 1843, the House Democrats’ education funding proposal, this Monday, February 6th.

Education funding reform is a central issue in this year’s legislative session, and a compromise between competing approaches is likely still weeks away as lawmakers work to comply with the 2012 state Supreme Court ruling that the state must fully meet basic education funding needs.

Since the ruling, lawmakers have already increased school funding by more than $ 2 billion, but a major hurdle is still the issue of how much the state must provide for teacher salaries. School districts have been paying a large portion of those salaries through local property tax levies.

Under the bill passed by the Senate, local property taxes would be reduced and state property taxes would be increased. This so-called “levy swap” would create a flat statewide property tax levy of $1.80 per $1,000 of assessed value, replacing the current system of local levies that vary among school districts.

The new state levy would raise about $2.0 billion a year for schools, while eliminating about $2.4 billion in local school district property tax levies. During the floor debate on the bill, Republican leaders said most people would see their property taxes go down under the Majority Caucus’ plan.

The plan would replace the current school funding formula with a minimum annual funding level of at least $12,500 per student. Sen. John Braun, R-Centralia, SB 5607’s prime sponsor, said that the state would make up the difference for any school districts whose tax base is not large enough to reach this minimum. Such payments would cost the state about $1.4 billion every two years, which he said could be met without additional taxes.  The legislature could increase per-student dollar amounts in future years based on inflation and other expenses.

The Senate bill includes a referendum clause, which means the plan would have to be approved by voters statewide in this November’s election.

Also this week, Jacqueline Maycumber was appointed as State Representative for the 7th District to fill the vacancy left when Rep. Shelly Short, R-Addy, replaced Sen. Brian Dansel, who has taken a position in the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Rep. Maycumber, R-Republic, was approved by county commissioners from the five counties within her legislative district on Wednesday, and was sworn in on Thursday. She was Sen. Short’s long-time legislative assistant in the House.

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