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Senate, House Align on McCleary Timeline

The Washington State House and Senate acted this week to advance a bill that sets out a timeline for addressing the Washington Supreme Court’s McCleary decision. The bill will now head to Governor Inslee’s desk.

More from the Everett Herald:

The proposal, which was approved Thursday in the House and Tuesday in the Senate, aims to finish the Legislature’s work on a Supreme Court order to fully pay for basic education. The court ruled in 2012 in the court’s so-called McCleary decision that Washington’s school funding was not adequate or uniform.

The court has held the state in contempt over its failure to figure out the remaining issues about how the state can fully pay the costs of basic education, as the constitution requires, while ending its overreliance on local tax levies.

Senate Bill 6195, which passed on a vote of 66-31 in the House, takes aim at that issue. The measure is headed for the governor’s desk.

We’re pleased to see lawmakers committed to addressing the McCleary decision.  Our focus continues to be on a solution that will lead to student achievement gains, maintains the state’s commitment to career and college readiness, and supports economic health.

Three weeks left in the 2016 legislative session. Be sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter for updates.

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