OSPI NEWS RELEASE: Superintendent Reykdal’s Statement on State Supreme Court Ruling in School Construction Funding Case

Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction sent this bulletin at 09/07/2023 11:23 AM PDT

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Superintendent Reykdal’s Statement on State Supreme Court Ruling in School Construction Funding Case

OLYMPIA—September 7, 2023—Today, the Washington State Supreme Court affirmed that school construction costs are a shared responsibility between local communities and the State Legislature. The Court made clear that this funding is not the sole responsibility of the state.

I respect the Court’s decision. This month, the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) will submit a budget proposal to the Governor and the Legislature that will encourage the state to uphold their share of school construction costs.

Our proposal will ask the Legislature to:

Continue to invest in grant programs that support school construction in the primarily rural communities with smaller tax bases;
Make new investments in clean air and energy efficiency in our school buildings; and
Adjust the school construction funding formulas to more accurately reflect the costs to build, remodel, and renovate school buildings through updated allocations per square foot and allowable space per student.

In addition to these budget items, we will again ask the Legislature to make a commitment to lowering the local bond approval threshold from 60% to 50%, as is the threshold for all other ballot measures. The Court has affirmed that school construction is a shared responsibility. It cannot be reasonably assumed that every community can do their part with an undemocratic super-majority required to pass a bond vote at the local level in order to access the state’s share of the funding.

In the meantime, OSPI and our school districts will continue the work already funded by the Legislature to improve water quality in our school buildings and to retrofit school buildings that have the highest risk of danger in a seismic event, as determined by the Department of Natural Resources.

I am appreciative of the Court’s efforts on this case, and I look forward to continued work with the Legislature to ensure each of our students has access to facilities that are safe, healthy, and equipped to support 21st-century learning.

In addition, nearly every student group saw an increase in their 4-year graduation rate, and many persistent opportunity gaps are closing.

ALL STUDENTS PREPARED FOR POST-SECONDARY PATHWAYS, CAREERS, AND CIVIC ENGAGEMENT.

Led by State Superintendent Chris Reykdal, OSPI oversees K-12 public education in Washington state. Our mission is to provide funding, resources, tools, data and technical assistance that enable educators to ensure students succeed in our public schools, are prepared to access post-secondary training and education, and are equipped to thrive in their careers and lives.

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