June 23, 2017 Policy Brief
Key Dates
June 30: Budget or Continuing Resolution for 2017-2019 must be adopted
July 7: Initiative Filing Deadline
August 1: Primary Election
Key Numbers
$67 million accrued in state fines since August 2015 for failure to adequately fund WA public schools.
$159 million increase in expected state revenue for the current and next biennium; $80 million more for 2017-19 budget and $79 million for the budget ending this June.
Social Media Chatter
View Tweet from Keith Eldridge
What We're Reading
Civil Rights Commission Launches Investigation Into Ed. Dept., Other Agencies
“When it comes to the Education Department, the commission is concerned that Trump's budget calls for slashing staff at the office for civil rights by 7 percent, or 46 full-time employees. The commission worries that this could lead to an 'untenable caseload' of 42 cases per staff member. Trump's budget still must be approved by Congress, which will likely ignore much of the proposed spending plan.”
Revenue projections for Washington state are slightly up
“Any final budget will have to satisfy the state Supreme Court, which has held the state in contempt since 2014 for lack of progress on satisfying a 2012 state Supreme Court ruling that found that school funding was not adequate or uniform.”
Washington state lawmakers announce compromise on high-school graduation tests
“Under the deal announced Thursday, high-school students would need to complete the language-arts and math exams as sophomores starting in 2019, according to a news release. High-school students currently take those tests in the 11th grade. The deal also would delay the requirement that students pass a biology exam until 2021.”