King County judge rules state has duty to fully fund education

A King County Superior Court Judged ruled Thursday that the state is failing to meet its "paramount duty" of fully funding education.

The groundbreaking decision holds many implications for school districts across the state, including the Kent School District, which had signed on in support of the lawsuit.

Echoing the sentiments of educators across Kent and Washington State, King County Superior Court Judge John P. Erlick ruled in favor of two families and the Network for Excellence in Washington Schools (NEWS), ruling that the state's funding mechanism for public education fails to meet the duties laid out in the state constitution, which states that providing "ample funding" for education is the "paramount duty" of the state.

"In short (Washington) is not amply providing for the actual cost of operating the state's public schools," Erlick wrote in his decision, adding that it is not providing enough for the equipping of all public-school students with the "basic knowledge and skills" mandated by the state's minimum education standards.

See the full text of this decision here.

McCleary v State

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