The Washington State Supreme Court has made it clear that the legislature must take more steps to fulfill its McCleary mandate to amply fund schools. Although lawmakers did smartly enact some new investments as part of their school funding plan this past session, the court has determined that the legislature must do more to set up every kid and every classroom for success by the 2018-19 school year. The way to strengthen investments in K-12 schools while supporting investments in other priorities that strengthen our communities – like behavioral health, health care, and early childhood education – is to clean up our tax code, not rely on more short-sighted, one-time fixes.

The Budget & Policy Center continues to recommend common-sense reforms that would clean up the tax code, such as: eliminating a harmful property tax limit that arbitrarily restricts resources available for schools (see our amicus brief to the Supreme Court on the topic); making the real estate excise tax more equitable; and closing the tax break on capital gains.