Two simple solutions to the school funding problem

While the legislature frets over “fully funding basic education” and the state supreme court holds a rolled up newspaper over their heads – –   I’ve come up with two simple solutions to the problem.

I suspect that these aren’t new and that others have thought of them before – – but as far as I know, they came off the top of my head.

First:   Simply redefine basic education.   Several years ago, a legislative task force, issued a report in which it defined basic education.  If the legislature can define basic education, it can simply redefine basic education.

Second:  Eliminate all local levies and have the state take over that responsibility.

Of course both courses of action are fraught with political danger.   The Washington Education Association and its minions will never allow basic education to be redefined.   They played a major role in the last definition and came out smelling more money and more power.   They won’t give that up easily.

They also play a role in the elimination of local levies.   Not only do the teacher unions bargain for local monies for teachers, but they also bargain for working conditions and work hours.   Eliminating local levies would take away some of the union’s power.

Legislators from rich school districts (King and Snohomish counties) would fight such state takeover.   Not only because they have rich constituents who are happy to spend more money for education, but also because the union would have them standing on the street corner looking for work at the next election cycle.

The answers to the basic education funding problem are simple.   The political ramifications are complex – and troubling.

Lets not forget that at least four of our state supreme court justices owe their election to the teacher’s union.